--75g Barebottom/Starboard Reef Project--
- Thread starter arconom
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Travis
10 and over club
Does the mini reactor come with a sponge to put on top of the bottom perforated plate? Without a sponge it will be hard to run GFO.
Your kalk precipitation issues are from adding too much too fast. I had this problem with my 75 a few years ago when I was doing all top-off through a kalk reactor on a float switch. Never ever had a problem after dosing with a Litermeter, not even with pickling lime.
Your kalk precipitation issues are from adding too much too fast. I had this problem with my 75 a few years ago when I was doing all top-off through a kalk reactor on a float switch. Never ever had a problem after dosing with a Litermeter, not even with pickling lime.
arconom
Premium Member
I haven't decided what Phosphate Media I will be using. For now it will just hold my probe for the PH Controller.
I see what your saying about the sponge. But don't forget this was designed with BioPHos as the media. I am scared atm of both medias in the low PH environment. So I'm still researching.
My effluent wouldn't even have enough pressure I think to lift phosban. But you are totally right. If I intend on using Phosban I will rig up a sponge in there.
Where did my spell check go
I see what your saying about the sponge. But don't forget this was designed with BioPHos as the media. I am scared atm of both medias in the low PH environment. So I'm still researching.
My effluent wouldn't even have enough pressure I think to lift phosban. But you are totally right. If I intend on using Phosban I will rig up a sponge in there.
Where did my spell check go
Travis
10 and over club
I think there will be less of a channeling effect by keeping the media elevated off the bottom. With the open space at the bottom, the water enters and then diffuses and mixes with the rest of the water in that open space before going through the media. If the media was right on the bottom, the water is going to seek the path of least resistance and will immediately start forming a channel through the media. I think you will have some channeling either way but the effect will be less with the media elevated. Just a theory.
arconom
Premium Member
Well I'm not using any media yet in my Mini reactor. When I do I will try what you said Travis.
I recieved my Deltec Phosphate kit this week. So I gave it a try this morning. I needed help using it so I gave Marvin a call from Atlantis Aquariums. Plus I love talking Reef with him. He is the guy with a Deltec made tank
So my reading I guess are what you would expect 0 What did you expect ? 
I know some don't put much validity in and phosphate test kit since it's difficult to measure the phosphates we are looking for.
I recieved some great frags from a online site. I have never bought from anyone other then Eric from fragfarmer but I'm happy. I QTd them with interceptor for about 10 hours. I know I only needed 6 hours but hey I needed to sleep. I still have to mount the frags.
Some pictures from my tank. I know there small but hey I justed started stocking my tank
I had to cut some off of this it was doing something weird so I quicklly fragged it 2 days ago.
I recieved my Deltec Phosphate kit this week. So I gave it a try this morning. I needed help using it so I gave Marvin a call from Atlantis Aquariums. Plus I love talking Reef with him. He is the guy with a Deltec made tank
So my reading I guess are what you would expect 0
What did you expect ? I know some don't put much validity in and phosphate test kit since it's difficult to measure the phosphates we are looking for.
I recieved some great frags from a online site. I have never bought from anyone other then Eric from fragfarmer but I'm happy. I QTd them with interceptor for about 10 hours. I know I only needed 6 hours but hey I needed to sleep. I still have to mount the frags.
Some pictures from my tank. I know there small but hey I justed started stocking my tank
I had to cut some off of this it was doing something weird so I quicklly fragged it 2 days ago.
arconom
Premium Member
Well guys I would like your thoughts on this subject.
You guys know I bought the Reeflux 10ks recently. I used them for 1 day. WHY? Because I'm scared of sacrificing growth for color.
Don't get me wrong I would love to have both but it's not possible IMO. I'm taking a big step down in terms of par from my current XM10ks.
Is it worth the potential loss of growth or very slow growth for a more blue bulb?
I really love the hint of blue in the reefluxs but in the long run at what cost in terms of growth?
I also only have a 75gal tank that is not to deep. Will my growth become very slow?
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Questions offtopic of the above. Side note
How artifical are colors that 14-20k bulbs give corals? Am I, we,cheating the colors of the corals and making them look like something there not supposed to look like? Is this Blue fad in Reef keeping just that, a fad?
I always love talking to my reefer friend Jay about this. The truth is natural light in the spectrum of nature is very ugly looking. 5,500k and below.
So the closest we can get is 10k that still has a Yellow hue to it. We offset the yellow hue with Actinics. But the corals are as natural looking as we can get and still have color.
You guys know I bought the Reeflux 10ks recently. I used them for 1 day. WHY? Because I'm scared of sacrificing growth for color.
Don't get me wrong I would love to have both but it's not possible IMO. I'm taking a big step down in terms of par from my current XM10ks.
Is it worth the potential loss of growth or very slow growth for a more blue bulb?
I really love the hint of blue in the reefluxs but in the long run at what cost in terms of growth?
I also only have a 75gal tank that is not to deep. Will my growth become very slow?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions offtopic of the above. Side note
How artifical are colors that 14-20k bulbs give corals? Am I, we,cheating the colors of the corals and making them look like something there not supposed to look like? Is this Blue fad in Reef keeping just that, a fad?
I always love talking to my reefer friend Jay about this. The truth is natural light in the spectrum of nature is very ugly looking. 5,500k and below.
So the closest we can get is 10k that still has a Yellow hue to it. We offset the yellow hue with Actinics. But the corals are as natural looking as we can get and still have color.
melev
Well-known member
Well, I'm not an expert on this topic, but from what I've read, the best growth you'll ever get will be under Iwaki 6500K bulbs.
Using 10K bulbs, you'll still get good growth, and you can supplement the light with actinic VHOs to make it look more pleasing to the eye.
Are you in a hurry to get fast growth? Or are you content with steady growth that fills in more slowly? A tank full of huge corals that always need fragging may not be all that fun, although I've yet to enjoy that dilemma.
Using 10K bulbs, you'll still get good growth, and you can supplement the light with actinic VHOs to make it look more pleasing to the eye.
Are you in a hurry to get fast growth? Or are you content with steady growth that fills in more slowly? A tank full of huge corals that always need fragging may not be all that fun, although I've yet to enjoy that dilemma.
arconom
Premium Member
I'm not in a hurry Marc But I have never changed from high Par 10ks like Ushios or Xms. So I guess I'm scared of change.
ATM I have the 2x250 XM 10k SEs. The growth is beyond good. I have never experianced slow growth like most say they have with a more blue bulb. I mean how slow are we talking? Are we talking 1 year to get 1 inch? What is slow growth?
But I have never changed from high Par 10ks like Ushios or Xms. So I guess I'm scared of change. ATM I have the 2x250 XM 10k SEs. The growth is beyond good. I have never experianced slow growth like most say they have with a more blue bulb. I mean how slow are we talking? Are we talking 1 year to get 1 inch? What is slow growth?
Zoom
Premium Member
arconom
arconom
I did swith to 14K about little over a month now, i was running 6.5K Iwasakis 250 W for two years and then Xm 10K for three.
I have the best Growth and not bad of color with the Iwasakis.
The Xm bulbs they had better color, the fish, coralline algae and corals look better and i was getting good growth.
As for the 14K Hamis .
Bad growth, good color on everything specialy the fish.
The best thing is the organics in the tank is very low ,
I check them before and after and is very low did take about three weeks to get there but i,m happy.
The front glass almost never need cleaning, the skimmer only pulls half is much nog, i have no algae nothing .
Now i know why reefers that run 20K bulbs they don't get is much nog out of there skimmers.
This is my good and bad news about the bulbs i use.
arconom
I did swith to 14K about little over a month now, i was running 6.5K Iwasakis 250 W for two years and then Xm 10K for three.
I have the best Growth and not bad of color with the Iwasakis.
The Xm bulbs they had better color, the fish, coralline algae and corals look better and i was getting good growth.
As for the 14K Hamis .
Bad growth, good color on everything specialy the fish.
The best thing is the organics in the tank is very low ,
I check them before and after and is very low did take about three weeks to get there but i,m happy.
The front glass almost never need cleaning, the skimmer only pulls half is much nog, i have no algae nothing .
Now i know why reefers that run 20K bulbs they don't get is much nog out of there skimmers.
This is my good and bad news about the bulbs i use.
Zoom
Premium Member
I don't know if this is the same CV10K Reeflux bulb as you see the Hamis is right up there with the IC ballast .
But if you use Regular ballast you need to go with CV10K.
As for growth i don't know yet is been only little over a month now that i have the bulbs in the tank i seen nothing so far.
But some of my SPS are 10" around so i dont need the growth but you do
IceCap Electronic Ballast
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
Iwasaki 651 252 275 2.17 2.45
XM10K 530 252 254 2.2 2.82
SUN10K 494 252 255 2.14 3.86
BLSW 494 252 254 2.15 2.83
EVC10K 492 252 254 2.15 2.96
AB13K 422 254 257 2.17 2.3
Ushio 414 252 258 2.19 3.41
AC14K 406 252 264 2.17 2.32
CV10K 387 250 251 2.17 2.46
HM14K 352 251 252 2.17 2.29
Radium 330 252 275 2.19 3.56
CV20K 307 251 253 2.2 2.25
SBURST12K 304 253 284 2.17 2.61
XM20K 270 252 301 2.17 2.81
BL10K 263 248 250 2.18 3.68
CV12K 259 251 253 2.17 3.32
SUN14K 253 251 308 2.18 2.79
CV15K 242 251 252 2.2 3.85
PFO 13K 227 251 268 2.18 2.86
SUN20K 224 247 249 2.2 3.0
XM15K 187 252 254 2.17 2.83
Last edited:
elephen
In Memoriam
arconom-
Just my experience but I'm running 250w 20k Radiums on a SLS BW7 dual 250w HQI ballast and the color is whiter then my old 14k's on a standard magnetic ballast. Its about 12k if I had to guess.
I don't use atinic supplimentation and in the last month the newest frags I put in have nearly doubled in size. I hang them about 7-8" above the water line.
Not sure if this helps you much. What kind of ballast are you running?
Just my experience but I'm running 250w 20k Radiums on a SLS BW7 dual 250w HQI ballast and the color is whiter then my old 14k's on a standard magnetic ballast. Its about 12k if I had to guess.
I don't use atinic supplimentation and in the last month the newest frags I put in have nearly doubled in size. I hang them about 7-8" above the water line.
Not sure if this helps you much. What kind of ballast are you running?
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