Acro question
- Thread starter drd
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SchnitzelReef
Active member
What lighting are you using? Post some more details about your tank and water parameters
sil40sx
Member
sorry for butting in,. I'm a SPS noob (total newbie in general). But white LED's have negative effects on corals?
organism
code monkey
imo white LED's are a lot stronger than people realize... I had similar green/bleaching SPS issues a while back and they went away once I cranked the blues to 100% and whites down to 20-30%. The whites were at around 40-50% and it was wrecking my colors. I think it's pretty dependent on the fixture too, so ymmv
Hmmm. I'm going to try that out. I haven't been able to get much coloration out of a number of my corals and haven't been able to pin it down to anything specific (already at low nutrient, adding AAs, have plenty of flow, etc.). As with anything in this hobby, it's hard to nail it down to one specific thing, but this might be something to consider exploring.
FYI I'm using DIY 3w LEDs 2" over the water, no reflectors. 24 LEDs, 1/2 RB, 1/2 mix of CW, NW, UV, L, R. The RBs are running at about 70% and mix are at 55%.
Also worth noting that I have a huge Acropora Formosa - ORA Stuber Stag - that is growing up to the water line directly under white and UV LEDs, and it has also split at the top into multiple new corallites each reaching out widely and growing, despite being directly under a neutral white LED (3,700-5,000K temp).
The mystery of LEDs and the mystery of SPS collide making compounded mysteries.
FYI I'm using DIY 3w LEDs 2" over the water, no reflectors. 24 LEDs, 1/2 RB, 1/2 mix of CW, NW, UV, L, R. The RBs are running at about 70% and mix are at 55%.
Also worth noting that I have a huge Acropora Formosa - ORA Stuber Stag - that is growing up to the water line directly under white and UV LEDs, and it has also split at the top into multiple new corallites each reaching out widely and growing, despite being directly under a neutral white LED (3,700-5,000K temp).
The mystery of LEDs and the mystery of SPS collide making compounded mysteries.
dodgerblew
Team RC
What led light? It's been my observation over time that green Sps are the easiest to keep in pretty much any lighting, low to high par. I mean what's easier to grow then green slimer and green monti cap. Green, orange and brown corals are in general easier to keep. They grow under mh, led, cf, t5 and vho and the highly colored acros grew under mh, t5 and now led due to higher par values. So based on my own observations and opinion I'm initially inclined to lean towards par being low. Acros will expel their zooxanthellae for multiple reasons not just Ito intense of lighting.
dodgerblew
Team RC
It would be great to help you so you could keep any and all corals you want. Nano tanks are tough
dodgerblew
Team RC
IMO, what makes the tank look like a reef has less to do with types of coral and more about letting them mature and grow in
The man speaks the truth. Having a nano that is grown in, I've seen how tough it is, and how long it takes. You need about a year and a half of solid success to really have it feel "mature" like a reef. And that means very stable parameters and very little tweaking, both of which are particularly challenging in a nano.
dodgerblew
Team RC
I as well kept a 28 nano for 4+ years and it was tough. Algae issues and a couple mini crashes. Key to nanos IMO is consistent water changes. Can't take a week off on those. If you do, things can get out of whack quick
Funny, because I've been largely not doing water changes consistently. I started the first 6 months or so doing bi-weekly water changes. After that, it's been about every 1.5 months between water changes. They're easy enough to do, I just prefer stability and am generally lazy.
I do think water changes are a key to success. I'm about 80% to success with about 30% effort, so in my book I'm doing well. Lots of growth, pretty good colors, fishes are happy, and very little algae. Carbon dosing, skimming, and the occasional water change have made it stable. It's all about setting up a sustainable rhythm.
Any pics of your 4+ year old nano? I'd like to see a real mature system.
All Delight
New member
Maybe, but wouldn't he be seeing tips burning before the coral itself bleaches?
All Delight
New member
No. I didn't experience that when it happened to me.
