Adee's new build
- Thread starter amfynn
- Start date
amfynn
New member
Thanks Kinlayan!
Thanks mate. Lol, I know what you mean, the other end of that scale is that when there is, like if the sand is stirred up...there is a heck of mess.
Reefski's
Active member
you are definitely one of my role models. i hope to be building a new house soon and incorporating the sun for my tank there as well.
my current tank is lit by the sun also. it is the way to go if you can do it.
can you discuss the shading, ventilation, and heat issues? what temp do you run the tank at? do you vary it at different times of year.
my current tank is lit by the sun also. it is the way to go if you can do it.
can you discuss the shading, ventilation, and heat issues? what temp do you run the tank at? do you vary it at different times of year.
Reefski's
Active member
that may not be such a good thing!
don't corals eat many particulates? in many videos i have seen of natural reefs there seems to be a lot of particulates.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-02/rs/feature/index.php
what do you feed your corals?
Carl
amfynn
New member
Its begining of our winter here, so tank temps get down to about 21 degrees, summer has been high as 32 degrees (when I manged to spot it). I have a 1h/p chiller and fans.
I would say LPS would gain more from particulates in the water column. I feed only seachem amino's, the rest is fish poop.
thanks.
Ha, ha, was twice a week, now once a week.
Thanks mate.
amfynn
New member
So saturday evening I added another 470ml bottle of Microbe-Lift's Special Blend. Sunday morning greeted me with a very murky display tank...my heart literally skipped a beat.
I noticed that most of the SPS were expelling mucus or what looked like bacterial strands. Some of the caulepra (a very small amount) had turned white. The weird thing was that the frag/nursery tank looked fine, both systems are inter-linked.
So I removed quite a bit of macro algae, really thinned things out and hoped the tank would look better as the day progress...well it did, suffice to say by lunch time is the water clarity was sparkling as ever.
In the evening I took a phos reading and happy to say it went down 0.04ppm's from the week's before reading. So now sitting on 0.05ppm's. I connected last night as well, my phosban reactor and added 500ml of Brightwell's Phosphate resin to help bring down the phosphate further in an effort not rely on the macro any more for phosphate control.
I noticed that most of the SPS were expelling mucus or what looked like bacterial strands. Some of the caulepra (a very small amount) had turned white. The weird thing was that the frag/nursery tank looked fine, both systems are inter-linked.
So I removed quite a bit of macro algae, really thinned things out and hoped the tank would look better as the day progress...well it did, suffice to say by lunch time is the water clarity was sparkling as ever.
In the evening I took a phos reading and happy to say it went down 0.04ppm's from the week's before reading. So now sitting on 0.05ppm's. I connected last night as well, my phosban reactor and added 500ml of Brightwell's Phosphate resin to help bring down the phosphate further in an effort not rely on the macro any more for phosphate control.
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amfynn
New member
Well the good news is that i've found an inexpensive cabinet maker. He will be making some removable panels for me so all that unsightly wiring in the "engine" room area will be hidden from view. Also in that plan is my massive scrubber that will soon take shape....aaai, it never ends...
amfynn
New member
Well it was a year ago I posted this sketch, e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y my plan is coming together :whistling:.
My cabinet maker got the basics in place, still needs to finish the rest off. Unfortunately he is doing this on the side for me, so will finish off at his next free weekend.
As you can see my "water fall ramp", that will be my algae scrubber (now v3), I have a basic idea on what I will do, just need to get my head around it to ensure that I will have enough flow (a pump with a high LPH rating). Base will probably be a sheet of glass (1.2 x 1m), with fly screen or shade cloth hanging over it. The area also doubles as a store room, for the CARX setup, top up, kalk stirrer and other tank room stuff. Me hope that F-I-N-A-L-L-Y, the wife will be off my case.
amfynn
New member
Here are some SPS pics I took over the weekend, there was not much overhead winter sunlight, pics do show the real true colors I suppose. When I eventually get to hang up my light fitting, I'm hoping to see things under a different light (so to speak).
Coral colours and health have improved a lot, same with growth.I guess Microbe-Lift Special Blend has helped a lot. PO4 levels are in check and same with nutirient levels, as whats left of my macro algae is hardly growing at the same pace as before. The KZ High Concentrate amino's is really potent stuff with signs of too much clearly visible from the start of dosing, now halfed the dosage.
Here is my brown tabling with pink tips (acropora desalwii I think), a really beatiful coral that does come alive in a low nutrient environement. I'm amazed how the ends of the coral suddlenly takes on color far removed from the drab brown of the rest of the coral...hopefully I will get the whole coral to lighten up again.
My other favourite and my biggest whole colony it the Ice cap (acropora parilis, I think). The first 4-5cm have taken up the pale (with a tinge of pink) white color, again the trick would be to get the whole stem to look like that. What I've only noticed now is that the actual centre-tip of the coral has a neon green centre, never noticed this before in the last 4 years I've had this coral.
I have not yet managed to ID this yellow stag horn, but would assume its from the A. Formosa family, was much bigger when I bought the colony but almost lost it while it was in my old tank. Grows very slow, slowly nursing it back to getting it back to full growth size.
My other favourite is the lumo green (also A. Formsa family). Has growth spurts all over the tips, but does seem to have tendancies to go for months with no signs of growth, then all of a suddent you got a few cm's in a few few weeks.
Coral colours and health have improved a lot, same with growth.I guess Microbe-Lift Special Blend has helped a lot. PO4 levels are in check and same with nutirient levels, as whats left of my macro algae is hardly growing at the same pace as before. The KZ High Concentrate amino's is really potent stuff with signs of too much clearly visible from the start of dosing, now halfed the dosage.
Here is my brown tabling with pink tips (acropora desalwii I think), a really beatiful coral that does come alive in a low nutrient environement. I'm amazed how the ends of the coral suddlenly takes on color far removed from the drab brown of the rest of the coral...hopefully I will get the whole coral to lighten up again.
My other favourite and my biggest whole colony it the Ice cap (acropora parilis, I think). The first 4-5cm have taken up the pale (with a tinge of pink) white color, again the trick would be to get the whole stem to look like that. What I've only noticed now is that the actual centre-tip of the coral has a neon green centre, never noticed this before in the last 4 years I've had this coral.
I have not yet managed to ID this yellow stag horn, but would assume its from the A. Formosa family, was much bigger when I bought the colony but almost lost it while it was in my old tank. Grows very slow, slowly nursing it back to getting it back to full growth size.
My other favourite is the lumo green (also A. Formsa family). Has growth spurts all over the tips, but does seem to have tendancies to go for months with no signs of growth, then all of a suddent you got a few cm's in a few few weeks.
amfynn
New member
Let there be (un-natural) light
Let there be (un-natural) light
So added my (finally) lighting unit to what has been running only on sunlight for 10 months now.
Water was a bit murky, had just finished a water change...I'll get better pics once all the dust settles (or i upgrade the camera).
Reef Inmates Lighting unit
3x 400w Reeftek (10 000k), 4x 39w Reeftek blues, 4x 39w Geismann Actinic plus
With just the actnics on
all lights on:
Let there be (un-natural) light
So added my (finally) lighting unit to what has been running only on sunlight for 10 months now.
Water was a bit murky, had just finished a water change...I'll get better pics once all the dust settles (or i upgrade the camera).
Reef Inmates Lighting unit
3x 400w Reeftek (10 000k), 4x 39w Reeftek blues, 4x 39w Geismann Actinic plus
With just the actnics on
all lights on:
amfynn
New member
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