Mhucasey's SPS obsession

[wcharon]

I don't think you will see much if any visual difference between those purple bulbs, and the change won't impact the corals in any meaningful way. Raising the light is a start, but be careful to not change too much all at once.

In my experience LPS corals can adapt to a lot of different light conditions even though they are sold as "lower light" corals.

Thanks for the advise...

To be honest i changed yesterday at first the ATI Purple + for the Gissemann Aquapink and the Hammers colors seem less bleach. It's like a more rose color specially on the tips. Also, the Blue tips ACRO and a 3 color Torch are more noticeable with all the bulbs on which use to be pale. After that I also changed ATI True Actinic for the Gissemann for the Pure Actinic and overhere the improvement was not that much as you said.

Today i am going swap 2 Gissemann Actinic + for the Blue + and see how it looks. The final combination will be 1 B+, 1 C+, 2 Actinic +, Aquapink and Pure Actinic so lets see if i get a change and improvement.

 

[BrentH]

do u ever add potassium?? i add the same as u except also potassium ill go through your thread and see if i can find if u do ?

 

[Myka]

That red and green table IS quite the show piece!!!

 

[mhucasey]

Thanks for the advise...

To be honest i changed yesterday at first the ATI Purple + for the Gissemann Aquapink and the Hammers colors seem less bleach. It's like a more rose color specially on the tips. Also, the Blue tips ACRO and a 3 color Torch are more noticeable with all the bulbs on which use to be pale. After that I also changed ATI True Actinic for the Gissemann for the Pure Actinic and overhere the improvement was not that much as you said.

Today i am going swap 2 Gissemann Actinic + for the Blue + and see how it looks. The final combination will be 1 B+, 1 C+, 2 Actinic +, Aquapink and Pure Actinic so lets see if i get a change and improvement.

Let me know what you think...

 

[mhucasey]

do u ever add potassium?? i add the same as u except also potassium ill go through your thread and see if i can find if u do ?

I add potassium to keep it at 400, but then Salifert stopped making their test kit, so I added blind. I found a test kit from Europe that is similar to the Salifert kit and my Potassium level was 454 a few weeks ago, so right now I'm not dosing.

 

[mhucasey]

That red and green table IS quite the show piece!!!

I'm so happy it stayed Pink! I've not had the best luck with that color in the past

 

[mhucasey]

Update:
The corals are really doing well, growing and coloring more each day. I did raise the lights one more inch yesterday - there is a little bit of green in the red planet but its not where I want it yet. I have a lot of pics:
Red Planet

Jack and Jill:

Solitaryensis:

ASD Ultimate shortcake - I want the tips to color up more:

Random shots:

Test Frag rack:

 

[markalot]

I would love to know the PAR you're running at now.

Colors look good in the pics!

 

[mhucasey]

I would love to know the PAR you're running at now.

Colors look good in the pics!

I am waiting on my LFS getting me a Potter's Leopard wrasse, when I pick that up I think I'll rent their meter. I'm pretty curious myself

 

[sahin]

Getting some nice colours on those acros! :beer: I didnt realise that ther photo was from the former tank...but it sure looks like things are improving. I cant believe the colours improved from reducing the light levels. Keep up the great work!

 

[wcharon]

Let me know what you think...

Thanks Mhucasey....

I haven't made the change of the other bulbs yet but i have to say that i like the Gisemann Aquapink better that the Purple +. What i have found is that the Aquapink seems to reflect better pale colors and the green looks more real while the P+ improves more the reds and greens. So i think it all depends on the corals that we have. Also the tank looks less bright if i can say it that way.

In the case of the True Actinic vs the Super Actinic i don't notice any change. Let's see what happen when i change the B+ for Actinic. I am still thinking to stay with the C+.

I will try to get a pic (before / after) and post it tomorrow so you can see what i am trying to say. Here is a pic i took around 3 months so you can understand what i am referring to on the Hammers.

 

[M007]

Nice colours indeed :beer:

 

[mhucasey]

Getting some nice colours on those acros! :beer: I didnt realise that ther photo was from the former tank...but it sure looks like things are improving. I cant believe the colours improved from reducing the light levels. Keep up the great work!

Thanks, its very weird to think that the corals may have had too much light, It gets drilled into you that more is better...

 

[mhucasey]

Thanks Mhucasey....

I haven't made the change of the other bulbs yet but i have to say that i like the Gisemann Aquapink better that the Purple +. What i have found is that the Aquapink seems to reflect better pale colors and the green looks more real while the P+ improves more the reds and greens. So i think it all depends on the corals that we have. Also the tank looks less bright if i can say it that way.

In the case of the True Actinic vs the Super Actinic i don't notice any change. Let's see what happen when i change the B+ for Actinic. I am still thinking to stay with the C+.

I will try to get a pic (before / after) and post it tomorrow so you can see what i am trying to say. Here is a pic i took around 3 months so you can understand what i am referring to on the Hammers.

I like the AquaPink better than the Purple Plus as well. There is something about the red that the Purple Plus and Coral plus put out that I have never liked. The Fiji Purple and Aquapink are similar, at least to my eye. The hammers are pretty light in the picture for sure.

 

[mhucasey]

Nice colours indeed :beer:

Thanks! Even better is that they are growing, it has definitely picked up since raising the lights.

 

[reefmutt]

Lighting update:
The red planet seems have lightened a bit, and some other corals have improved as well. The lights were raised to 10 inches above the water on 08/16(pretty sure of the date)

The first picture of the Red Planet was taken 08/18:

Tonight it looked like this:

Ill keep everyone updated as things change...

So looking at these shots and the more recent one you took, it looks to me like there is a little less green and maybe even less red in between the corralites, and more white.. but maybe more intense red in the growth?
Corals look good, in general, by the way, Matt
How does the coloration of the red planet jive with your experiment and the conventional wisdom about the red planet that more light makes it turn more intense red with less green?
Not knocking anything.. I just find this very interesting...

 

[mhucasey]

So looking at these shots and the more recent one you took, it looks to me like there is a little less green and maybe even less red in between the corralites, and more white.. but maybe more intense red in the growth?
Corals look good, in general, by the way, Matt
How does the coloration of the red planet jive with your experiment and the conventional wisdom about the red planet that more light makes it turn more intense red with less green?
Not knocking anything.. I just find this very interesting...

The picture shows it a little but not as much as in person. Its definitely lighter, almost white between the coralites in the portion of the coral at the top of the picture, with hints of green starting there. Definitely more green in the part of the coral lower down in the picture. The polyps are still a nice dark red everywhere.

The sides of the coral are where you can see the most change - there is definitely more green there though I don't have a good picture to show it. I think the changes still jive with what I had seen about red planet, Ill be very interested to see what the par readings are once I get my hands on a meter. I had this same coral with more green than this in the previous tank and the par was 425 at that spot.

What is interesting to me is the growth everywhere- corals are re-covering dead skeleton and basing out really nicely now.

 

[BrentH]

I'm a all t5 guy on my 500 have 32 bulbs I'm liking what I've read so far on raising the lights and the corals improving interesting ...... I have not finished going through your entire thread yet ... Just got excited and wanted to post one more hing I too have been blind dosing potassium I have a Red Sea but it's a nightmare what brand u use? For potassium ? Testing one thing for me since adding potassium my tank improved alot

 

[mhucasey]

I'm a all t5 guy on my 500 have 32 bulbs I'm liking what I've read so far on raising the lights and the corals improving interesting ...... I have not finished going through your entire thread yet ... Just got excited and wanted to post

Wowza, 32 bulbs is pretty amazing! Welcome!

 

[M007]

Since switching to MH my RP is most certainly more red, the green is pretty much history.