dtum's Pragmatic Reef - 180 Gallons of Adventure

For example, this guy had bleached:

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.3 to .07 is a big drop, though I'm not sure it could cause bleaching. I know sudden drops like that can cause issues like that with biopellets pulling PO4 down quickly. I'd blame that before I'd blame the alk - unless you're dosing alk or something like that?

There's a good article on chemistry and it's interactions by Randy Holmes-Farley here.

For what it's worth, I used GFO as well and could never keep birdsnest coral alive - you're doing better than I am. I wonder if it's particularly sensitive to Phosphate levels, or iron dust?
 
I suspect the Alk. That's a quick raise and it's just kinda high anyway.
I would bring that down slowly.
And then get one of those Marine Pure blocks and stick it in your sump to help bring the nitrates down a little. I've been talking with several people here who have been using them and swear by them. One guy is using just one large block in his whole clown breeding setup which is being heavily fed with rotifers and he only does one typical sized weekly water change. No rock or sand in the system. Another guy has one for his reef tank and he is now having to dose nitrates.
 
Pragmatic Reef is now 7 months old and the colors are in!

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One aspect of my tank that I'm not happy with is my T5 bulb combo:

KZ NG ABlue KZ S Actinic Coral+ B+ ABlue Coral+

Any suggestions on how this could be improved?

What I'm looking for is a white crisp color with a blue tint (real blue, not purple, not greenish).

Currently I'm noticing a slight greenish tint to my colors.
 
One aspect of my tank that I'm not happy with is my T5 bulb combo:

KZ NG ABlue KZ S Actinic Coral+ B+ ABlue Coral+

Any suggestions on how this could be improved?

What I'm looking for is a white crisp color with a blue tint (real blue, not purple, not greenish).

Currently I'm noticing a slight greenish tint to my colors.

I opted for the following in my 6 bulb fixture (i bought extras to try combinations)
3 Blue +
1 purple+
1 Aquablue special
1 coral+

Straight from ATI's website

Here's a some of our customer's favorite combinations. We have found most folks prefer a bluer look to their tank as it helps to bring our more colors in their corals. Please remember that bulb choice is ultimately a matter of personal preference and what works for one, may not work for another.

16K - 20K - Bluish white with a noticable blue and red under-tone

4-Bulb combination
3 ATI Blue Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

6-Bulb combination
4 ATI Blue Plus
1 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

8-Bulb combination
5 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

10-Bulb combination
6 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus


12K - 16K - Cool white with a noticable blue and red under-tone

4-Bulb combination
2 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus

6-Bulb combination
3 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

8-Bulb combination
4 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

10-Bulb combination
5 ATI Blue Plus
4 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus


10K - 14K - Crisp white with just a hint of blue

4-Bulb combination
2 ATI Blue Plus
1 ATI Aquablue Special
1 ATI Purple Plus

6-Bulb combination
3 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
1 ATI Purple Plus

8-Bulb combination
4 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
2 ATI Purple Plus

10-Bulb combination
5 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Aquablue Special
2 ATI Purple Plus
 
Pragmatic Reef is now 9 months old. I've added a Powder Blue tang who has not perished yet. Unfortunately my Copperband Butterfly did die. Coral colors are a lot better than they were even 2 months ago.

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HolyS!#@!

Thats some serious growth and colour you got there! Bravo!

I have to still come by and see this tank in person :)

keep up the good work!
 
Looks great. Colors are really getting good and things are filling in nicely.

I think it may be time to start planning for a bigger tank! ;)
 
Looks great. Colors are really getting good and things are filling in nicely.

I think it may be time to start planning for a bigger tank! ;)

Good idea, if only I had a dedicated space for a fish room... Some of us experience sub-zero temperatures in our garages, but I can always think of it as just a very large chiller. Metal Halides, here I come!
 
I'd be happy with my tank maturing like yours in 9 short months :eek1:

A lot of your SPS appear to be over gorwn. You should hire an aqua gardener to prune your corals. I can assist with this and take away all of the waste free of charge :lolspin::lolspin::lolspin:

I'd like to add that your fish list is very similar to mine, minus the trigger, yellow and powerder blue tang.

How was the agressionn with the tangs and in which order did you add them?
Did you add them at night or just stright in? Any quaretine beforehand?

I'd like to add a yellow and powder blue.
 
Tank looks great, coloring up nicely. I see you have added the Maxspect Gyre, how do you like them so far and in what mode are you using them?
 
Very nice tank. The tank and stand are so polished and sleek. I love your scape and the look of your lights on your corals.

Where do you purchase your corals and fish from? :)

Sarah
 
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