Robvdv, do corals truely color up better in natural light than artificial lighting?
Different, but not better IME. I find they can look a little washed out under natural sunlight, but when you move them to a regular tank they appear very (more?) fluorescent again. Depends how much light they're getting in the GH.
Is natural lighting that much better than halides for growth rate?
Depends. I struggle to get the light balance right. I shade a lot, and I've played with a PAR meter but don't have access to one full time. The light variation can be a problem with natural sunlight. In general, I think the growth is better with sunlight as long as you can get the intensity right.
How do you shade or diffuse light for your lower lighting specimens?
Greenhouse polyethylene and blue shade netting. I also raise and lower the coral in the tanks and sometimes cover individual specimens in the tank with a net basket.
How large is your system?
Around 20sq meters/12000 liters
What was the biggest thing you wish you had done the first time around and what would you change now about how you set it up if you could do it over again?
Better insulation, probably. Otherwise I've done okay. I hit a few stupid problems (got zinc shavings from drilling in the tanks and had to replace all the water. Ouch.) but no huge regrets.
Should have sorted out my ventilation in the beginning. Should have used more off the shelf components, instead of DIY'ing so much stuff. DIY has been a bit of a false economy for me. I wind up sinking huge amounts of time into trivial things, and then maintaining them when they break later.
Should have maybe gone for a more modestly sized system and done it better, than going for a large system and not having the time or cash to get it rolling properly.
Hmm, now that I think about it there are a few regrets
I've done some stuff right, though. I spent a lot of time and effort plumbing the tanks properly. I put up a lot of shelving, which has proved very valuable. In general, I've emphasized good infrastructure over getting the coral in ASAP, and this has allowed me to experiment with a few corals under different circumstances over the seasons. I've killed a few (stainless steel rusting, zinc shavings, too much light) but I could have killed a lot more if I'd been gung ho about stocking up too soon.
If I can make one recommendation, it's experiment. Greenhouse growing is different to frag tank growing. You can mess yourself up if you over-invest in a system which ultimately doesn't wind up working for you.
. More updates to come, hopefully with pictures of progress as things pan out. PS, I found aragonite available for very cheap from the biz that brings it to the us from the bahamas, but I would have to buy 2,000 tons of it. Anyone have an extra $150,000 floating around that needs 1,975 tons of sand?
