--75g Barebottom/Starboard Reef Project--

[Lunchbucket]

i don't think i have that good of colors. i do like MOST colors. but some are lighter then needed

what fish you planning buddy??

Lunchbucket

 

[Zoom]

I get SPS Corals from other reefers around here so they can get to see what color there SPS will look in my tank .
I have very heavy BL and feed heavily but i have a Monster Deltec to clean the tank ( not is big as Julio's):lol: .
Most of the locals here have a very little fish BL in there tanks and the feed nothing comparing to me. They alway said my SPS colors Pop on my tank.

 

[arconom]

Zoom you do have a monster Deltec!! from the looks of it in your gallery your sps colors are awesome!!!

I'm not sure what fish. I want workers!!! Algae eaters?

Maybe's

Lawnmower blenny
Sixline wrasse
I love all wrasses
All Dottybacks Arabian Bluelined Dottyback

To let you all know ( I know Travis has) I have the Pocket expert book "Marine Fishes" by Scott Michael

Give me ideas guys.

 

[melev]

Why don't you list your all-time favorite fish, and let us see if any are compatible with your system?

Depending on what you put in your tank, you'll definitely lose some polyp extension from your SPS.

 

[engagg]

FWIW, I would epoxy any interior portions of your stand. Any water that spills will be easily cleaned up. Also caulk your joints so water does not creep in between peices of woood causing it to swell. I used a product by XIM that is mainly for refinishing bathtubs, basically made for sumbersion. It is a nasty epoxy (good respirator and ventilation) and you can recoat it in couple of hours. I only applied one coat over a bonding primer.

As for the stain look I would not use any stain or varnish/polyuerethane on the interior of any stands, they do not hold up to moisture well. The helmsman spar is a good product but cannot stand up to the constant humidity or corrosiveness of salt. Also it would be a very bad idea to use any exterior polyurethane on the inside of a canopy the uv inhibitors in the product cannot withstand that much exposure to light. If any of you are from the coast or know people with wood boats, ask them how often the refinish their clear coatings. Applying poly to the exterior of a stand is fine, it does get bombarded with light and on gets an occasional spalsh of salt so the coating should last for a long time. I would still recomend using a high quality polyuerethane or multi-component uerethane like chemcrafts D-dur.

Hope this helps. If you have any more paint related questions feel free to ask, I am a painting contractor.

Greg

 

[Travis]

I'm not sure how much food sps need. I was at a recent Anthony Calfo presentation and he stated that most acropora and montiopora species derive 92% of their energy from the byproducts of photosynthesis and the other 8% is provided by nutrient adsorption and prey capture.

As for fish, I think you are on the right track with workers. I like tangs because they will work on algae very well. Unfortunately, they eat a lot so you have to feed more. I also like a lot of small fish like chromis and wrasses. They make for an "active" looking display but stay small and don't require much food to be fed to the tank.

Could you post some recent pics of some of your corals? I'm curious how they are looking in your tank with no fish.

 

[Lunchbucket]

Travis - well said buddy.

Lunchbucket

 

[arconom]

I will post some pictures Friday.

I have been switching from XM10 K to the Reeflux 10 K.

The colors don't pop when I am using the XMs. It might be because the XMs are on there way out as far as usage.

I would love to try my Reefluxs on a Electronic ballast since they give more par and as it is I love the color. But I'm stuck with the Magnetic ballast I really need to upgrade my reflectors also.

Heck I still want the ROIIIs with Phoenix bulb. Maybe for Christmas

Both my tables are almost done painting. I went with the Kilz. I love the paint!.. I did 2 coats on the sump stand and the Frag tank stand. I want to do 1 more on the sump stand.

I know pictures!!!

 

[aural]

sounds great! definitely cant wait to see some updated pics!

 

[Travis]

I'm guessing your colors pop better with the Reeflux because of its HUGE spike in the blue range. From all the pictures of people's tanks I have seen, I would have to say the Phoenix/Aquaconnect 14k's are the ultimate bulb for aesthetics and coloration. I just wish someone would find out who is making the mogul bulbs for Aquaconnect because I'm not paying the Aquaconnect prices for them. 250w DE users are lucky that Phoenix was found. Unfortunately I can't use DE's because they won't cover my width.

 

[Zoom]

I'm waiting for the 14K 250W Iwasakis they suppose to be very good bulbs.

 

[arconom]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6951254#post6951254 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis
I was at a recent Anthony Calfo presentation and he stated that most acropora and montiopora species derive 92% of their energy from the byproducts of photosynthesis and the other 8% is provided by nutrient adsorption and prey capture.

Thats what I thought Travis. I have read that a few places. Mixed info gets me and most confused. I was just reading today that NItrogenous?(SPELLED WRONG) in the form of fish waste did increase the growth of corals in one test.







I have to say there is a heavy hue of Pink to the 10k Reeflux bulbs.

Well this weekend I will be taking some pictures. I have to also finish painting my sump stand.

My friend gave me a WMD-30RLT Iwaki. I will be using this for my Return. What hole size should I drill in the sump? 1-1 1/2 ?? I assume 1 1/2 the bigger the better. I don't want to restrict the intake.

I have also been looking at spec plots and can't believe how much more par Electronic Ballasts give the Reeflux bulb.

I would love to have both the M58 and a Electronic. I guess I could buy a switch to go between the 2

I'm still deciding on lighting for my 40 gallon breeder frag tank.

Jay said to me which makes sense that if I went with 250watt I could always use the setup if I ever decide to change. But I was thinking maybe 175Watt for heat issues?

Also still thinking about my future lighting setup for 75gal tank and the future 120gal. I want to buy something good for both. Is it possible?

PFO DE pendents?
ROIII

Or SE ??

There is a much bigger selection in the color spec with SEs. I wish I was good at deciphoring the Reflector Plots on Advanced Aquatic site. BTW any one have the link?

BUT... for the moment, want to find the best reflectors I can get for my hood ROI,Spider? I'm lost . If need be I can get MH pendents and mount them in my hood. But I want to go with the least money as possible method. So I need some suggestions guys....

My Rigged reflector I have ATM is IMO worthless..

 

[Travis]

I would go with a 2" bulkhead for your return. No matter what pump you may decide to use in the future, the 2" bulkhead will be big enough.

If you are thinking 175w for the frag tank I would do the Iwasaki 14k all the way. If it were me, I would probably just stick with a 250 thought. Heck, upgrade the ballasts on the display to electronics, then use one of the mag ballasts for the frag tank and sell the other one. What better reasoning to upgrade to electronics.

If you truly want the BEST reflectors then it is Lumenarc III's for sure. This will be overkill on the 75 and you will lose some of the light out the sides of the tank but will be perfect for when you upgrade to the 120.

Here is Sanjay's site. Just click on articles to find the articles with the reflector analyses.

 

[maxxII]

Travis,

Ya forgot the link!

Sanjay's Reef Lighting Pages

Travis is right, the Lumenarcs are great, but they aint exactly cheap. You might want to wait and see how these do....

New Reflector from Sunlight Supply

From what I understand, these are SLS' version of a Lumenarc...only its directly compatible with SLS ballasts, and less expensive (from prices I've seen of LA3's vs the projected cost of these.....)

I believe these are going to get a full blown test by Sanjay here soon also....

Nick

 

[WAGERJA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6974350#post6974350 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis
I would go with a 2" bulkhead for your return. No matter what pump you may decide to use in the future, the 2" bulkhead will be big enough.

If you are thinking 175w for the frag tank I would do the Iwasaki 14k all the way. If it were me, I would probably just stick with a 250 thought. Heck, upgrade the ballasts on the display to electronics, then use one of the mag ballasts for the frag tank and sell the other one. What better reasoning to upgrade to electronics.

If you truly want the BEST reflectors then it is Lumenarc III's for sure. This will be overkill on the 75 and you will lose some of the light out the sides of the tank but will be perfect for when you upgrade to the 120.

Here is Sanjay's site. Just click on articles to find the articles with the reflector analyses.

:thumbsup: 100% agree with trav. just a few things to add...

1. I have some Lumenarc III's you can play with... I need 2 for my new tank but I have 4 man!

2. To avoid any heat issues and the help stabilize the pH I would run the frag tank on a reverse light cycle.

3. Post some pics of that tort, I really wanted to see how they're doing.

-Jay

 

[Travis]

maxxII, thanks for posting that link to the LumenMax reflectors. I was not aware of those. I'm really interested in seeing how their DE reflector performs.

 

[maxxII]

I am too, espscially since I have SLS ballasts and use DE's.

WagerJa, were the LA3's difficult to get hooked up or anything? I ahve a friend who complained they were a PITA to get together, but she's not exactly DIY certified either....


Nick

 

[WAGERJA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6976453#post6976453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxxII
WagerJa, were the LA3's difficult to get hooked up or anything? I ahve a friend who complained they were a PITA to get together, but she's not exactly DIY certified either....
Nick

Well I haven't put them into use yet... so can't say for sure... but I have looked at them closely and don't see it being any harder to mount then any other pendant or reflector. Then again I have built my own stands, canopies, external overflows... etc etc.

Also see my listed occupation below my avatar. So I guess it's all relative.

Lets just say I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t foresee having to brake out the slide-rule to figure out how to mount them.
:bum:

 

[arconom]

Ok Guys you wanted it so here goes.

1st on the list is my new fish I just picked up and acclimating atm.

Red Head Elegant Pseudochromis

I didn't buy it from here but this is a good picture.

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/pseudochromisdottybacks/redheadelegantpseudochromis/

Acclimating

On to the coral pictures

 

[arconom]