Sonny's Rimless Shallow Reef.

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13934446#post13934446 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oldude
Hey Sonny, the tank filling in nicely & looking sweet. [/QU

Thanks!

I have always been a fan of your tank.

 

[dtaylor123]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13933601#post13933601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX

Although my skimmer is pulling out more gunk in general, due to vodka, it now is pulling out less since vacuuming the sand bed.

My tank is pretty much the same as yours (10 Gallons smaller, but the rest, rim-less and so on) my sand is always clean and it is a SSB. I do have a monster cuke about, over 12" long, all he does is constantly sift the sand, he just goes in circles, he completely recycles it, like people painting an off shore oil rig, just keeps going around and around. He is a low risk cuke as he stays on the bottom away from my two Tunzes, I also have nassarius snails and a few astrea but no crabs. The cuke isn't the best thing, but kids like calling it the big brown turd!

Dan

 

[Mike de Leon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13933971#post13933971 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
Yeah, I could never have a tank without sand.

I sold of my TOTM 6 months ago, although not in one piece. I sold I would say 90% of it. I kept only the Deltec skimmer, along with a few corals and fish.

I had alot of things going on at once, I was planning on moving out of state but that fell through. Along with that I went back to school for my teaching degree, so I had less time and money to put into the large tank. I was an investment banker/loan executive but as you can see, the market has tanked. I have always loved education and the slower pace of teaching will do me good.


I ended up using all the proceeds of the tank to start up a new, although smaller, 100g rimless tank.

I am very happy with the new setup. Just a few reasons why I love the new setup:

a. Total home electrical usage is down 64%

b. The humidity in my home is way down. I was running two dehumidifiers just to keep up with the old tank.

c. Being a smaller tank, supplements,carbon, maintenance, etc is less expensive and easier to deal with.

d. The tank is now much more environmentally friendly. This may not be a driving point for some out there, but I feel better using less energy.

e. It is always fun starting a new challenge and aquarium. I new tank is euro styled(T5, rimless, bacterial driven) and it is something I have always wanted to try.

f. It is less time consuming to operate it. I have many other things competing for my time now.


I do miss the old tank, and I will go with a larger tank in a couple years but I am happy for now with my 100g rimless.

Well thanks for that...
Good luck on your new endeavor in teaching. I have always had a lot of respect for teachers. They have a direct impact on the incoming generation.
I am glad you stuck it out with the aquarium. It's just a matter of time until you're ready for another TOTM.

I will be following this thread.

Cheers!

 

[SunnyX]

OK, I just read THIS and the Ati Pro color is coming out. It will be replaced with an Aquablue Special.

 

[SHOmuchFUN]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13946673#post13946673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
OK, I just read THIS and the Ati Pro color is coming out. It will be replaced with an Aquablue Special.

After a quick glance, in Lehman's; the article found the red spectrum of light to be detrimental to zoox?

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13946740#post13946740 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SHOmuchFUN
After a quick glance, in Lehman's; the article found the red spectrum of light to be detrimental to zoox?

Yeah. Certain strains of zoox were affected by the red spectrum causing them to bleach out. The red spectrum is absorbed in water within the first 3 feet so it make sense.

 

[stony_corals]

Sonny, also remember that they were using very focused red light, rather than the spread of a T5. I wonder what the intensity of the red light was too. The other is that they took a specimen from 46 feet, and if red light is blocked by the ocean in the first 3 feet, we shouldn't be surprised to find that the clades of zoox that this specimen had wasn't acclimated to red spectra. I think its a very interesting article nonetheless...

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13947314#post13947314 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stony_corals
Sonny, also remember that they were using very focused red light, rather than the spread of a T5. I wonder what the intensity of the red light was too. The other is that they took a specimen from 46 feet, and if red light is blocked by the ocean in the first 3 feet, we shouldn't be surprised to find that the clades of zoox that this specimen had wasn't acclimated to red spectra. I think its a very interesting article nonetheless...

Yeah, but other then the nice "pop" it was giving my red corals I dont think the bulb was doing much in terms of growth or color. I did notice that some of my corals had lightened up since putting hte bulb back online.

Oh well, better safe the sorry. The aquablue is back on until I order a Blue+/

 

[stony_corals]

I agree... the Pro Color will not effect every sps coral. There are only certain ones, like: those with the pigments that are responsive to the spectra of the Pro Color, and those with zoox clades that may be able to utilize the spectra. I think the Pro Color and the KZ Fiji Purple have been sold as making your red, pink, purple, blue, etc corals pop, where that's just not possible. It's not able the color of the coral, it's about its pigments.... It seems to me that red/pink seriatopora, stylophora, pocciliopora are the most responsive to this bulb. I've had red acros that showed no response to these bulbs, over a period of time.

Another bulb that you may want to try out is the AquaScience Duo. It has a sizable spike in the red spectrum (blue and green as well) but still looks white to our eyes. It also has more PAR than the ATI aquablue (which is what color it looks like to my eyes).

Edit: The other thing is that strong blue light seems to also "lead" to greater pink pigmentation in those same genera...

 

[SunnyX]

Thanks for the recommendation. I will stick with a combo of Blue+ and Aquablue for now. The combo looks really good and everything growing fast.

 

[DheereCrossing]

Very close to what you recommended for me, Grim. Very good testimonial skyrne_isk. Thank you.

 

[DheereCrossing]

Oops, sorry. Was in the wrong thread (was reading back on page 13 or something.) And the config that was posted was also what someone recommended I try. Not meant to be a hijack.

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13948603#post13948603 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DheereCrossing
Oops, sorry. Was in the wrong thread (was reading back on page 13 or something.) And the config that was posted was also what someone recommended I try. Not meant to be a hijack.

No problem. Thanks for visiting, tell your friends, and come back anytime.

 

[DheereCrossing]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13920161#post13920161 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
Thanks Brandan. You are going to be very happy with the T5's.

After running a shorter photo period this past week I have decided to change up my lighting schedule. I believe that the T5 setup I have may be too bright for many of the corals. I have noticed increased polyp expansion and the acans are opening up much better.

Most of the day I will run only five bulbs, for 10 hours. I will run the last two bulbs for four hours a day.

This is how it will go:

12:00-10:00PM (Blue+, Blue+)

12:15-9:45PM (Aquablue Special, Aquablue Special, Blue+)

3:00-7:00PM (Aquablue Special, Pro Color)

I will run this for a month and see if it affects coral color and growth. I am hoping that the decrease in photo period will darken up some of the corals.

I know this was a bit farther back in the thread but I had a thought - wouldn't extending the photoperiod or intensifying the light darken the colors? SPS has the pigments under the layer of zooanthelae. If you cut the light period, don't the photosynthetic bacteria thicken to try to use the available light better or is this backwards? I know whichever way it goes, the reverse applies for LPS - correct?

 

[Ty1e]

sunny, that powerhead in the sump idea a few pages ago was great. my skimmers been pulling out skimate that's alot darker then norm. And your tank is one of my fav's, i love how simple it is.

 

[SunnyX]

The more light the coral receives, the less ZooX the coral will host,bringing out the colors underneath. the less light it receives the more Zoox will be produced, resulting in darker coloration.

In my case the corals were getting too much light. Hopefully now with less light coming in they will darken up some.

 

[Ty1e]

sunny, do you find the 7 bulb unit the right amount of bulbs for you tank?
I'm think of building a 120 SPS tank and i'm torn between the aquatinics solar flare 6 bulb or the Tek light 8 bulb.

what do you think?.

 

[SunnyX]

sunny, that powerhead in the sump idea a few pages ago was great. my skimmers been pulling out skimate that's alot darker then norm. And your tank is one of my fav's, i love how simple it is.

Glad I could help.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13955241#post13955241 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ty1e
sunny, do you find the 7 bulb unit the right amount of bulbs for you tank?
I'm think of building a 120 SPS tank and i'm torn between the aquatinics solar flare 6 bulb or the Tek light 8 bulb.

what do you think?.

Both would work great but I would have to go with the Solar flare simply because of the active cooling. The cooling system will give you more output and a longer life with the T5 bulbs.

Why not a constellation?

 

[cato]

Hey Sonny, apologies if this was already asked/answered. How are you dosing Reefbooster? Time/skimmer off etc... Thanks.

 

[Ty1e]

does the constellation have active cooling?
do you think it's better then the solar flare.