New Start-Tank Full of SPS
- Thread starter this is me
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this is me
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Hi Steve,
All is well and happy new year to you too. I've been doing a lot of bird photography(go figure) and haven't gotten a lot of time to be on the forum. Since it's cold and I don't feel like standing outside, I dedicate my time to the reef.
Looking good! You really got me thinking tonight about how I've never been too happy with my AI SOL blues. Ever since I switched from my ati sunpower I have regretted it. The leds work and give my blues and purple corals a bit of a pop but I lose out on the reds, pinks, and oranges.
I miss the mh 20k radium days and know I can afford to go back but am worried about the heat it would add to my tank. I really enjoy not running a chiller in the summer. That single fact is probably the only thing keeping me from going back to MH. I am considering going back to t5s though. However, I would prefer MH.
I miss the mh 20k radium days and know I can afford to go back but am worried about the heat it would add to my tank. I really enjoy not running a chiller in the summer. That single fact is probably the only thing keeping me from going back to MH. I am considering going back to t5s though. However, I would prefer MH.
this is me
Active member
Please wipe off the dust until you get your lazy butt here!
Thanks! I feed my fish once a day. Hikari Mysis and Hikari Spirulina Brine shrimp. Every now and then, I throw some Elos pellets food. Tangs, clowns, leapard wrasse, and chromis are all eating pellets food. If I can get my two lyretail anthias to eat pellets, I would put an auto feeder on pellets but they just don't want anything to do with pellets food.
I want to go old school and keep up with my weekly waterchange(which I do). I don't know if I should take the biopellets out. It's still running now although very little. I'm just afraid that the tank might crash if I pull the biopellets. I started to use biopellets because when I was keeping anemones, I do monthly waterchange and nitrate was in the 20s. Now that it's down to <2ppm, I want to see if I can keep it less than 10ppm with just weekly water change.
I don't like to bash on LED and I really like them to succeed in reef. It draws less power and less heat and allow the fixture to be very sleek in design. However, the previous generation fixtures I tried(Blue, Royal Blue, White) was less than I hope for. Yes, initial it makes the coral colors popped but it couldn't keep the color. The colors popped because they were developed with MH and T5 lighting. The LED just bring these colors out but it can not keep the colors.
Acans are the easiest LPS to lose their color under LED. Red acan and rainbow acans all turn to orange under the LED but gain their color back real quick when switched to T5 or MH.
Clearly though, LED will eventually get there. Why? because it's a piece of semiconductor! Companies are spending a lots of R&D money and the technology is constantly evolving.
Ill agree with you there. I do not like to bash LEDs either but if I could find an alternative to my leds then I would probably switch. The best colors I ever had was with mh and t5. T5s cost me just a tiny bit fewer from bulb changes and less electricity.
I would say my leds are running at 140 or so watts for everything. If I switched from the AIs to a 24" 6 bulb ati sunpower the electricity would be virtually the same.
I am gonna give my leds a good 6 months then if I am not please possibly switch back.
Anyhow, you tank is amazing and +1 for tank of the month. A reef doesnt have to be huge to be awesome!
I would say my leds are running at 140 or so watts for everything. If I switched from the AIs to a 24" 6 bulb ati sunpower the electricity would be virtually the same.
I am gonna give my leds a good 6 months then if I am not please possibly switch back.
Anyhow, you tank is amazing and +1 for tank of the month. A reef doesnt have to be huge to be awesome!
this is me
Active member
Some more pics of recently acquired frags.
Lokani
Sold to me as Garf Bonsai but I'm questioning the name
Sold to me as Rainbow Granulosa but I'm not sure where the "rainbow" is
Blue Polyps Nasuta
ATL Shade of Fall
ORA Pearl Berry. Love this acro. Can't wait for it to grow out
Lokani
Sold to me as Garf Bonsai but I'm questioning the name
Sold to me as Rainbow Granulosa but I'm not sure where the "rainbow" is
Blue Polyps Nasuta
ATL Shade of Fall
ORA Pearl Berry. Love this acro. Can't wait for it to grow out
this is me
Active member
Please correct the name if I'm wrong on the ID.
Planet Earth Acro.
Sapphire Millipora
Planet Earth Acro.
Sapphire Millipora
theaquareef
New member
beautiful, i love the demensions also!!! Are those some pesky hydroids i see?? Loving the coloration of the corals with the mh + t5. are you still running the elos 14k?
Last edited:
this is me
Active member
Thanks Ed,
I have these in the tank for quite awhile and there are quite a few spots on my rock that have these growing. Some of my SPS actually encrust over it.
I did some research and found there's several of these hydroids. One being the evasive kind that has a thread-like base and spread quickly. The one I have looks like this that's doesn't seem to do any harm.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1781142
Either way though, I think I should do something about it.
Skynyrd Fish
Member
I really like the tank!
this is me
Active member
I gotta say. After slowly pulling the biopellets out of the system for 3 weeks, the SPS look a lot more healthier. I can also see that they're not as sensitive with flesh falling off when I'm messing with the tank. I'll have updated pics coming.
I've been constantly monitoring the nitrate since the absence of the biopellets. But it's pretty much close to zero to 0.25ppm on the Red Sea Pro kit. The biopellets are great at pulling down your nitrate when you neglect the tank but I'm not sure on running it constantly. I've been doing my weekly water changes and nitrate is staying low so far.
I've been constantly monitoring the nitrate since the absence of the biopellets. But it's pretty much close to zero to 0.25ppm on the Red Sea Pro kit. The biopellets are great at pulling down your nitrate when you neglect the tank but I'm not sure on running it constantly. I've been doing my weekly water changes and nitrate is staying low so far.
this is me
Active member
Updated FTS.
Made some coral arrangement. The warpaint acanthophillia in the front has been moved to the middle of the tank where the clams were to allow it more room. It was eating up some of my acan and corals.
Made some coral arrangement. The warpaint acanthophillia in the front has been moved to the middle of the tank where the clams were to allow it more room. It was eating up some of my acan and corals.
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