BUILDING A DREAM....SPS Dominated Tank build

[Newbie Aquarist]

I had a made a video of some frags i had got about 2 months ago...some of them were collected during my trip to Malaysia.
They are light acclimating and awaiting live rock deployment
I apologize for the bad quality video...but i wanted to share my addiction with you guys...I think i need to join "SPS anonymous":hmm2:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/D5B9gbJVLu0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That will be a large group you'll be joining but I heard there's a waiting list too. Lolololol

 

[bdsage]

i am powerless over the effects of sps and my life has become unmanageable...lol

 

[Reef_Noob]

That will be a large group you'll be joining but I heard there's a waiting list too. Lolololol

Hi Newbie Aquarist
yes true...I need to pull some strings and get in before things get out of hand

i am powerless over the effects of sps and my life has become unmanageable...lol

Hi bdsage,
Now I have company. We check in together :lol2:

 

[Reef_Noob]

Equipment Update...

Minion delivery

 

[gmate]

Well what is it lol

 

[Reef_Noob]

Lighting...

These are the pics of the new Eco-Lamp units...
The prism lens is a great addition as it creates a uniform blending of the output....

They are installed and blazing away ...

 

[Reef_Noob]

Well what is it lol

Hi gmate,
Thanks for viewing...
Yep I'm on it...will post pics soon of what new stuff came in

 

[Reef_Noob]

Equipment Update...

Here is the "new" stuff that came in...

Spectrapure Dosing Pump and Water Exchange Module...

KZ Supplies...

Tunze RO Solenoid...

 

[sahin]

WOW, every corner in your tank tank will be lit up bright with those lights!

 

[biggles]

Damn mate, you're on a mission lately with the equipment upgrades lol - love it :thumbsup:
I know exactly the style you are talking about in relation to those Japanese light driven coral scapes and they are spectacular. I think LED's are the only weapon of choice that are capable of allowing you to control the 'beams' of light to achieve what you're after and the number of units you now have over the display will make it possible i'm sure. I'm really looking forward to how things evolve over time once you work out the plan of attack for the new coral scape.
Those prism lenses look great as i'm certain the blending has been holding back LED's for a while now with only the higher end units initially tackling the problem. More at lower output will always work better than less running higher intensity for any DIY setup i think. I might knock up a couple of DIY RB LED bars on the next tank as nothing looks quite as eye bleedingly beautiful as SPS popping out from the shadows under RB moonlights.......
Why the hell is everyone getting potassium kits lately......... now i'm going to have to get one and i have no idea why lol. I need to read up obviously :reading:
I blame you for giving me homework............

 

[Reef_Noob]

WOW, every corner in your tank tank will be lit up bright with those lights!

Hello sahin,
Thanks a lot mate...
There are still some areas that are not getting enough light....then again that's my idea to create some area of low light and prevent corals growing into those areas so my basic scape can be retained.
Just experimenting I have a long long way to go...
I'm nurturing a lot of frags so I have to be patient :facepalm:

 

[Reef_Noob]

Damn mate, you're on a mission lately with the equipment upgrades lol - love it :thumbsup:
I know exactly the style you are talking about in relation to those Japanese light driven coral scapes and they are spectacular. I think LED's are the only weapon of choice that are capable of allowing you to control the 'beams' of light to achieve what you're after and the number of units you now have over the display will make it possible i'm sure. I'm really looking forward to how things evolve over time once you work out the plan of attack for the new coral scape.
Those prism lenses look great as i'm certain the blending has been holding back LED's for a while now with only the higher end units initially tackling the problem. More at lower output will always work better than less running higher intensity for any DIY setup i think. I might knock up a couple of DIY RB LED bars on the next tank as nothing looks quite as eye bleedingly beautiful as SPS popping out from the shadows under RB moonlights.......
Why the hell is everyone getting potassium kits lately......... now i'm going to have to get one and i have no idea why lol. I need to read up obviously :reading:
I blame you for giving me homework............

Hey biggles,
Thanks a lot mate!!
It's always a pleasure to read your posts...lot of wit and wisdom.
And you never hesitate to share your views, ideas and tips...thanks bro for that...I always learn and I appreciate it a lot.
You are absolutely right regarding the blending of lights with the new prism lens and more units running at less power is exactly what I am doing. It's better for the corals, better longevity of the lighting units and really pleasing on the eye to keep looking at your corals.
You can see in the pic below... The unit at bottom is running on prism lens...huge difference in blending..

Actinic supplementation, I will only go with LEDs...the pop and fluorescence they give to corals (SPS, LPS of for that matter any PS ) is unmatchable!!
What I have seen is polyp extension is at it highest during the actinic period of my lighting plan and WOW such a mesmerizing sight to see those polyps swaying in the current.

I got the Potassium kit coz I'm gonna start adding KZ potassium supplements. I just wanted to test and make sure how much is needed to keep the values at optimum and not overdose

The Spectrapure units had been on my wish list for quite a while. Just a step closer to automation domination
Gonna get it to do automated daily water changes....natural ocean simulation heheheh :lol2:

 

[biggles]

That's very nice of you to say mate, i enjoy following your reef and i'm actually keen to one day embrace LED technology once those of you who are braver than i work out the bugs and how to get the bloody things working as well as my radiums lol.
That picture comparison speaks volumes, the prism upgrade is definitely going to see positive results and will be an option on other units soon hopefully. I know exactly what you mean about the harshness of the LED's when at full noon lighting levels, appear much brighter to our eyes i think than halides and definitely T5 lit tanks.
That's interesting about the polyps under blue LED's because i noticed the acros extend about half way to their darkness extension under blue only LED's but under actinic fluoros they stay pretty much closed. A big bonus when you consider how many fluoro polyped acros we keep - i'm definitely having RB LED actinic viewing bars on the 7 footer. :thumbsup: Even flubber looks tolerable under RB's and that's saying something...........
I ordered a couple each of Salifert alk and calcium kits so i can do more regular monitoring and a Potassium kit just cause you did - i hope you realise that if i test and have low levels i'll have to spend yet more bloody money on a Potassium supplement........... your Potassium post is sending financial ripples around the reefing globe :wave: Also ordered another heater as i realised i didn't have a single spare in case of failure - i have been known to remove heaters from the water when running and 'tink' that's usually the end of that lol.

Gonna get it to do automated daily water changes....natural ocean simulation heheheh :lol2:

I tend to simulate a tidal pool cut off from the ocean permanently in regards to my water change simulation protocols.........:reading:

 

[Reef_Noob]

That's very nice of you to say mate, i enjoy following your reef and i'm actually keen to one day embrace LED technology once those of you who are braver than i work out the bugs and how to get the bloody things working as well as my radiums lol.
That picture comparison speaks volumes, the prism upgrade is definitely going to see positive results and will be an option on other units soon hopefully. I know exactly what you mean about the harshness of the LED's when at full noon lighting levels, appear much brighter to our eyes i think than halides and definitely T5 lit tanks.
That's interesting about the polyps under blue LED's because i noticed the acros extend about half way to their darkness extension under blue only LED's but under actinic fluoros they stay pretty much closed. A big bonus when you consider how many fluoro polyped acros we keep - i'm definitely having RB LED actinic viewing bars on the 7 footer. :thumbsup: Even flubber looks tolerable under RB's and that's saying something...........
I ordered a couple each of Salifert alk and calcium kits so i can do more regular monitoring and a Potassium kit just cause you did - i hope you realise that if i test and have low levels i'll have to spend yet more bloody money on a Potassium supplement........... your Potassium post is sending financial ripples around the reefing globe :wave: Also ordered another heater as i realised i didn't have a single spare in case of failure - i have been known to remove heaters from the water when running and 'tink' that's usually the end of that lol.



I tend to simulate a tidal pool cut off from the ocean permanently in regards to my water change simulation protocols.........:reading:

Hi biggles,
Thanks a lot for following
I'm a fan of LEDs because I think that is the future of reef lighting and give us big choices. They use less power and thus environment friendly. I just wanted to try and do my part in supporting LEDs. I'm sure a lot is on the way.
RB and actinic spectrum LEDs are hard to beat in terms of supplemental lighting. Polyp extension is awesome to view under actinic LEDs...maybe it's the spot effect that tricks the SPS into a feed mode. But as you had said after dark/moonlight is when the PE is at maximum. I also dose CV during the daytime so I think it can be contributing.
Iv gone bit paranoid on testing past few months coz of the coral additions. I'm checking with Hanna and cross checking with Salifert. The main reason is adding more frags has drastically increased Ca and Alk additions and I'm trying to monitor and maintain stability. Easier said than done.
Have you observed increased demand for Ca and Alk when you add frags? And how soon do you adjust dosing?

Potassium is one supplement I've never used. Experienced reefers told me it helps improve colours in SPS. But it has to be added with causion because it can lead to algae bloom and things can go bad. That's why I got the test kit. So gonna test K values and add KZ K-balance if needed.

Interesting idea on the water change protocol
Bringing the ocean into your tank

 

[rlpardue]

I think you are wise to increase frequency of testing after adding frags. To be honest, I've seen some different impacts on my Alk consumption (and presumably Ca and Mg) from adding corals to a 200g system:
1-Alk consumption jumps
2-Alk consumption drastically falls, then jumps back to normal and then exceeds original consumption

I thought this was strange at first, but I think it makes sense if you consider the new corals additions' impacts on older corals (allelopathic responses, etc.). Or, perhaps one or two frags out of a bunch don't make it and release some death into the water. (Ammonia, etc.). Have you ever noticed this Noob?

Also, you're in the Low Countries, right? Are there any absolutely must-see coral shops in London or Paris that I should visit? I'm going to be in both cities in late November.

 

[Reef_Noob]

I think you are wise to increase frequency of testing after adding frags. To be honest, I've seen some different impacts on my Alk consumption (and presumably Ca and Mg) from adding corals to a 200g system:
1-Alk consumption jumps
2-Alk consumption drastically falls, then jumps back to normal and then exceeds original consumption

I thought this was strange at first, but I think it makes sense if you consider the new corals additions' impacts on older corals (allelopathic responses, etc.). Or, perhaps one or two frags out of a bunch don't make it and release some death into the water. (Ammonia, etc.). Have you ever noticed this Noob?

Also, you're in the Low Countries, right? Are there any absolutely must-see coral shops in London or Paris that I should visit? I'm going to be in both cities in late November.

Hello Lee,
Thanks a lot for sharing your observations.
I had added about 15 frags at a shot about one and half months ago. What I noticed was Alk dropped quite a bit within the next week after addition. Ca and Mg remained stable.
What I did was I upped Alk dosing keeping Ca and Mg dose unchanged. After about 3 weeks...Alk was upto where I wanted but Ca and Mg started to drop quite a bit. Now I am adjusting the Ca and Mg dosing keeping Alk dose constant.

You definitely have a point...there does seem to be a chemical imbalance that's causing an immediate Alk drop when a significant amount of frags are added simultaneously that impacts Alk first then by the 3rd week the frags starts consuming Ca for growth maybe that's why a delayed drop in Ca and Mg as consumption increases.
Maybe that's the reason?

Regarding London...Tropic Marin Center has a good choice of well conditioned live stock.
Paris I have no clue at all

 

[biggles]

I've noticed when adding new acros that if they slime a lot like stags etc i see alk rise as all the acros get poopy from the chemicals in the water i think. Only lasts 3-5 days and then draw rises again and requires an increase from the original withing 1-2 weeks of adding. When i add acros like that last SSC branch which had great PE within 60 seconds of hitting the tank the draw rises within 1-3 days depending on the size of the pieces added. Basically the same sort of thing you guys are seeing so i think it just depends on what you add and how it reacts to your water - or releases into the water as to what the alk will do.

I tested my potassium and it's 300 btw mate. I'll either get some potassium supplement or put the potassium kit at the back of the cupboard beside the pH kit......... if yours is low and you dose potassium i'll see what happens to your acros before i risk my stuff ok, that way we share the risk equally........... well sort of.....
Seriously though now i have to buy more chemistry set stuff because i checked some stored natural sea water and it was 390 so you've cost me money with this whole bloody potassium testing thing you wrangled me into.......:crazy1:

 

[Reef_Noob]

Excerpts from a conversation between biggles and me...

Reef_Noob:
Hi biggles,
Wanted your advice...
The frags I get I are mounted on I think cement bases. They are maricultured.
The frags show good encrustations onto the frag bases. Even then the bases are quite big.
Could you recommend me a good tool which can help to trim down the frag bases and make it smaller?
I'm running out of space on my rocks as the frag bases are occupying quite a bit of space.
I'm chicken to chop off the SPS from the encrusted frag base.
Thanks in advance and awaiting your advice.
Thanks bro.

biggles:
Hi mate,
I use 2 things to cut, the Dremel with either a diamond blade $35- or a 5 pack of plastic cutting wheels $12- The plastic wheels last ages and cut acros and skeletons really well so i use them all the time now. I have a small multi tool Dremel pack with a few different sized grinding stones which i use to put a concave surface on the ends of branches i want to stick to another branch so the cut end matches the round profile of the acro branch it's going to be glued to - yes i really do go to that much trouble lol.....
For what you are dealing with i would use the other tool i use on LR and acro bases if they're big solid ones on rock fragments. 5" hand grinder with a 5" diamond wheel - the wheel for tile cutting not the one for concrete etc. You want the 5 or 6" grinder so the blade diameter is large enough to let you do deep cuts otherwise a 4" wheel will leave too much in the center that you can't reach and breaking the last bit apart always ends badly with stuff shattering lol.
Just get a cheap but brand name grinder and a diamond tile cutting blade. The tile blade is much safer that the cement ones with breaks in the edge of the cutting surface - avoid the ones like the pic below and get one like the second pic on the grinder, they are much less likely to grab.

Bad
http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...4.jpg~original

Good
http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...2.jpg~original

The bad type also do a lot more damage to flesh than the one i use - of course i've cut myself lol. I wear a leather glove on the hand holding the rock and if you don't push or force the blade it will never grab or give you trouble.
Important is to have some tank water in a bucket so you can cool the rock down after 20-30 secs cutting otherwise the heat will build up from friction and travel up the cement base and nuke the acro base and encrusted tissue - really really important as you will be dealing with heat cutting the cement - WATER TO COOL. It's easy peasy but go slow and practice on some rock so you know what your dealing with.

I decided to swap that crappy seri with the blue tipped colony that hangs out the far right side....... it all went the way you'd expect and by the time the carnage was over i had smashed and knocked off enough stuff that i ended up moving 5 bloody acros and chopping up that stylo i had in the pvc on the bottom and sticking pink blobs all over along with more bits of that insanely fluoro aculeus lol.
Between you and i the tank looks like i shot it with a color paint ball gun lol.
Hi mate,

I have a life time of experience with most tools and am very confident in their use and know what to avoid to prevent being 'bitten' lol.
If you haven't used a grinder before i want you to use the method i have drawn for you to prevent any possible accidents to yourself.

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...d.png~original

The red is a piece of timber you clamp to a work bench top. On that you screw 2 bits of wood on it to form two side of a triangle that the cement base will rest against. You then clamp a third piece of wood at the front to tightly grip the frag base in a 3 sided clamp while you cut it - just undo the clamp and rotate the base to keep cutting. No hands anywhere near the diamond wheel which will be spinning about 1200 rpm and trust me when i say that if you're not used to using a grinder the method i described for you will let you build up your confidence without risking injury.
The main thing to remember to be safe is let the wheel cut with minimum pressure from you - don't try to push the blade in to cut quicker as this is when the blade can grab.

You won't have a problem as long as you're not as useless as tits on a bull..........
i don't blame you for being nervous - it means you're not an idiot lol. When you turn the hand grinder on for the first time and the diamond blade spins up you'll see why i want you to be very careful having no previous experience with one. A dremel will cut your finger but the grinder will remove the finger completely - glasses and gloves even when using the clamp. Don't ever remove the safety cover that covers the blade near where you hold it, it makes things much easier to see what you're doing but it only takes a second to forget and let your hand creep forward while you're concentrating on the frag - been there done that for you already and it hits bone before you even know it's touched you lol............
be good to see a pic or two of your experiences Btw make sure you use bits of wood thin enough to clamp the base down with so that you can still cut the base at the height you want without the wood getting in the way. Rinse the fresh cut base in tank water as it will have a heap of powdery crap on it you want to wash off otherwise the glue or epoxy doesn't grip well plus the tank will be cloudy with cement dust lol - yes did that too .........


Thanks a lot biggles for pointing me in the right direction.
:beer:

 

[biggles]

You won't have a problem as long as you're not as useless as tits on a bull..........

Obviously i never said anything as vulgar as this, it's a frame up..........:reading:

 

[Reef_Noob]

I've noticed when adding new acros that if they slime a lot like stags etc i see alk rise as all the acros get poopy from the chemicals in the water i think. Only lasts 3-5 days and then draw rises again and requires an increase from the original withing 1-2 weeks of adding. When i add acros like that last SSC branch which had great PE within 60 seconds of hitting the tank the draw rises within 1-3 days depending on the size of the pieces added. Basically the same sort of thing you guys are seeing so i think it just depends on what you add and how it reacts to your water - or releases into the water as to what the alk will do.

I tested my potassium and it's 300 btw mate. I'll either get some potassium supplement or put the potassium kit at the back of the cupboard beside the pH kit......... if yours is low and you dose potassium i'll see what happens to your acros before i risk my stuff ok, that way we share the risk equally........... well sort of.....
Seriously though now i have to buy more chemistry set stuff because i checked some stored natural sea water and it was 390 so you've cost me money with this whole bloody potassium testing thing you wrangled me into.......:crazy1:

Hey biggles,
Yes seems to be something that the new corals are doing or the old ones are reacting that's causing this chemical shift. So guess when we are adding a significant number of frags at a shot into an established system one must keep an eye on the parameters to avoid any long term damage.
My K is at 375ppm...so haven't started addition. Looks like your K needs a boost and you are the lucky number one to start dosing and let us all know :lol2:
C'mon open up that K bottle...:beer: bottoms up :lol2:
PS: I will start too...need to boost it up to 400ppm and see how it goes.