The Ultimate Eight Foot Softie Reef
- Thread starter InsaneClownFish
- Start date
InsaneClownFish
New member
Thanks again Scott, I really appreciate the support and interest. Much like you, much of my initial fervor and love for this hobby was spawned from seeing some incredible soft coral reefs.
In a way, I wanted to pay them tribute. All the SPS tanks out there are quite stunning, but there always seems to be that one element missing- movement.
My wife tells me the tank has a "zen" element, and visitors to my home comment that it does remind them of an garden underwater.
So sufficed to say, I've been very displeased with the XM 20k bulbs I'm running. It's quite a natural look, which is just fine, but because I have no supplemental lighting I have 1100 watts of sun bright white. It's really a symptom of the electronic ballasts running them very white. The Ice Caps give them a hint of blue, but the Galaxy ballast really runs them bright. I wanted more blue than the 14k Phoenix I had, and I've ended up with less.
Since my lighting is complete overkill for what I keep, I'm seriously considering going back to T5s. A couple nights ago I took some planks and set up my old T5 fixtures right on the waterline to get my wife's opinion. We both agreed that they brought out so much more color in the corals, and it was quite a bit more soothing.
I put the lights back on tonight and took some pics. 4 80w T5s, Blue+ x 3 with a Fiji Purple:
In a way, I wanted to pay them tribute. All the SPS tanks out there are quite stunning, but there always seems to be that one element missing- movement.
My wife tells me the tank has a "zen" element, and visitors to my home comment that it does remind them of an garden underwater.
So sufficed to say, I've been very displeased with the XM 20k bulbs I'm running. It's quite a natural look, which is just fine, but because I have no supplemental lighting I have 1100 watts of sun bright white. It's really a symptom of the electronic ballasts running them very white. The Ice Caps give them a hint of blue, but the Galaxy ballast really runs them bright. I wanted more blue than the 14k Phoenix I had, and I've ended up with less.
Since my lighting is complete overkill for what I keep, I'm seriously considering going back to T5s. A couple nights ago I took some planks and set up my old T5 fixtures right on the waterline to get my wife's opinion. We both agreed that they brought out so much more color in the corals, and it was quite a bit more soothing.
I put the lights back on tonight and took some pics. 4 80w T5s, Blue+ x 3 with a Fiji Purple:
Last edited:
InsaneClownFish
New member
In these pictures, I adjusted the white balance to a "white" source:
melev
Well-known member
I prefer the first set of pictures, the ones with the regular MH lighting. However, I hear you.
What I suggest is the MH during the day time for 6 to 8 hours, and then run your cooler T5 bulbs for the evening for a bout 2 to 4 hours. The best of both worlds.
You just have to come up with a motorized gizmo to retract the MH out of the way and/or lower the T5s when wanted.
What I suggest is the MH during the day time for 6 to 8 hours, and then run your cooler T5 bulbs for the evening for a bout 2 to 4 hours. The best of both worlds.
You just have to come up with a motorized gizmo to retract the MH out of the way and/or lower the T5s when wanted.
InsaneClownFish
New member
A few more with the white balance adjusted. I like the soothing look. Of course, 5 foot fixtures won't cut the mustard. Something may be in the works...you'll all just have to stay tuned to see what I have up my sleeve.
InsaneClownFish
New member
Marc, I hear what you're saying. Keep in mind this is just a quick demo. Some of the pics were taken through the unlit section of the tank, and this is only a 4 bulb demonstration, I would use at least 5 width wise(for one bank) in order to be able to throw in an aquablue or supplement an actinic out.
It's much brighter in person, but yes, nothing compares to the brightness of 4 large mh reflectors. But...and this is a big but...if I can get full coverage, save ALOT of energy, and get much better color options...and colors out of my corals...I'm going back.
If and when I do it this time around, it will be show quality- no fooling around.
One of the most striking things is the color from the clowns and Anthellia...the clowns don't just look orange, the red spectrum in the fiji purple bulb makes them look crayola marker rich under this color spectrum.
It's much brighter in person, but yes, nothing compares to the brightness of 4 large mh reflectors. But...and this is a big but...if I can get full coverage, save ALOT of energy, and get much better color options...and colors out of my corals...I'm going back.
If and when I do it this time around, it will be show quality- no fooling around.
One of the most striking things is the color from the clowns and Anthellia...the clowns don't just look orange, the red spectrum in the fiji purple bulb makes them look crayola marker rich under this color spectrum.
InsaneClownFish
New member
Doolin- Thanks! You and me both! I'm only running the lights 3-4 hours a day. It's a bit silly. Usually, I don't notice the heat, because the basement den is relatively cool; but tonight my wife and I felt like we were getting a tan. Way overkill for what I keep.
I have some solutions up my sleeve. I don't think I'll get down to the sub 300, but look for this solution to be between 300-500 watts. At slightly over 300watts, I'll cut the energy use by close to 60%(based on a true 8 hour cycle).
If you have any questions about thickness, please lmk.
Doolin- One of the appeals of my tank, in stark contrast with 90% of the reefs systems I've seen, is the open aquascaping and see through back. It gives me so many options. I can isolate softies, and it puts particular emphasis on particular corals. In many ways it highlights movement.
The piece of rock that I have my Anthelia on is probably 16 x 6 and at least 1/4 covered in Anthelia. Since it's an isolated island, that's the only place the Anthelia grows atm. It's quite dramatic against the clean background.
Keeping 3 sides of an acrylic aquarium is quite challenging, but it is well worth it.
I picked up a few new zoanthids tonight, and I took quite a bit of time making a zoanthid garden on a piece of rock work. I also puttied zoanthids from my softie garden that were either oddly placed, getting blocked by other softies, overgrown with feather dusters, or almost completely hidden:
Random:
Notice how she makes the male hide out
I have some solutions up my sleeve. I don't think I'll get down to the sub 300, but look for this solution to be between 300-500 watts. At slightly over 300watts, I'll cut the energy use by close to 60%(based on a true 8 hour cycle).
If you have any questions about thickness, please lmk.
Doolin- One of the appeals of my tank, in stark contrast with 90% of the reefs systems I've seen, is the open aquascaping and see through back. It gives me so many options. I can isolate softies, and it puts particular emphasis on particular corals. In many ways it highlights movement.
The piece of rock that I have my Anthelia on is probably 16 x 6 and at least 1/4 covered in Anthelia. Since it's an isolated island, that's the only place the Anthelia grows atm. It's quite dramatic against the clean background.
Keeping 3 sides of an acrylic aquarium is quite challenging, but it is well worth it.
I picked up a few new zoanthids tonight, and I took quite a bit of time making a zoanthid garden on a piece of rock work. I also puttied zoanthids from my softie garden that were either oddly placed, getting blocked by other softies, overgrown with feather dusters, or almost completely hidden:
Random:
Notice how she makes the male hide out
InsaneClownFish
New member
Some of my Zoas...
One of the reasons I want to see more actinic in the tank is that my zoas look absolutely amazing under blue light. Here's the difference under Aquamedic Ocean Blue T5s(virtually identical to ATI Blue +):
One of the reasons I want to see more actinic in the tank is that my zoas look absolutely amazing under blue light. Here's the difference under Aquamedic Ocean Blue T5s(virtually identical to ATI Blue +):
InsaneClownFish
New member
InsaneClownFish
New member
Lots of changes to report! But first I feel the need to catch everyone up on my thread. It's been a long summer of letting the tank "do it's thing." So I've decided to slowly update the thread in sections of notable pluses and minuses.
I'm building up to some big changes with the system. Once I lay out these pluses and minuses, it will be easy to see why some of these changes are warranted.
So let's get this started!
Fish
Drive me nuts! For some reason my track record with fish is lackluster compared to my successes with corals. Granted, I don't keep many, if any, demanding corals, but since the beginning I've lost maybe one coral.
The biggest losses were the two Tangs early this summer. The first was a Lieutenant, and then the Chocolate. The Lieutenant would go through periods of severe black ich- something of which there was little remedy in this case. Call me a terrible fish keeper, but the majority of my rockwork is sealed down. Once a fish is in....he's in. It really saddens me when I lose a fish, but I will not destroy my tank just to "treat" one fish.
I've long said that the quality of fish coming in these days has been poor. I think it's more than that. There are many contributing factors, and I'm starting to believe that pure stress is what knocked out my tangs. I'll get onto the damsels in a moment. Also, the sand I used probably has enough silicates to be a breading ground for ich as the silicates form brown diatoms in the water column, coat the sand, and form a gestation area for the worms.
With the open rockwork, I don't have many hiding places for large fish. This fact, coupled with heavy flow, in a shallow tank, I think may contribute to overall fish stress.
Shame on me too for not providing enough greens in their diet. My overall feedings were good, but my nori feedings were always a bit spontaneous.
I've lost 3 Tangs altogether.
I've lost clowns as well. The first pair was the result of some bad decision making on my part when I initially xfer'd them to the new system. The last clown I lost was the victim of suddenly being the odd man out.
Ironically, the two wild Ocellaris I have are thriving. They are far prettier, and seemingly healthier, than any of their fancy tank bread counterparts have been. In fact, the tank raised Oceallaris I had from Europe paled in comparison to my wild pair. Maybe there is something to be said for overbreeding, disease, and the general condition of fish coming in these days. That being said, many of my fish issues were my mistakes.
My blue sided fairy wrasse. I've had him for 8 months. Healthy, stunning, and still in the open top tank! Go figure. I did find him one time in the overflow. I yelled at him to get back in the tank and he promptly complied. Just kidding.
Other fish never had a chance. I bought a Starry Blenny some months ago that went carpet surfing the first night. :rolleye1:
After I lost the tangs I waited almost two months and purchased a Magnificant Foxface locally. What a great fishy. Healthy, fantastic, massive, and always moving. The only thing is that he likes to follow me around when I clean the tank thinking he's going to get fed. I'm a big wimp when it comes to those poison spines!
I'm building up to some big changes with the system. Once I lay out these pluses and minuses, it will be easy to see why some of these changes are warranted.
So let's get this started!
Fish
Drive me nuts!
For some reason my track record with fish is lackluster compared to my successes with corals. Granted, I don't keep many, if any, demanding corals, but since the beginning I've lost maybe one coral. The biggest losses were the two Tangs early this summer. The first was a Lieutenant, and then the Chocolate. The Lieutenant would go through periods of severe black ich- something of which there was little remedy in this case. Call me a terrible fish keeper, but the majority of my rockwork is sealed down. Once a fish is in....he's in. It really saddens me when I lose a fish, but I will not destroy my tank just to "treat" one fish.
I've long said that the quality of fish coming in these days has been poor. I think it's more than that. There are many contributing factors, and I'm starting to believe that pure stress is what knocked out my tangs. I'll get onto the damsels in a moment. Also, the sand I used probably has enough silicates to be a breading ground for ich as the silicates form brown diatoms in the water column, coat the sand, and form a gestation area for the worms.
With the open rockwork, I don't have many hiding places for large fish. This fact, coupled with heavy flow, in a shallow tank, I think may contribute to overall fish stress.
Shame on me too for not providing enough greens in their diet. My overall feedings were good, but my nori feedings were always a bit spontaneous.
I've lost 3 Tangs altogether.
I've lost clowns as well. The first pair was the result of some bad decision making on my part when I initially xfer'd them to the new system. The last clown I lost was the victim of suddenly being the odd man out.
Ironically, the two wild Ocellaris I have are thriving. They are far prettier, and seemingly healthier, than any of their fancy tank bread counterparts have been. In fact, the tank raised Oceallaris I had from Europe paled in comparison to my wild pair. Maybe there is something to be said for overbreeding, disease, and the general condition of fish coming in these days. That being said, many of my fish issues were my mistakes.
My blue sided fairy wrasse. I've had him for 8 months. Healthy, stunning, and still in the open top tank! Go figure. I did find him one time in the overflow. I yelled at him to get back in the tank and he promptly complied. Just kidding.
Other fish never had a chance. I bought a Starry Blenny some months ago that went carpet surfing the first night. :rolleye1:
After I lost the tangs I waited almost two months and purchased a Magnificant Foxface locally. What a great fishy. Healthy, fantastic, massive, and always moving. The only thing is that he likes to follow me around when I clean the tank thinking he's going to get fed. I'm a big wimp when it comes to those poison spines!
InsaneClownFish
New member
Damsels - Where do I start. First off, they served their purpose. I wanted to provide more movement, and some colorful, hardy fish. I knew all of the problems associated with these fish and accepted them. Well as those of you who have read the above already know, they just add unnecessary stress to any fish that is added.
In particular, and most recently, 3 of these fish have become way too big for their britches. The Behn's damsel is just the devil. He now tries to attack me when I clean the tank. He's also moved his territory from the far right of the tank to the dead center rockwork- translation, this whole 8 ft is really mine.
The two grey damsels are also turning into little pugs. One in particular is constantly digging and creating tunnels- which is fine, but he's also started this behavior of knocking down corals I put near him.
Personally, I like a peaceful tank, and these more recent escalations in aggressiveness and territorial dominance have become intolerable. The last straw was seeing missing chunks from my Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse's tail. They had previously ignored him. Sufficed to say I'm having my wife save water bottles so that I can fashion some homemade fish traps. One way or another, they're all coming out.
First off, they served their purpose. I wanted to provide more movement, and some colorful, hardy fish. I knew all of the problems associated with these fish and accepted them. Well as those of you who have read the above already know, they just add unnecessary stress to any fish that is added.In particular, and most recently, 3 of these fish have become way too big for their britches. The Behn's damsel is just the devil. He now tries to attack me when I clean the tank. He's also moved his territory from the far right of the tank to the dead center rockwork- translation, this whole 8 ft is really mine.
The two grey damsels are also turning into little pugs. One in particular is constantly digging and creating tunnels- which is fine, but he's also started this behavior of knocking down corals I put near him.
Personally, I like a peaceful tank, and these more recent escalations in aggressiveness and territorial dominance have become intolerable. The last straw was seeing missing chunks from my Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse's tail. They had previously ignored him. Sufficed to say I'm having my wife save water bottles so that I can fashion some homemade fish traps. One way or another, they're all coming out.
InsaneClownFish
New member
Anemones- Well I've learned they're not appropriate for my tank. The first was a Blue S. Gigantea that melted away. The second I tried was a Green BTA. It wandered around one piece of rockwork and just as it seemed to settle in it decided to take a four foot walk one night right to the power heads. I woke up to tank sushi. It's ashame, because the clowns came with their host, the Gigantea, and they took to their new host the BTA. They're just going to have to be content living in my Anthelia. Once in awhile one will decide he's a gobie and perch inside my Duncans...pretty neat.
My mini carpet anemones bleached a little because I had placed a rock piece directly above them and unintentionally denied them the light. The rock has since been moved and they are recovering. The mini carpet that is by itself is vibrant and almost silver dollar sized.
My mini carpet anemones bleached a little because I had placed a rock piece directly above them and unintentionally denied them the light. The rock has since been moved and they are recovering. The mini carpet that is by itself is vibrant and almost silver dollar sized.
InsaneClownFish
New member
SPS- Well as the title of this thread suggests, I'm mainly softies. But I have tried a couple of SPS just to add some variety. The Orange monti cap I have in the center of my tank is great and adds that perfect splash of orange. Growth is slow, but it has tripled in size. The purple caps, while they seem to grow a little are just plain brown. I really think it has to do with the lighting..but I'll get into that a bit later. One piece has started to bleach a bit just because I moved the rock it's attached to into an extreme flow spot.
The Montipora Mollis I received from a friend has completely bleached out. I don't feel bad about this piece at all considering it was just a shot in the dark attempt at saving a piece that had been ravaged by montipora eating nudis in his tank. Moving it around didn't help. It looked like it was coming back, but the last time I did a mini tank rearrange it started to go down hill.
The large branching Acropora SP colony I received from the same friend was doing fantastic. It had to be moved because it was initially placed too high up and the ends of the coral were becoming blunted at the waterline. After a couple of moves, and some bulb changes, it seemed to get touchy. One of the locations I had it ended up rocking the piece slightly. The XM bulbs run too white, and at times even yellow for my taste, on the electronic ballasts. The tank it came from was lit by all T5s in the blue and actinic spectrum and this Acro was growing like a champ on the bottom of that tank. These factors, coupled with two anemone deaths, ravaged the bottom half of the coral.
Amazingly, the stn has stopped. Now all the tips are growing from a bleached base- another go figure.
The Montipora Mollis I received from a friend has completely bleached out. I don't feel bad about this piece at all considering it was just a shot in the dark attempt at saving a piece that had been ravaged by montipora eating nudis in his tank. Moving it around didn't help. It looked like it was coming back, but the last time I did a mini tank rearrange it started to go down hill.
The large branching Acropora SP colony I received from the same friend was doing fantastic. It had to be moved because it was initially placed too high up and the ends of the coral were becoming blunted at the waterline. After a couple of moves, and some bulb changes, it seemed to get touchy. One of the locations I had it ended up rocking the piece slightly. The XM bulbs run too white, and at times even yellow for my taste, on the electronic ballasts. The tank it came from was lit by all T5s in the blue and actinic spectrum and this Acro was growing like a champ on the bottom of that tank. These factors, coupled with two anemone deaths, ravaged the bottom half of the coral.
Amazingly, the stn has stopped. Now all the tips are growing from a bleached base- another go figure.
InsaneClownFish
New member
LPS- I really do enjoy having some LPS in this tank, and I have to say, LPS loves my tank. I think it's because I run the tank midway. It's not quite as pristine as SPS likes, but it's nowhere near dirty enough for some softies. The Duncan colony has grown to over 50 heads. It's bigger than a softball and approaching the size of a small soccer ball.
I'm very proud of this coral. It's my favorite and I've had it 3 years and in three systems.
The pink Chalice I have is fantastic as well. It's just starting to show growth of a completely new ridge.
I believe its was this past spring I purchased a large plate(cycloseris) that had been at the LFS a long, long time. It has blue, green, and purple hues. It's easily 6-7 inches across, and it's doing wonderful.
The branching Frogspawn I have is also doing well. I always complain it doesn't seem to grow much, but the other night I noticed 5 baby heads underneath.
The other day I purchased a small teal Lobophyllia. Looks great!
I'm very proud of this coral. It's my favorite and I've had it 3 years and in three systems.
The pink Chalice I have is fantastic as well. It's just starting to show growth of a completely new ridge.
I believe its was this past spring I purchased a large plate(cycloseris) that had been at the LFS a long, long time. It has blue, green, and purple hues. It's easily 6-7 inches across, and it's doing wonderful.
The branching Frogspawn I have is also doing well. I always complain it doesn't seem to grow much, but the other night I noticed 5 baby heads underneath.
The other day I purchased a small teal Lobophyllia. Looks great!
InsaneClownFish
New member
Lol, it might be awhile, you sure?
InsaneClownFish
New member
Zoanthids - I have quite a few different types of Zoas and Palythoas. They're all doing well, but they don't necessarily grow very fast. I had to add a maxijet to the far side of the tank because the brown algae, and the fuzzy brown algae(not sure what this is, but it grows in stalks) was drowning them out a bit. Adding the extra flow helped this tremendously.
I moved quite a few of them around lately because some seemed to be encroached upon by other Zoanthids, and my Eagle Eyes were completely suffocated by mini feather dusters.
While it wouldn't be fair to say that the Zoas don't like the MHs, it is fair to say they color up better under T5s. I have some Tubs Blue Zoas that aren't blue at all.
Ricordia- I have a small rock of blue ones with only one polyp left. I think they got irritated by a Zoa colony. The orange and teal ones I have look ok, but the teal is a bit shriveled. Actually it's 1/2-1/3 of it's best size. I don't think they like the XM bulbs. In my experience Rics have difficulty with heat and direct light. In my old tank this was an issue.
I finally found a blue/teal ric I had lost and placed it in the fuge.
Mushrooms- Believe it or not, they don't grow very fast. My superman colony seems smaller, and my purple colony has shrunk. There are a couple of babies that have moved into the tank. The marbled teal and greens look great, but once again, little growth. They're sitting under a big Lumenmax pendant...hmmm theme here? Got shade? :beachbum:
I also have some pink, green and pink, and a very rare and unusual florescent green shroom. All look good but I do have to say the green and pink frillies looked fuller when they were being blasted with flow....once again...go figure. I probably have some localized chemical warfare going on as well, but I suspect it's on a very small scale.
I moved quite a few of them around lately because some seemed to be encroached upon by other Zoanthids, and my Eagle Eyes were completely suffocated by mini feather dusters.
While it wouldn't be fair to say that the Zoas don't like the MHs, it is fair to say they color up better under T5s. I have some Tubs Blue Zoas that aren't blue at all.
Ricordia- I have a small rock of blue ones with only one polyp left. I think they got irritated by a Zoa colony. The orange and teal ones I have look ok, but the teal is a bit shriveled. Actually it's 1/2-1/3 of it's best size. I don't think they like the XM bulbs. In my experience Rics have difficulty with heat and direct light. In my old tank this was an issue.
I finally found a blue/teal ric I had lost and placed it in the fuge.
Mushrooms- Believe it or not, they don't grow very fast. My superman colony seems smaller, and my purple colony has shrunk. There are a couple of babies that have moved into the tank. The marbled teal and greens look great, but once again, little growth. They're sitting under a big Lumenmax pendant...hmmm theme here? Got shade? :beachbum:
I also have some pink, green and pink, and a very rare and unusual florescent green shroom. All look good but I do have to say the green and pink frillies looked fuller when they were being blasted with flow....once again...go figure. I probably have some localized chemical warfare going on as well, but I suspect it's on a very small scale.
