Cubed & Squared

[Bello]

I would not consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have a reefing philosophy that I try to adhere to as best I can.

My 3 pillars to reefing..

1. Stability.

2. Less is more. (In my years of reefing I have learned that the less I can manage to do the better. Others will call this their KISS approach. Certainly there are things that need to get done but at the same time I don't have to be OCD).

3. Patience.

Thanks for the tips! I've been trying the same KISS approach (though haven't got the results as yet). I think I'm getting the right colors, just really pale versions of them. I recently switched over from Zeovit. While I don't doubt that it works, I just couldn't dedicate the time and money.

Patience though......is a whole different story

I love the workstation you built in between the two tanks, great idea.

I didn't have a choice. My wife was threatening me!!!

Not really her fault, I'd mess up the dining table for all the reef crap, to the point that we'd have to sit on the couch for dinner. It's much easier now, easier access makes for better husbandry

 

[sbreefer]

cool system. if i had a man room i'd look into something more like this.

 

[reefmutt]

great system! I really think is is a very cool design. it still give you lots of room to play with..
how do you like the waveline return pump?
i'm thinking of getting one as a return pump as well..
how big is it and is it really as quiet as they say?

 

[Bello]

cool system. if i had a man room i'd look into something more like this.

Thanks!! This replaced a 265g display (which really wasn't planned well to begin with). I already had the equipment & I love cubes....so kinda made sense. You've got an awesome tank! Love the Milka stylo!!!

great system! I really think is is a very cool design. it still give you lots of room to play with..
how do you like the waveline return pump?
i'm thinking of getting one as a return pump as well..
how big is it and is it really as quiet as they say?

Thanks!! I've kept a fairly open scape so far, so can always add more rock if and when I do get more pieces. The plan now is to just stick with nice frags though.

I really love the Waveline 10,000 DC. It's plumbed internally and very quiet. The nicest thing about these pumps, is the adjustability. Had it on the 4th (4/6) speed initially, and when I plumbed a second chiller off the waveline, flow dropped. Usually, that'd be a problem or an additional pump. Here, simply go to the next speed and you're done!

No matter what your requirement is, I'd just buy the 10,000, and run it at the lowest if required. Highly recommended

 

[kien]

Thanks for the tips! I've been trying the same KISS approach (though haven't got the results as yet). I think I'm getting the right colors, just really pale versions of them. I recently switched over from Zeovit. While I don't doubt that it works, I just couldn't dedicate the time and money.

Oh for sure, Zeovit works very well if you get into the groove. I know lots of people with very very nice Zeovit tanks!

Thankfully in this hobby there is more than one way to skin the cat. In the end we are all talking about nutrient export and as hobbyists it is up to us to pick our poison.. ZeoVit, BioPellets, Prodibio, Carbon(vodka/vinegar), Agressive skimming, etc.. They all work, but they can also fail if not employed properly. They all have their pros and cons which every hobbyist will interpret differently.

 

[Bello]

Oh for sure, Zeovit works very well if you get into the groove. I know lots of people with very very nice Zeovit tanks!

Thankfully in this hobby there is more than one way to skin the cat. In the end we are all talking about nutrient export and as hobbyists it is up to us to pick our poison.. ZeoVit, BioPellets, Prodibio, Carbon(vodka/vinegar), Agressive skimming, etc.. They all work, but they can also fail if not employed properly. They all have their pros and cons which every hobbyist will interpret differently.

And that's what makes things so confusing for guys starting out. Sometimes there's just too many options each with their own positives and negatives. So far, I'm happy with the simple system, which ironically is what I started out with a couple years ago . Go figure!

Since, I do have some leftover supplements from the Zeo days, am very tempted to try it out on a second smaller/backup system that I run...just for observations...without worrying too much

 

[kien]

And that's what makes things so confusing for guys starting out. Sometimes there's just too many options each with their own positives and negatives. So far, I'm happy with the simple system, which ironically is what I started out with a couple years ago . Go figure!

Since, I do have some leftover supplements from the Zeo days, am very tempted to try it out on a second smaller/backup system that I run...just for observations...without worrying too much

yes, you are absolutely right in that having so many options can be daunting for new comers. Then they go seeking advice and get 100 different viewpoints on the exact same subject LOL.

When I started my tank the guy behind the counter at my LFS suggested that I should try the zeovit bottles. Actually, he tried to sell me on the entire Zeovit system but then he lost me at, "shake the rocks once or twice a day". Instead I opted to just try some of the bottles first, Xtra, Coral Vitalizer, Amino Acids, etc. Tank did great with all the additives. Then I had a baby and got really busy and started slacking on the dosing. My schedule just simply does not allow me to dedicate that much time to maintenance. It's funny though, I've had lots of people say things like, "well, how hard is it to put a few drops of ChemicalX into the tank once a day? Or to shake rocks once a day ??". Sure, the task itself is not hard, but quite simply, not EVERYONE wants to do that or has time to do that. This past weekend was very busy for me and aside from seeing my tank from across the room I did not get within 15 feet of my tank all weekend long.

 

[Bello]

Was just reading your post.....and this rings so true!! It's not really the amount of effort required to dose, but more like "Oh god, what did I forget today? Did I dose this, and what about that? And what's today, should I ....."

And oddly enough, the primary reason for ceasing with Zeovit, was that I also recently became a dad, for the first time. And just decided that I'd need to spend more time with my son, rather than worry about "Did I do this...or that?"

And like your busy weekend, just wanted a chance where I could spend the weekend with family...without worrying

Quick story:
I had a 265G before this setup, and the tank put me through hell for about 2 years. Couldn't keep sps alive at all. Tips kept getting brittle and dying off, followed by the rest of the coral. I just went nuts. When my son was born, my wife decided that she'd stay at her mother's for a month. I thought to myself, its now or never! So got rid of the old tank, got these built, pretty much did a clean reboot (dead rock etc) and began cycling in about a month. No regrets

 

[kien]

And oddly enough, the primary reason for ceasing with Zeovit, was that I also recently became a dad, for the first time.

Congrats! It only gets worse (in a good way) from here! LOL. I once thought that if I can just ride through the early (baby) years then it'll get easier. Well, we are out of the baby years now but we are also BUSIER, haha. We traded in diapers, bottles and feedings for skating/karate classes and arts and crafts. I wouldn't have it any other way though. Family first, hobbies come after (with whatever time is left over). And in my experience, it totally is possible to have a nice reef tank on the time you have left over after the more important things are tended to

 

[Bello]

Thanks, and that's great to hear!! Was really wondering how balancing a stable reef tank with a child would work out. Inspiration!

Hmmm...maybe I could brainwash him to do my water changes :wildone:, lol. Now, just need for him to start crawling

 

[kien]

Now, just need for him to start crawling

famous last words... :lolspin:

 

[Bello]

Why does EVERYONE tell me that? :crazy1:

I know, I know...the naivete of the first time parent.... and wouldn't you know it, there are millions more differing opinions on how to raise a child than to setup a reef tank

 

[biggles]

I was a 'bit' envious when i saw your drop tank - now i'm p*ssed with you for having an even better setup ! That's it, i'm going to get quotes for a second tank asap.
The aquascaping on the right hand tank is fantastic and will play off the simple and more minimal left hand design - i like it a lot :thumbsup: kiens 3 pillars to reefing are words to live by mate. Don't get yourself too carried away with turning your tank into a witches brew as your new bubs (big congrats ) is going to draw you away from the tanks - that's a good thing. The only thing in my sump is a skimmer and heaters - very little to go wrong.......
You have lots of corals showing nice colors btw, you know what your doing so don't doubt yourself, it's just a matter of fine tuning and then everything will 'click'. Make a plan and stick to it whichever way you go - and get rid of those stupid fish.......

Why does EVERYONE tell me that? :crazy1:

I know, I know...the naivete of the first time parent.... and wouldn't you know it, there are millions more differing opinions on how to raise a child than to setup a reef tank

Use the glue/epoxy/glue method to stick your child down - stops them getting up to mischief once they get mobile, wish i knew about it 15 years ago.......:lol2:

Will be watching you get this system humming over the coming months.

 

[biggles]

I just checked my over driven radium bulb spectrum (M80) and the spectrum of the B+ T5's which is my only lighting. If you want to try experimenting with your LED's to approximate my radium T5 lighting i think 450nm is the magic number of both those bulbs. Hopefully someone wiser can chime in with advice. Look at the analysis of the radium and the B+ spectrum chart which is all over the web and both have a huge peak in that area.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/8/review

 

[Bello]

Your post really made my day :fun4:

I'm honoured! Really glad that you noticed the difference in aquascaping ideas

Since I discontinued zeo, I have a ton of zeo supplements left over, but have just been resisting the urge to use them. Trying to see how far I can go with keeping things simple. I definitely plan to follow yours and kien's words... respect!

And what about my stupid fish?. Whats life without a lil poo? :frog:

Don't you think its time you got a second tank? Then you wouldn't have to give away those gorgeous frags . Plus more aquascaping to play with

Use the glue/epoxy/glue method to stick your child down - stops them getting up to mischief once they get mobile, wish i knew about it 15 years ago.......

Will be watching you get this system humming over the coming months.

This is priceless!!!! How come I never thought of that?? This is the ANSWER!! :ape:

Thanks for the LED link . I'm gonna have to try and match those nm peaks. I THINK my led's have a massive peak at 455nm, but not sure. Its difficult with led's. My initial setup was to replicate the Maxspect Razor, somewhat. I have a few ideas, lets see how that goes. Plus I'd rather tinker with the led's, than dose like crazy

 

[biggles]

I wasn't joking about the second tank - i'm thinking 40 x 40 x 14" and rimless because they are sexy looking tanks.
The aquascaping of a display is a lot more important than many seem to consider so it's great to see you have that skill well and truly covered imho

I've been on the LED case and if you haven't read this series of articles i hope you will.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/10/aafeature2

Part 7 concerns the pigments that are giving you concern i think - the blue corals, 'Blue coral reflectance is the name given to a group of corals exhibiting purple, blue, pink or grey coloration'
I'm no lighting guru but that article seems to cover my lighting pretty well. Stay away from 575-600nm as that's brown reflectance. 'Blue' corals reflect a lot of 450nm and 700nm. My radium bulb has a huge spike in the 450nm and a smaller spike at 700nm but 'It should be noted that corals, as a group, reflect little light (as little as 0.5% at 400nm (violet), 2.5% at 400-500nm (blue through green), 8% between 550 and 650nm (green-red), and as much as ~100% at 700nm (red)'
This means that we need to supply a lot of 450nm because corals reflect it poorly (2.5%) even though we need them to reflect it a lot - the radium and B+ bulbs supply heaps of 450nm spectrum light. We also need lots of red to mix with the blue to make pinks, purples and reds as per the article but the radium only has a relatively small red peak - however red is reflected at up to 100% so although the radium is supplying a relatively small amount of red spectrum the corals are reflecting it almost entirely so the two peaks are a lot closer together in relation to the coral color reflection. Your LED's need heaps of 450nm and a small amount 700nm to give you good pinks. Obviously you can add a few other colored LED's but i think those two colors are big players.
No idea if that makes sense or is remotely close to a correct conclusion but it sure makes a lot of sense to me. I would be trying blue/red at about 8-1 with a few others as long as they aren't 575-600nm. Good luck mate and get tinkering with those LED's

 

[Bello]

Admit it, you're building the second tank just to **** me off

Lol, those are awesome dimensions to be honest, should be fun to scape, and will make for an amazing top down view....and rimless to boot....oh and gorgeous aussie coral, sounds like a winner already!!

Thanks for summarizing the article. It makes a lot of sense, and I'll make the combinations keeping those numbers in mind. To avoid making any serious coral losses, I'll give the combo a go on the drop off. Fewer bulbs required and cheaper to setup. If it works..........AWESOMENESS!!!..

Time to order in some LED's

 

[Arkayology]

I like there being two tanks. If you get sick of one tank, just look at the other lol.

 

[biggles]

Lol, yes it's tank battles - your opening salvo has caused a great deal of envy damage....

Just because i reached those conclusions doesn't mean they're right so don't just take my word for it, the expert LED guys will be able to advise you much better than i and you know i do weird stuff lol. I'm currently restricting the encrusting ability of an SCC frag to see it it forces tip growth when the coral is unable to encrust due to the plastic ring i stuck around it's base......... my SPS are in a crazy acro lab lol.

 

[Bello]

I like there being two tanks. If you get sick of one tank, just look at the other lol.

Surprisingly, that happens..... a lot!!! I keep staring at the Acro tank, which in a way is good, so I don't mess around too much with the other

Lol, yes it's tank battles - your opening salvo has caused a great deal of envy damage....

Just because i reached those conclusions doesn't mean they're right so don't just take my word for it, the expert LED guys will be able to advise you much better than i and you know i do weird stuff lol. I'm currently restricting the encrusting ability of an SCC frag to see it it forces tip growth when the coral is unable to encrust due to the plastic ring i stuck around it's base......... my SPS are in a crazy acro lab lol.

Hmmmmm, mad scientist! :ape:

Seriously, your conclusions do make sense. In any case, I was on the verge of increasing the warm/neutral whites in my fixture, but after your ideas, I will experiment with the reds. I only have 1 red for every 50 others at the moment. Will bump that up to 3 or 4, per 50, and observe.

As far as sticking the plastic ring on the SSC is concerned, ON THAT I will wait for your results, lol

Since we're experimenting, I decided to swap out the heavily blue and very intense LED fixtures over my frag tank (which doesn't really have any frags ), with an old cheapo 24w 6-bulb T5 fixture, with oldish bulbs, to note differences. Bulb combo is a bit weird, 2 white, 2 actinic+, 1 pure actinic and 1 pink, I believe, Giesemann. But I know nothing about T5's, so are these ok? Water column height is about 8-9 inches.