The biggest improvement I've gotten in a reef in the past couple of years was the addition of chaotic flow.
I have a 54 wedge in which euphyllias [hammer, torch, frog] and caulestra and fox thrive and grow. I use mh light [just say, good light, liked by all except bubble, which also grew well [I sold my frag]]---and I use opposed Sea Swirls on the two straight walls of a wedge bow, each with a T-connector for a nozzle.
This result: chaos. The Sea Swirls, off one T-connected return hose, but on opposite sides of the tank, don't move in time with each other. The water moves everywhere, and mostly and most important, imho, tentacles toss, and fishfood gets suspended in dither for a moment in various places where it has a chance to descend onto, say, the 30 heads of the hammer, or into the folds of the fox.
The hammer has more than tripled in size, the fox which started as a gappy mess is as extended as possible, [on the bottom], the other corals are growing, the candy cane has gone from 3 heads to 10-15.
Adequate calcium supply, etc. But the biggest growth spurt of all was involved with the flow. I started with one Sea Swirl. I added the second to fight it, and that means something is always going on with the currents. [Makes my fish work, too, and keeps them from fishy boredom.]
I would say one thing lps 'hates' is having its tentacles blasted consistently sideways in one direction. Plates have trouble eating in this situation. So do others have trouble getting and hanging onto food naturally.
Mind, I never target-feed. I do use frozen mysis, cyclopeeze and and occasional Formula One cube with no gel, and an occasional dose of Formula One micropellet.
So what's your experience, and if you have a good set up how did you do it?
I have a 54 wedge in which euphyllias [hammer, torch, frog] and caulestra and fox thrive and grow. I use mh light [just say, good light, liked by all except bubble, which also grew well [I sold my frag]]---and I use opposed Sea Swirls on the two straight walls of a wedge bow, each with a T-connector for a nozzle.
This result: chaos. The Sea Swirls, off one T-connected return hose, but on opposite sides of the tank, don't move in time with each other. The water moves everywhere, and mostly and most important, imho, tentacles toss, and fishfood gets suspended in dither for a moment in various places where it has a chance to descend onto, say, the 30 heads of the hammer, or into the folds of the fox.
The hammer has more than tripled in size, the fox which started as a gappy mess is as extended as possible, [on the bottom], the other corals are growing, the candy cane has gone from 3 heads to 10-15.
Adequate calcium supply, etc. But the biggest growth spurt of all was involved with the flow. I started with one Sea Swirl. I added the second to fight it, and that means something is always going on with the currents. [Makes my fish work, too, and keeps them from fishy boredom.]
I would say one thing lps 'hates' is having its tentacles blasted consistently sideways in one direction. Plates have trouble eating in this situation. So do others have trouble getting and hanging onto food naturally.
Mind, I never target-feed. I do use frozen mysis, cyclopeeze and and occasional Formula One cube with no gel, and an occasional dose of Formula One micropellet.
So what's your experience, and if you have a good set up how did you do it?
