Advice regarding bleaching, polyp extension, lighting, and coral placement

[Shooter7]

hmmmm.....that room is pretty big and pretty well ventilated. Caps are kept on everything down there. Seems it would be a bit of a stretch that this is what is happening, and I wouldn't think that the result would be weird algae growth, but who knows. Something to consider. Best I could probably do would be to hang a curtain or something between the storage room my sump is in and the laundry room. Way to be thinking, Steve.
:thumbsup:

On a sidenote, I lowered my current lights down quite a bit a few days ago. Some of my corals are perking up a bit and the algae issue has faded somewhat.

Steve, you got $400 you don't need laying around?

 

[rottielover]

As I recall wasn't there some enviromental concern about some laundry detergants containing phosphates? I think it's probably a GIANT LEAP to think that tiny quanaties of some kind of laundry product are raising your phostphates by getting into your sump, but then again much stranger things have been known to happen... At least the possibility is worth looking at for 5 min, just to be on the safe side I suppose...

However, that being said my RO/DI unit and storage brute trashcans are in my laundry room, and I've never had a problem with anything getting into the RO/DI water, though we use liquids and not powder products.

Wish I could help further

 

[MayoBoy]

Buy some roses for your wife with the extra 50

 

[Shooter7]

Like I'm always telling everybody, I says, that Steve...he's one heck of a guy. Always right there with a helping hand. My wife will appreciate the imaginary flowers I buy with your imaginary money, I'm sure.



We use all liquids too and I have no phosphates detected on my tests, although one would assume that at least some are present with the presence of some algae growing. That said, my chaeto is slowly deteriorating, so it must not have enough stuff to keep it going.

 

[MayoBoy]

I wasn't thinking so much about powder as "mist" from the washer running. Can you smell bleach when you do a load of whites? If you can smell it, then some of it is getting into the sump. Not to mention fabric softner, etc.

(ever see one of those slo-mo movies of a toilet flushing and all the tiny water droplets that come up and go all over the place?)

However, that being said my RO/DI unit and storage brute trashcans are in my laundry room, and I've never had a problem with anything getting into the RO/DI water, though we use liquids and not powder products.

Do you keep the Brute's covered?


p.s. as long as she's getting imaginary flowers, take her on an imaginary dinner to Tony's - on me!

 

[Shooter7]

No, I don't smell bleach or fabric softener. Also, I would think that if this were the case, all the corals and such in my tank would be mad at me and they're not. Most of my softies and my anemones are really happy at the moment.

 

[Shooter7]

Well, this is a bummer. Just experienced my first unsatisfactory order from Premium Aquatics. I ordered new reflectors, VHO retro kit, 2 new Ushio 10k bulbs, and 2 super actinic VHO bulbs.

I got everything, except I got one Super Actinic and one Actinic White VHO bulbs. And BOTH of the Ushio 10k's have broken glass pieces rattling around in them. Not sure what that is, but sure not interested in firing them up if something's broken in there. I was hoping to get this thing together over this weekend and get it over the tank. Guess that won't be happening. I've sent them an email.

 

[dphins]

I think I had some pieces of glass in my bulbs and it didn't affect the performance. Getting the wrong bulbs suck, but I would let them make it up to you before strangling them.

 

[bkh24]

Well maybe I am crazy or drunk or maybe a little of both I have have a few tonight but the second pic does not look like bleaching to me. Corals are lighter where they are growing. All my sps get bleached tips as they grow. Could be the bud light though. And the flow issue is never too much. I have seen the videos of the ocean and been scuba diving a few times. That water is moving. They say it is almost impossible to get the kind of movement the ocean naturally has. We all know Farmer has tried and all his SPS seem to live for at least a little while. Some even look really good. Sorry Chad you are always the first equipment junkie that comes to mind.

 

[Shooter7]

Well, I'm not at the point of strangling anybody just yet...still, kind of annoying when you try to make everything really clear on what you want and it still gets messed up. One bulb had 4 or 5 rather small pieces of glass in it. The other had quite a bit of loose glass rattling around.

And I wasn't sure about the bleaching thing either. The polyps were all still coming out and had a light green color to them. I was kind of attributing the color changes to a new coral in a new tank, but I don't know a ton about SPS. Still, other corals in the tank were having some issues as well, so I was eager to find out what different bulbs would do. Still hate choosing lights though. Was just reading a thread earlier where someone was saying they hated their ushios. Hope I can get this together and it looks good. All the people who came by my place tonight were commenting on how they liked the color of the tank as it is.

 

[saltyunderground]

Broken glass pieces inside the bulbs is common. They are scrap pieces that broke off after inside peices were made. If they fire, they are fine.

 

[Shooter7]

hmmmm...well, this one has enough loose glass in it to practically fill a shot glass. Would that amount be normal?

 

[LICREEK]

I have a question?? When an sps bleaches out, does that mean that it has died off where the bleaching has occured, or will the color come back if you get the envorinment correct??

 

[Shooter7]

Since I moved mine up and moved the lights down a little, mine is getting a bit darker around the base.

 

[Shooter7]

It's coming around slowly but surely. I got my two 24" parallel reflectors. Because I don't have a full 48" to work with in my canopy, I had to overlap these a little, drill holes, and put in small bolts to lock the two together. Because of this as well, the 36" Icecap 430 retro VHO system I got did not fit in the predrilled holes on the reflectors either, due to the altered overall length of the reflectors, so I had to drill new holes for attaching the endcaps. Finally got all that done and wired the endcaps, installed the lights (dual super actinics), and fired up the ballast...worked the first time. Score one for my team for a change. :lol:

Now I just have to work out how I'm going to support hanging this thing and I can move my existing mogul bases over to the new reflector and put in the new Ushio 10k's and see how it all looks together. I have chains and hooks for hanging my current setup, but I think I'm going to try using the predrilled holes in the top of the reflectors to put something through and hang this new reflector from there. Means I'll have to move my hooks in the ceiling though. Just gotta figure out what to use in the reflector to hang it by.

 

[Shooter7]

Got the new reflector setup all put together finally, including the halides. Got my hooks in the ceiling. Had to mount my VHO ballast on the back of my canopy, which I don't like. Maybe I'll get some wire and extend what I've got so that I can put the ballast in the stand. I have always liked being able to take my canopy off and have it not have any connections with the lighting or anything in the tank. Makes it much easier. Anyway, got them on my AC jr controller and fired everything up. Have to say it looks as though I'm going to be missing my 12k light blue look. Plenty of blue with just actinics and really makes the corals pop, but when the Ushio 10k's kick in, all that blue is gone. Not sure if the color of these change after some burn in time or not, but this will take getting used to. My coral colors are not as vivid looking overall. We'll see if they, and I, get used to the new lights and start looking better and growing better. After I lowered my 12k's considerably, I started seeing a much better look from my corals. Everything from the zoas to the sps started pepping up. So with these higher PAR lights, they should be really happy. I have them very high up right now while everyone gets accustomed.

 

[Shooter7]

Here is a pic with just the 12k's (there is no white balancing in this pic, so the pic looks more blue than in real life):

And here is a pic with the new setup of 2 x 250w 10k Ushios and VHO super actinics (no white balancing on this pic either):