Top down shots
- Thread starter Big E
- Start date
Big E
Premium Member
Hi Bob,
No I haven't, but I finally finished my stand last week. I kept debating whether to buy the stand or make it.
I've had other thoughts and plans and didn't want to just swap everything over. I considered starting over with smaller frags again, and some maintenance changes are also in my mind for this tank.
I"m planning to get it running by the end of the month along with a separate system frag tank.
No I haven't, but I finally finished my stand last week. I kept debating whether to buy the stand or make it.
I've had other thoughts and plans and didn't want to just swap everything over. I considered starting over with smaller frags again, and some maintenance changes are also in my mind for this tank.
I"m planning to get it running by the end of the month along with a separate system frag tank.
Big E
Premium Member
To you as well...............bought this frag to bring in 2014. This is the vendors pic.......... it was bone white when I got it last Friday. Hope I don't kill it.
Hi Ed,....can you share the details on what maintenance changes you are going to implement? I have read your previous detailed posts on the way you are currently maintaining your beautiful corals. Thanks,---Rick
Oh,...and if your going to start over with smaller frags please add me to your "want to buy" list.
Oh,...and if your going to start over with smaller frags please add me to your "want to buy" list.
Big E
Premium Member
I'm not changing anything major---
1. Right now I have more live rock in my sump than in the display, so I"m going to eliminate some of that.
2. I'm putting a new more efficient skimmer on the tank and will probably try to wean the tank off vinegar for a while.
3. I'm going to do a small patch of sand and rubble and see if I can keep it clean. It's just going to be for looks so maybe a 1/2". The rubble will be various sizes.
1. Right now I have more live rock in my sump than in the display, so I"m going to eliminate some of that.
2. I'm putting a new more efficient skimmer on the tank and will probably try to wean the tank off vinegar for a while.
3. I'm going to do a small patch of sand and rubble and see if I can keep it clean. It's just going to be for looks so maybe a 1/2". The rubble will be various sizes.
Chris Lakies
Active member
Top down shots
Any updates? Love this thread!
Also just as a guesstimate what is the average par of placement of your sps?
Any updates? Love this thread!
Also just as a guesstimate what is the average par of placement of your sps?
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I also love this thread.
You know Ed, you should give a presentation to C-SEA about you effective and proven techniques.....hmmmm......
+173,576,401 :thumbsup:
Big E
Premium Member
I'm planning to transfer over to my other tank this weekend.
I'm not sure about average par, but most acros color up best under my lights in that 350-450 range. Some of it's species specific.............Millis like more intensity especially reds/ pinks. Most smooth skinned acros will color better at 250-350 range.
I have found out more recently that my zoas do much better at higher levels than I thought. I'm more of a newb with zoas but they blow up bigger and color up better, than when I have them sitting at the bottom.
I"ve also lacked getting most of them enough flow, as my tank it just too crowded along the bottom. I'm going to off load some corals in a frag tank, so I'll eliminate that issue for the new tank.
I'll see if I can dig up a few updates on certain acros.
Big E
Premium Member
I also love this thread.
You know Ed, you should give a presentation to C-SEA about you effective and proven techniques.....hmmmm......
Yeah...........we'll see.
I do find it odd though that most of the questions people ask me aren't what what I consider fundamentally important.
Sometimes when I do anwser questions I don't think it's the anwsers they want to or expect to hear:lol:
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Thanks Ed,....for this mornings giggle!:lmao: ---Rick
Big E
Premium Member
My camera is and old Cannon Powershot G3.
I shoot everything in RAW mode and target -2/3 to get the right contrast/brightness.
I have a custom white balance I set using a piece of white PVC in the tank.
Most of my shots are F5.0 and around 1/25 to 1/50
ISO-200
I mainly focus on the getting the -2/3 in the lighting when I press the pre-shot buttion. I then adjust the shutter speed according to that. The main reason I do that is because I shadow with a hand or my head to block reflections and this effects the amount of light that hits the corals.
I shoot everything in RAW mode and target -2/3 to get the right contrast/brightness.
I have a custom white balance I set using a piece of white PVC in the tank.
Most of my shots are F5.0 and around 1/25 to 1/50
ISO-200
I mainly focus on the getting the -2/3 in the lighting when I press the pre-shot buttion. I then adjust the shutter speed according to that. The main reason I do that is because I shadow with a hand or my head to block reflections and this effects the amount of light that hits the corals.
FastUno
New member
Some of the best coral coloration that I have seen! Can't wait to see your entire tank when you post.
I hope you don't mind some more questioning?
1) Why are you eliminating vinegar dosing? Have you seen too much algae or cyano growth?
2) What temp do you run your tank? What temp difference is there between day & night? What are your upper & lower temps in the summer vs the winter? Some of the reefers have instigated us to reconsider our tank temps.
3) Can't see your tank shots, so.... are most of your sps frags 1/2 way down your 75g tank & lower or do you have the rock work much higher? OR perhaps you have everything raised up as high as you can?
I hope you don't mind some more questioning?
1) Why are you eliminating vinegar dosing? Have you seen too much algae or cyano growth?
2) What temp do you run your tank? What temp difference is there between day & night? What are your upper & lower temps in the summer vs the winter? Some of the reefers have instigated us to reconsider our tank temps.
3) Can't see your tank shots, so.... are most of your sps frags 1/2 way down your 75g tank & lower or do you have the rock work much higher? OR perhaps you have everything raised up as high as you can?
Big E
Premium Member
1) Why are you eliminating vinegar dosing? Have you seen too much algae or cyano growth?
That's part of it..........I was getting some thick matts of purple bacteria. It's much thicker than cyano and also some of the green cyano that you can blow off & they come back over about a two week period.
This stuff can really irritate zoas and just looks plain ugly.
I was only dosing 8mls of vinegar, so with a better skimmer it will pick up any slack the vinegar was doing for export. I've actually worked my dosing down slowly and eliminated the cyanos already. I've been off the vinegar for about 6 weeks.
2) What temp do you run your tank? What temp difference is there between day & night? What are your upper & lower temps in the summer vs the winter? Some of the reefers have instigated us to reconsider our tank temps.
I have my Ranco temp controller set at 78. So my tank runs rock solid at 77-78. It's always where I have run my Sps systems at. My old setup with halides & a big return pump held that temp on it's own without a heater year round.
Years ago Walt Smith made some interesting comments in an old thread and it also just stuck in my mind to keep those temps. I was able to dig up his comments from the archives. I copy pasted it.............not sure why the weird typos, but the message is still clear..........the whole thread is a good read----
#91
06/08/2005, 02:20 PM
Walt Smith
Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Fiji / Los Angeles
Posts: 67
Dear All,
It seems we are all at both ends of the field here. A couple of things to point out / remember. I am basing my comments on 16 years experience in the South Pacific (Tonga and Fiji) where the water temp for most of the year is mid 70’s at 8 ft â€"œ 20 ft. where most of this stuff is collected. During our summer months, if we are unfortunate to get hit by “hot spotsâ€? (traceable on the NOAA maps from their site) the temp can reach into the low 90’s and most of the coral dies or becomes bleached. In 1999 â€"œ 2000 season we lost over 90% of the entire coral reef on the eastern side of the Island and in most of the northern group (Yasawas) because of these hot spots which can be very discriminative with some reefs bleaching and less than a mile away everything is OK (or most of it) and there is really no telling where these spots will hit from year to year. Just last year I lost almost all of the corals on my farm racks spread over 7 different sites and while we monitored the temps bi-weekly some spots hit 92 (60 feet down) and others only hit 88 …. Still all died off. The racks we were able to move to much lower water had a higher success rate but some did still die. The racks we were not able to move had almost 100% mortality and the dance goes on from year to year as this now seems to be a regular annual occurring event. Dr. Bruce Carlson comes down almost every year to monitor some of the reefs he has labeled and we work together as he sees the same phenomena occurring while we all scratch our heads. It is because of his research and our daily observations that we are now beginning to understand more about the bleaching events that we can not control as we sadly just watch Mother Nature take its course.
Now, I’m just a dumb coral farmer and collector from Fiji and not a scientist but please consider these points.
• I have seen a lot of reference to Caribbean temps. How many corals do you have in your tank from this region …? None! How many species of Acro grow in this region …? Few compared to Fiji and Tonga which is where most of the corals in your tank come from.
• Fiji and Tonga are considered sub-tropical zones and you actually have to where a jacket in Tonga during the winter months and the water is freezing. I have spent up to 5 hours per day in this water and I usually come out blue.
• If you have managed to acclimate the corals in your tank to the low 80’s and they are doing fine then great I don’t doubt this but please remember that you are skating on the edge with this temperature thing.
• Your corals may grow faster but they have hollow legs and have accelerated growth leaving weaker structure. This may be acceptable in a home aquarium but reeks havoc on the reef as corals shoot up and break off under their own weight.
• I have nothing to gain by telling you the truth about the water temps where I have worked and lived for the past 16 years but you can argue that 80 â€"œ 82 works best for you and if it does great. However, I do think that some of the references to stability are also important points to consider.
• Will your corals die at 80 - 82 … probably not. Is it the natural conditions at which they occur in nature … defiantly not.
• Keep in mind that the corals from Indonesia are a different matter where the water IS warmer but I still recommend mid to high 70’s as a medium range to keep your mix well and happy.
Again, my opinions are just based on years of experience and I do not have any books to sell just friendly advice to offer.
Hope this helps clear a few things up or you can just take me out back and shoot me.
Forums like this are very good for sharing information and I hope you all do well with your captive reef at whatever temp works best for you.
Best to all,
Walt
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=604948&page=4
Another reason I keep those temps is that snails do much better in this range.
3) Can't see your tank shots, so.... are most of your sps frags 1/2 way down your 75g tank & lower or do you have the rock work much higher? OR perhaps you have everything raised up as high as you can?
Most of my corals are at mid-range............Tort, Paletta and the Millis I like to keep higher if I can.
The smooth skin acros do good mid- to lower range. Purple monster likes it a bit higher.
You can see my par number in post#182 of this thread.
That's part of it..........I was getting some thick matts of purple bacteria. It's much thicker than cyano and also some of the green cyano that you can blow off & they come back over about a two week period.
This stuff can really irritate zoas and just looks plain ugly.
I was only dosing 8mls of vinegar, so with a better skimmer it will pick up any slack the vinegar was doing for export. I've actually worked my dosing down slowly and eliminated the cyanos already. I've been off the vinegar for about 6 weeks.
2) What temp do you run your tank? What temp difference is there between day & night? What are your upper & lower temps in the summer vs the winter? Some of the reefers have instigated us to reconsider our tank temps.
I have my Ranco temp controller set at 78. So my tank runs rock solid at 77-78. It's always where I have run my Sps systems at. My old setup with halides & a big return pump held that temp on it's own without a heater year round.
Years ago Walt Smith made some interesting comments in an old thread and it also just stuck in my mind to keep those temps. I was able to dig up his comments from the archives. I copy pasted it.............not sure why the weird typos, but the message is still clear..........the whole thread is a good read----
#91
06/08/2005, 02:20 PM
Walt Smith
Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Fiji / Los Angeles
Posts: 67
Dear All,
It seems we are all at both ends of the field here. A couple of things to point out / remember. I am basing my comments on 16 years experience in the South Pacific (Tonga and Fiji) where the water temp for most of the year is mid 70’s at 8 ft â€"œ 20 ft. where most of this stuff is collected. During our summer months, if we are unfortunate to get hit by “hot spotsâ€? (traceable on the NOAA maps from their site) the temp can reach into the low 90’s and most of the coral dies or becomes bleached. In 1999 â€"œ 2000 season we lost over 90% of the entire coral reef on the eastern side of the Island and in most of the northern group (Yasawas) because of these hot spots which can be very discriminative with some reefs bleaching and less than a mile away everything is OK (or most of it) and there is really no telling where these spots will hit from year to year. Just last year I lost almost all of the corals on my farm racks spread over 7 different sites and while we monitored the temps bi-weekly some spots hit 92 (60 feet down) and others only hit 88 …. Still all died off. The racks we were able to move to much lower water had a higher success rate but some did still die. The racks we were not able to move had almost 100% mortality and the dance goes on from year to year as this now seems to be a regular annual occurring event. Dr. Bruce Carlson comes down almost every year to monitor some of the reefs he has labeled and we work together as he sees the same phenomena occurring while we all scratch our heads. It is because of his research and our daily observations that we are now beginning to understand more about the bleaching events that we can not control as we sadly just watch Mother Nature take its course.
Now, I’m just a dumb coral farmer and collector from Fiji and not a scientist but please consider these points.
• I have seen a lot of reference to Caribbean temps. How many corals do you have in your tank from this region …? None! How many species of Acro grow in this region …? Few compared to Fiji and Tonga which is where most of the corals in your tank come from.
• Fiji and Tonga are considered sub-tropical zones and you actually have to where a jacket in Tonga during the winter months and the water is freezing. I have spent up to 5 hours per day in this water and I usually come out blue.
• If you have managed to acclimate the corals in your tank to the low 80’s and they are doing fine then great I don’t doubt this but please remember that you are skating on the edge with this temperature thing.
• Your corals may grow faster but they have hollow legs and have accelerated growth leaving weaker structure. This may be acceptable in a home aquarium but reeks havoc on the reef as corals shoot up and break off under their own weight.
• I have nothing to gain by telling you the truth about the water temps where I have worked and lived for the past 16 years but you can argue that 80 â€"œ 82 works best for you and if it does great. However, I do think that some of the references to stability are also important points to consider.
• Will your corals die at 80 - 82 … probably not. Is it the natural conditions at which they occur in nature … defiantly not.
• Keep in mind that the corals from Indonesia are a different matter where the water IS warmer but I still recommend mid to high 70’s as a medium range to keep your mix well and happy.
Again, my opinions are just based on years of experience and I do not have any books to sell just friendly advice to offer.
Hope this helps clear a few things up or you can just take me out back and shoot me.
Forums like this are very good for sharing information and I hope you all do well with your captive reef at whatever temp works best for you.
Best to all,
Walt
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=604948&page=4
Another reason I keep those temps is that snails do much better in this range.
3) Can't see your tank shots, so.... are most of your sps frags 1/2 way down your 75g tank & lower or do you have the rock work much higher? OR perhaps you have everything raised up as high as you can?
Most of my corals are at mid-range............Tort, Paletta and the Millis I like to keep higher if I can.
The smooth skin acros do good mid- to lower range. Purple monster likes it a bit higher.
You can see my par number in post#182 of this thread.
transporter9033
New member
I have been reading as much as I can before slowly working in to getting corals and have found this thread more than useful ! I thank you very much for the time and effort you have been putting into this thread !
Big E
Premium Member
Thanks guys, it's a pleasure to share anything I can.
Nothing for keeping acros has changed in years.......the basic biology, chemistry and fundamentals are still the same. Patience a being logical plays a big role too.
It's not complicated, unless you choose to make it that way.
I was doing a Google search for coral + bulb and this the thread came up, I'm sure glad that it did. I like your straight forward and simplistic approach. Your coral growth and colors are amazing, as many others have mentioned. I'm considering trying your approach on my tank that has been running for 3 years. I have had decent growth and coloration but nothing like this. I would like to see if you can give me some guidance. Here is my current setup.
1. 40Br tank with sand bottom using WP25 and korallia 750 for water movement
2. 20L sump is running a fuge (chaeto) and an oversized SWC BMK 150 skimmer
3. My lighting is a DIY Cree LED setup using 16RB and 8 cool white. I have added 2 39W T5's to the oustside of the fixtures. I was planning on running 2 coral + bulbs
4. weekly water changes and I don't test water parameters
5. I have no coralline algae or any aglae for that matter
6. I have tried many different miracle additives and not much luck except less $
I was considering removing the chaeto and begin vinegar dosing.
What are your thoughts and advice for me going forward?
How do you determine the vinegar dose amount?
Sorry for the long wording, just trying to cover most everything so I don't occupy your time.
Thanks
1. 40Br tank with sand bottom using WP25 and korallia 750 for water movement
2. 20L sump is running a fuge (chaeto) and an oversized SWC BMK 150 skimmer
3. My lighting is a DIY Cree LED setup using 16RB and 8 cool white. I have added 2 39W T5's to the oustside of the fixtures. I was planning on running 2 coral + bulbs
4. weekly water changes and I don't test water parameters
5. I have no coralline algae or any aglae for that matter
6. I have tried many different miracle additives and not much luck except less $
I was considering removing the chaeto and begin vinegar dosing.
What are your thoughts and advice for me going forward?
How do you determine the vinegar dose amount?
Sorry for the long wording, just trying to cover most everything so I don't occupy your time.
Thanks
