300g SPS Dominated Reef!

[Joe0813]

Your sps are awesome, love the colors.

 

[codydemmel4]

your raspberry lemonade coral is something else.

 

[Ciwyn]

That hybrid LED/T5 seems to be the way to go. Did you notice a big difference in coloration and growth when you changed over from just the LEDs?

 

[fishresponse]

Wow! Just wow!

 

[FirstContact]

Great Build!

 

[Ranchhand02]

Is the entire exterior of your stand made of pine?

 

[Reefer525XL]

Wow very nice Love your tank. You got some mad wood working skills. I am going to check out Two Guys Coral I think they are semi local to me.

Thank you. If they are local to you definitely worth checking them out.

Your sps are awesome, love the colors.

Thank you, SPS can be very picking so getting them to color up nicely and growth can be difficult.

your raspberry lemonade coral is something else.

Its actually a Tyree Pink Lemonade!

Wow! Just wow!

Great Build!

Thank you!

Is the entire exterior of your stand made of pine?

Yes the entire exterior is made of pine.

 

[Reefer525XL]

That hybrid LED/T5 seems to be the way to go. Did you notice a big difference in coloration and growth when you changed over from just the LEDs?

I've seen some beautiful tanks with just LED as their main light source but for me the LED's alone just didn't cut it. I did notice a major improvement in both color and growth. Growth rate increased and colors got a lot better. I know it was due to the T5's because nothing else was changed in the tank at that time.

T5's were installed on Dec 22, 2015. This picture shows the growth of a frag in just two months.

This one did not grow as fast in a 30 day period but you can see the change in color. Btw the bottom picture is supposed to say Jan 04, 2016

This is the same coral on 09/11/2016

 

[Ciwyn]

That is why I have been thinking of supplementing some t5 lighting with the LEDs I run. That definitely looks like some nice growth!

 

[Reefer525XL]

That is why I have been thinking of supplementing some t5 lighting with the LEDs I run. That definitely looks like some nice growth!

You won't be disappointed if you do. I only run the bulbs for 5 hours so no heat issues and can probably get more than 12 months out of the bulbs if you wanted to go a little longer before changing them.

 

[Ciwyn]

That's kind of how I imagined doing it. I wanted to run a cheap t5 fixture over my growout/frag tank but the circuit in my house didn't like me doing that. My acros grow in that tank but all the sps are very pale no color. I seem to have the opposite issue in my display tank...go figure.

Btw your lighting mount is a work of art in and of itself! Definitely some inspiration there for how to do it.

I may have to grab some frags off you next time I'm in south FL. I had been eyeing your frag packs in the livestock trading section.

Keep the photography up. I think we're all enjoying it.

 

[Reefer525XL]

That's kind of how I imagined doing it. I wanted to run a cheap t5 fixture over my growout/frag tank but the circuit in my house didn't like me doing that. My acros grow in that tank but all the sps are very pale no color. I seem to have the opposite issue in my display tank...go figure.

Btw your lighting mount is a work of art in and of itself! Definitely some inspiration there for how to do it.

I may have to grab some frags off you next time I'm in south FL. I had been eyeing your frag packs in the livestock trading section.

Keep the photography up. I think we're all enjoying it.

I installed two 15amp circuits for this tank so I wouldn't run into that issue. I would have probably been able to get away with just one and the existing circuit in the living room but since I was already installing one I decided to just do two and avoid any possible headaches down the road.

As for the frags whenever you are in the area let me know, if you are within driving distance you are more than welcome to swing by if not I don't mind shipping them. I have a lot of pictures showing a lot of the steps that led to the completion of this tank so I'll be posting them from time to time, plus any new pictures I take of course

 

[Joe0813]

Kind of thinking of maybe getting rid of my 3 gen2 radions and getting a t5/led combo

 

[Ciwyn]

Kind of thinking of maybe getting rid of my 3 gen2 radions and getting a t5/led combo

Keep the radions and supplement them with t5. Unless you just need an excuse to buy a new lighting fixture!

I will have separate circuits for he upgrade im planning when i move next year.

I am not in driving distance of south Florida. But i do fly down there quite frequently in the winter.

 

[Reefer525XL]

Keep the radions and supplement them with t5. Unless you just need an excuse to buy a new lighting fixture!

I will have separate circuits for he upgrade im planning when i move next year.

I am not in driving distance of south Florida. But i do fly down there quite frequently in the winter.

Yea I meant as in when you fly to S. Florida if you are within driving distance your are more than welcome to come by.

 

[Reefer525XL]

Kind of thinking of maybe getting rid of my 3 gen2 radions and getting a t5/led combo

I would keep the Radions and just add the T5's unless you are thinking of getting an ATi hybrid or some other brand.

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

Could we get you parameters? Nutrients?

 

[Joe0813]

I was looking at two Aurora 36" T5 LED Hybrid.... but they are 1800 a piece. So I might do what you guys are suggesting and just add t5s

 

[Ciwyn]

Yeah i should start heading down to FL regularly next month. People love to fly down there starting at thanksgiving. What part are you from?

I was looking at two Aurora 36" T5 LED Hybrid.... but they are 1800 a piece. So I might do what you guys are suggesting and just add t5s

Those are great fixtures but wow thats quite a price tag. Radions are great lights and if you're running them in a canopy anyway there's not much difference in aesthetics anyway.

Could we get you parameters? Nutrients?

Im also curious if you're dosing anything. Two part or calcium reactor? It's quite apparent you're doing something correctly.

 

[Reefer525XL]

I was looking at two Aurora 36" T5 LED Hybrid.... but they are 1800 a piece. So I might do what you guys are suggesting and just add t5s

If you have a canopy and have the room in front and behind the radions then I would just get 2 sets of retrofit kits and that will give you a total of 4 bulbs.