Deklin's 80G SPS Reef

[giants4pc]

I'm still trying to understand all of this "zeo" procedure. I read through this entire thread as well as others. What I struggle with is understanding how someone would make the switch over if that is what they decide to do.

I have a 90 with two reactors - one for phosban and the other for carbon. If I wanted to try the zeostones, would I do away with both phosphate remover and carbon? In addition to the zeostones (which I have been unable to find on any site...aquarium specialty didn't have anything by the name of stones), supplementing with AA would be the proper course. It's tough because your results and others speak for themselves, but I would hate to have to combat an algae explosion by going to something different.

So, has anyone out there attempted to make the switch in my similar situation. Additionally, I only dose kalkwasser via topoff with my osmolator. It keeps things relatively stable, but I don't have a huge SPS population and truly would like to keep things mixed. Is this not a good option for someone desiring a mixed reef?

 

[EvMiBo]

Love the tank. Out of curiosity how long have you been in the hobby? What is the gph from the tunze 6101s? Are you controlling them from a 7095?

tagging along, a real inspiration. Now, I just need to read the thread a couple more times to understand all this dosing stuff .

 

[spsfarmer09]

what kind of anthias have you had success with

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15186125#post15186125 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rodrigo_BG
I thought that overdriven bubls would provide more par than the non overdriven ones. We all know that as far as coral growth, color and health is in concern PAR is the target, not watts. So if this information is true what is the meaning when using expensive icecap ballats?

More PAR is not always better, there is such a thing as too much PAR IMO.

Overdriven T5 bulbs do provide quite a bit more PAR than non-overdriven bulbs all other things being equal. According to test results I've read over in the lighting forum, overdriving on an icecap ballast will draw about 30% more watts per bulbs and will increase the PAR output by ~35%. Overdriving will shorten the bulb life and run the bulbs hotter though.

I think using overdriving T5 bulbs can give good results (I use them and am happy with my growth and color ), but there have been some good advances in T5 fixtures and other good alternatives are also available. A quality fixture such as the ATI powermodule which was mentioned above, uses high end ballasts, excellent reflectors and superior active cooling with several fans built into it. This allows the powermodule to produce a high amount of PAR with the advantages of running cooler and lasting longer than overdriven bulbs. However, high end fixtures like these are much more expensive than overdriving with an icecap retrofit kit.

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15202655#post15202655 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spsfarmer09
deklin your tank looks amazing, i am setting up a custom 85g sps tank my dad an i built and i reallllyyy want anthias, people keep saying they are hard to keep, are they?

I suppose everything is relative but I have 3 lyretail and 1 squarespot and I find that they are fairly hardy. Those two species of anthais have a reputation of being hardier and not requiring the frequent feedings that some other anthais need. That is primarily why I chose them for my tank.

I generally feed twice a day and they are fine with that. They can also go 1-2 days without food no problem if I'm gone over the weekend. If I'm going to be gone 3 days or more I need to get someone to feed them.

They do well in SPS tanks as they like clean water and high flow, same as most SPS. The square spot has a reputation of not liking bright lights of a reef tank and spending their time hidden in the rockwork during the day but I find this not to be true with my squarespot. She is out swimming in the water column just as much as my lyretail.

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15202865#post15202865 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by takayan
I heard from my friend that Bartlett's Anthias is very shy. He recommend me to put at least 5 Bartlett's Anthias in the tank. So, they might show in the front and much more easy to start eating prepare food. I do not know about lyretails.

I don't have any experience with bartlett's but I've read several accounts in the reef fishes forum of multiple bartletts turning male and killing each other off until they are down to 2 or even just one.

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15205764#post15205764 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by giants4pc
I have a 90 with two reactors - one for phosban and the other for carbon. If I wanted to try the zeostones, would I do away with both phosphate remover and carbon? In addition to the zeostones (which I have been unable to find on any site...aquarium specialty didn't have anything by the name of stones), supplementing with AA would be the proper course. It's tough because your results and others speak for themselves, but I would hate to have to combat an algae explosion by going to something different.

Is this not a good option for someone desiring a mixed reef?

The actual name is "ZEOlith rocks" I've just referred to them as zeo stones.

If you made the change you would get rid of your phosban reactor. Zeo is a means of exporting PO4 from your system (via the rocks) so phosban would be redundant. Carbon is required for zeo although I believe they recommend just running passive carbon (i.e. a filter bag) but active carbon in your carbon reactor would probably be fine. Just use small amounts and change out every few weeks. Supplementing with AA would be recommended as well as the zeobac and zeostart to seed and maintain the zeo rocks. I would also recommend another type of coral food such as phol's vitalizer or coral frenzy, etc. Additives could potentially cause an algae bloom. It is important to have an oversized skimmer and monitor for signs that you are dosing to aggressively.

It does seem to me that the primary benefit is geared towards acheiving ultra low nutrient environments that SPS thrive in so if your focus is mixed reef and not so much SPS it may not be worth it for you.

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15207377#post15207377 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EvMiBo
Love the tank. Out of curiosity how long have you been in the hobby? What is the gph from the tunze 6101s? Are you controlling them from a 7095?

tagging along, a real inspiration. Now, I just need to read the thread a couple more times to understand all this dosing stuff .

This is my first tank and I started it a little over 3 years ago although I broke it down temporarily and made lots of changes such as drilling the back, building a weir overflow and plumbing to the basement about 6 months in.

The 6101s are variable speed (1,056 to 3,170 US gal./h). I do have them connected to a 7095, only one is on at a time. They alternate 1min on/off.

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15208231#post15208231 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spsfarmer09
what kind of anthias have you had success with

Lyretail and squarespot. I have 1 female squarespot and three lyretail. The three lyretail all started female, it took many months but one has turn male now. I also have a midas blenny who thinks he is a lyretail anthias

 

[Herb A Vore]

I love seeing what T5s can do

 

[Herb A Vore]

I love seeing what T5s can do.

 

[EvMiBo]

I'm thinking about going majority SPS on my next tank. Calcium reactor setups seem more expensive that dosing with drew's pumps.. How often do you have to refill your canisters with calcium mixture, alk and mag? I'm pretty new to the idea of dosing so any extra info that you could throw out there would be appreciated.

Also, I don't think you mentioned it but I may have missed it.. What do you feed the tank other than the zeo (what are the corals eating)?

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15216120#post15216120 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EvMiBo
I'm thinking about going majority SPS on my next tank. Calcium reactor setups seem more expensive that dosing with drew's pumps.. How often do you have to refill your canisters with calcium mixture, alk and mag? I'm pretty new to the idea of dosing so any extra info that you could throw out there would be appreciated.

Also, I don't think you mentioned it but I may have missed it.. What do you feed the tank other than the zeo (what are the corals eating)?

I feed my corals amino acids and coral frenzy dosed 2-4 nights a week after lights out. They also get a healthy diet of fish poo dosed 24/7

Calcium reactor setups should be more expensive in initial costs, but they may be cheaper in the long run for larger tanks with heavy SPS loads. That said, you can get most of the ingredients for 3 part dosing fairly cheap through places like bulkreefsupply or even grocery/hardware stores. I generally follow the recipie linked below although I believe the UltraPower and UltraminS additives to be optional and don't use them. I used this mixture in three 2.5 gallon jugs and found that I had to remix the solutions every 3-4 weeks to sustain by SPS heavy display + frag tank. This was a little more frequently then I would prefer so I switched to doubling the concentration and dosing half the amount which works well and now one mix will last 6-8 weeks. The only problem here is that it forces you to mix the solutions in a separate bucket (preferrably with a powerhead) and then pouring them into the jugs. The ALK mixture in particular is difficult to get it to fully disolve in the water.

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/reef-chemistry-forum/28307-balling-method-supplementing.html

 

[spsfarmer09]

what return pump are you using?

 

[deklin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15218728#post15218728 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spsfarmer09
what return pump are you using?

I'm using a Gen-X Mak4. It was chosen because it has to pump up about 14 feet and that pump is a pressure pump with minimal head loss.

 

[deklin]

Here's a couple new coral shots (the pictures are new, not the corals)

Rommel's Original Rainbow Acro

Unknown Chalice

 

[Rickyrooz1]

Picture updates?

 

[gkimble]

Really like the t-5 look. really trying to decide between some radiums with t5 suplimitation or just t-5's. The only reason I am hesitant is I relaly like to have a SPS/LPS tank. I know that some of the lobos and wesi brains do not like high light. But I want the color t-5s give out.

 

[Ian]

Picture updates?

Ive tried to get ahold of him with no luck....

 

[Lyfey]

Any updates?