Atram 5.5 tank diary

[atram]

I stopped by my LFS yesterday and they were having a sale on LR ($5.00 lb) so I picked up 3 more lbs. It's Marshall Island rock, it's very nice and porous the same type I already have in the tank. It's been in the bottom of their rock tank for a month so it's cured. I'll post pictures later.

 

[atram]

Here's the tank with an additional 3 lbs of rock, making a total of 5lbs.

Some type of plating coral that come with the new rock

 

[Alatar]

Hi atram,

I really like your setup!!! It has a lot of potential!

I have two questions though:

1. How often do you change your water and how much?

2. Do you feel the 14k bulb can be used without actinic suppementation?
How does it compare in brightness to a 10k and 20k bulb?


Alatar

 

[atram]

Alatar


Thanks, I change out about 25 pct of the water weekly and I top it off with about a cup of RO/DI daily.

The 14k bulb is very bright and looks slightly bluer that a 10k bulb, I like the look. It is comparable to the 10k/03 actinic combo an my 15L reef. I purchased some new zoo's last week and they really respond well to the light.

Al

 

[Alatar]

Thanks for your reply,

So yourÃ"šÃ‚´re saying I could use the 14k bulb without actinics and it would be brighter than the 20k bulb?



Good luck with your setup.

Alatar

 

[atram]

Alatar

What I was trying to convey is the 14k's are comparable to 10k's with actinic supplementation [IMO]. I've never used 20k's so I don't have any experience with their output. Maybe someone else could describe what they've experienced.

Al

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

60+ x turnover rate & 13 watts per gallon!
how would ANY coral other than sps tolerate that?

 

[atram]

So far my ricordia, zoos and kenya tree aro doing very well. I do plan on adding SPS when the tank matures some more

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

wow, that's awesome.
I can't seem to rap my brain around this though.

 

[atram]

E-A-G-L-E-S

Do you teach at a high school? I work for a school district, I'm in charge of computer operation's.

 

[atram]

Some Pics

Some Pics

Here's some updates on the tanks progress...


Some zoo's

More zoo's

Some more zoo's

Ricordia

More Rics

Kenya tree

Full tank

 

[atram]

Orange Ric Yuma

 

[atram]

I have an invasion of green algae on my sandbed. I have added some mexican turbo's and a mexican red foot snail along with some small astrea's out of my larger tank. I thinks it''s time to do a fuge mod on an AQ70.

 

[nonamesright]

go for it!!!

 

[viveros1231]

sweet tank! i must say you guys with the 5.5 tanks give some great ideas for my 5.5. i really want a mh and want to build a canopy for it just like your tank. keep the updates coming. you have some sweeet rics!

 

[atram]

nonamesright & SOREVIV476

Thank's for the kind words. I plan on getting the fuge underway this weekend, I wish I would have started one earlier, they really help keep the excess nutrients down. Algae does seem to be a part of the normal cycle process, my 15 gallon went through all kinds of changes in the past 1.5 years. It seems to be very stable and full of life at this time.

Al

 

[atram]

Well the 5.5's doing well, I just hooked up with a yasha haze/shrimp pair, I acclimated them and their in the tank out of sight. I also hooked up with a local reefer who belongs to my club and scored a red monti cap, a neon frogspawn and a couple of zoos. I'll take pics soon once everythings settled down.

Al

 

[atram]

Yasha Haze and Pistol shrimp

Yasha Haze and Pistol shrimp

Well my Yash Haze and shrimp have set up shop . They were nice enough to make a home right in the front of the tank. The goby is standing guard and the shrimp is excavating.

 

[atram]

Some recent additions

Zoas

Zoas

Orange Zoas

Green Zoas

Frogspawn

And my Yasha Haze, I can never get a good picture of his shrimp

 

[atram]

Acro frag that I received from a friend in my reef club about a week ago.