A Splash of Color - My SPS Peninsula Reef

[nemodan]

Hi Daniel,

I use the skimmate because i see the exact same polyp response when using reef roids or polyp booster - very enriched foods. I like using the skimmate simply because it is pulled back out of the water very quickly, typically over night after dosing. I do it after lights out because my acros are feeding with maximum PE at night a couple of hours after darkness. The algae that would utilize the skimmate also is pretty much dormant in regards to nutrient uptake after lights out compared to when you have full lighting on so i make the water nutrient rich after dark and the skimmer removes the dose along with its normal nights production from my observations.
Don't do it unless you have your water under control and high nutrients are not an issue in your system. I dose 150ml every three nights in a total system of 180gal actual water volume.

I would recommend to anyone who is thinking of trying it to use 1/3 of the same dose for your system. It's not a wonder cure, i use it merely to saturate the water with stuff that i am confident i can control much more than any other form of food i use. You don't see tank crashes after your skimmer goes nuts and over runs 3-4 days skimmate back into the water, things get poopy for 24hrs but that's about it.

Andrew.....Thank you very much for this answer !!!

Daniel

 

[Wrangy]

Hi Dom, Kaos Koala might get himself banned but i think we'll be ok mate. :beer:

I'm sure he will haha Williamstown especially

I'd say the colors now are just getting back to how they were at the end just before i transferred everything over. The 250W Radium bulb on the left side is almost 12 months old and can't cover the spread out wide that the 400W does up the other end. Everything on the right half is eye poppingly bright and colorful but the left island is suffering from the off spectrum and lack of PAR.
I have another 400W ballast coming any day so there will finally be 2 x 400W Radiums running and that will quickly sort out the issue.

The sand has blown into the middle......

I made a short vid so you can see what's what and get a better idea how i have corals situated in relation to each other. Yesterday i spotted the small male perc hovering over the hammer and today he's at it again, every now and then he ever so slightly brushed his belly on the polyps. The female just hangs around up high in the water and couldn't care less.
I went the hack on the left island and removed all the stags from up top which was a stupid idea for placement. It made the pump placement on the overflow wall a pain and they were also badly shading the acros under them. Once i started things got out of control as usual and i moved just about everything lol.....

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lfgXoUg-hyg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is what 150ml of skimmate looks like in the water after lights out.

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vNj2lhjKRf0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'd say things are looking pretty much stunning under the 400w bulb and with a bit of contrast on the sand! I have to say the left island does look a heap better without the stags shading it and I'm sure those acro's will love alittle more light and then some blasting once the 400w goes up! :celeb1:

I would try your skimmate trick if I wasn't on zeo lol but a simple sump stir for me illicits a very similar response in my acro's too nothing like a bit of natures **** floating around the tank for hungry acro's haha

 

[reefmutt]

Love that fts... Such nice space and scale.
Great vids as well!
Are you really going bigger????

 

[sh8g8delik]

Awesome video Biggles! I'm gonna have to start dosing skimmate too. Totm soon?!?!

 

[cFloor]

That FTS and video are looking great bud. My skimmer, for some unknown reason, went crazy and overflowed the other day and I thought of you dosing skimmate. I thought, hey my corals just got a little extra feeding this week.

 

[markalot]

That full tank shot is fantastic, the island of stags in the middle is going to look fantastic when it grows out.

 

[glaukos]

Yup, I'm glad you've done a switcharoo and got sand in. Mike, if you are reading this, please down put sand back in next week...it will only mean Andrew will switcharoo out with the sand. :facepalm:

:lolspin::lolspin::lolspin:

Andrew the tank looks soooo nice buddy:beer:
Really interesting what you do with your skimmate.
I usually use 5ml of it in 500ml of coffee,when we have unpleasant guests in the house

 

[nemodan]

Andrew and also the rest.......Do you reduce your water pumps flow during night ? Like stopping some pumps ?


I read a lot of times that during the night , in our tanks, is better to have a lower water flow..... like in oceans. But !!! I was not able to find in my internet searchs if it is true, that oceans currents are more "peaceful" during night.

Thanks....Daniel

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Andrew and also the rest.......Do you reduce your water pumps flow during night ? Like stopping some pumps ?


I read a lot of times that during the night , in our tanks, is better to have a lower water flow..... like in oceans. But !!! I was not able to find in my internet searchs if it is true, that oceans currents are more "peaceful" during night.

Thanks....Daniel

No I do not. However, I sometimes use a different flow mode during nights to encourage a different growth form on my acroporas and to disturb detritus settlements on rocks and sand bed. From the hydrodynamic point of view, my tank is never "peaceful". On the contrary, I would consider it as "violent" like almost reef crest. I believe that it is for this reason that my staghorns have thick branches (typically 14+ mm in diameter) and grow very fast.

There are five articles in this reading list (refer to "Reef Keeping")for more information.

 

[Oldude]

When will you have sand covering the whole floor of the reef??? :strange:

 

[martinphillip03]

Fair question.

Marty

When will you have sand covering the whole floor of the reef??? :strange:

 

[pstank1]

I'm amazed by the colors every time i look at this thread. Can't wait to see how it is under 2 400 watt bulbs. I can't even imagine what you'll put together if you go through with the upgrade you've been mulling over.

 

[biggles]

I have enjoyed watching the latest videos Andrew. I get a better appreciation of your tank dimensions with video clips than looking at pictures.

You may consider crowning your videos with a good choice of sound track. It is a personal thing. The soundtrack in this video is my all-time favourite. It goes well with the movement inside the tank me thinks

Thanks mate, i may have to take your advice and add some elevator music to the vids in future.

Andrew, great videos, I was sort of expecting a nice melody in the background, seems as if I can only enjoy your beautiful tank with my eyes, lol... For real though, I love the skimmate idea, the polyps are visibly going for the food source, another spot on moment Biggles... We may need to collaborate to find you a good hide out spot, as to keep you safe from the companies that make "night time food" for corals Great job on those beautiful acros mate!!!

Thanks Perry, corals will try to eat any old crap you chuck in the water

Just noticed that kevins tank thread made it to 50 pages:xlbirthday:. What reflector did you go with?

I used the $10- dimpled bat wing reflector that came with the ballast Nick.

Andrew.....Thank you very much for this answer !!!

Daniel

You're welcome Daniel

I'm sure he will haha Williamstown especially

I'd say things are looking pretty much stunning under the 400w bulb and with a bit of contrast on the sand! I have to say the left island does look a heap better without the stags shading it and I'm sure those acro's will love alittle more light and then some blasting once the 400w goes up! :celeb1:

I would try your skimmate trick if I wasn't on zeo lol but a simple sump stir for me illicits a very similar response in my acro's too nothing like a bit of natures **** floating around the tank for hungry acro's haha

Hey Dom, as i said earlier i can't speak for the effect dosing skimmate might have on systems different to mine so unless you see some starving corals i think i'd stick to your zeo which is working very well for you from what i've seen lately.

Love that fts... Such nice space and scale.
Great vids as well!
Are you really going bigger????

Thanks Matt, yes i want to have basically the same tank but 3 or 4ft longer with the long side against the wall again so flow is easy to manage.

Awesome video Biggles! I'm gonna have to start dosing skimmate too. Totm soon?!?!

Thanks Anh, it will never be TOTM time buddy.

That FTS and video are looking great bud. My skimmer, for some unknown reason, went crazy and overflowed the other day and I thought of you dosing skimmate. I thought, hey my corals just got a little extra feeding this week.

Hey mate, nothing wrong with a bit of extra crap in the water at times to put a smile on the acros dials.

That full tank shot is fantastic, the island of stags in the middle is going to look fantastic when it grows out.

Thanks Mark, i like the stags all intertwined rather than growing side by side.

 

[biggles]

Andrew the tank looks soooo nice buddy:beer:
Really interesting what you do with your skimmate.
I usually use 5ml of it in 500ml of coffee,when we have unpleasant guests in the house

Thanks Mike, lol love your skimmate guest dosing idea buddy

Andrew and also the rest.......Do you reduce your water pumps flow during night ? Like stopping some pumps ?

I read a lot of times that during the night , in our tanks, is better to have a lower water flow..... like in oceans. But !!! I was not able to find in my internet searchs if it is true, that oceans currents are more "peaceful" during night.

Thanks....Daniel

My pumps never change Daniel and the flow at night is the same as when the lights are on.

When will you have sand covering the whole floor of the reef??? :strange:

I chucked another 20lb in but i need another 30-40lb more i think Greg.

Fair question.

Marty

There's a bloody echo in here............

I'm amazed by the colors every time i look at this thread. Can't wait to see how it is under 2 400 watt bulbs. I can't even imagine what you'll put together if you go through with the upgrade you've been mulling over.

Here's the display under 2 x 400W Radiums. It looks like i moved some stuff around but it's just the angle i took the shot from............

 

[slin1977]

..... that POV shot is mighty fine and the angle is just right too.

 

[mhucasey]

Very nice Andrew, that FTS is pretty spectacular!

 

[M007]

Nicely done Andrew, are you happy with the extra sunshine? It will be interesting to see the results under the new MH

 

[markalot]

Nice and bright.

 

[pstank1]

Yup, spectacular. Just as I suspected.

 

[reefmutt]

Andrew, do you have consistent colour production from your radiums? One of my 250s is noticeably whiter than the other.. I have switched them to each ballast and the one bulb is always more white..
If you do that upgrade, I'm coming to see it in person!! It'll be awesome. And worth the trip... And worth my wife leaving me for doing the trip..