Top down shots

[Big E]

A few new pics for enjoyment--

 

[reefmutt]

Gorgeous shots, Ed.
What's the first pic?
Really like the 5th coral as well.
Well worth the wait!

 

[Aslam Abraham]

Hi Ed, really nice colours.
Is it possible to get a full tank shot.

 

[Renton777]

Great pictures Ed!

 

[MacDime]

A few new pics for enjoyment--

Any frags of the 2nd picture for sale?

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

BigE,

What setting do you use when measuring par for T5's. Electric or sun?

 

[Big E]

Gorgeous shots, Ed.
What's the first pic?
Really like the 5th coral as well.
Well worth the wait!

Thanks, 1st pic is an Aussie Blue Table & 5th is a Pearlberry

Hi Ed, really nice colours.
Is it possible to get a full tank shot.

Thanks, the whole right side of my tank is filled with frag racks. Once those are cleared out I'll get something posted

Great pictures Ed!

Thank you Nathan

BigE,

What setting do you use when measuring par for T5's. Electric or sun?

With the Apogee 200 I use Electric for T5 {per Apogee) and Sun for LEDs.

The important aspect of a par meter is consistency more than precise accuracy & match what you see in the corals response..................people get too hung up on a 10% error on some of the LED readings. That's nothing.......corals aren't going to respond to a 10% change in a spectrum intensity.

A few more shots--

Orange Passion

Malu nem

Skinny love(slowwwww) and Red Devil Nasuta just starting to sprout

Red Gecko

Paly shot

 

[alten78]

Great pics and corals as always! I got some vampires in drag from you at the last swap, i'll have to get those pink ones next to them next time!

 

[gregkn73]

Amazing colours, achieved with simplicity......great info through your thread. And those red's........wow!!!

 

[Big E]

Great pics and corals as always! I got some vampires in drag from you at the last swap, i'll have to get those pink ones next to them next time!

Thanks, the pink ones get huge.....nickel size heads and tall stalks, probably my favorites.

Amazing colours, achieved with simplicity......great info through your thread. And those red's........wow!!!

Thanks, I'm glad you're getting some use from the thread, it's what I get the most reward and pleasure from.

 

[markalot]

Awesome Ed, those colors are to die for.

 

[carlosmos]

After to read all the post, let me ask you something. I understand that no3 and po4 levels are not much important if are close to zero or not, if you export all that you generate. Right?

Light is clear too.
But I don't have aclear opinion about how to feed the corals. During the last times I collect all the zeovit products, now all the aquaforst products.... Is it Necessary?

And last question please, what is your opinion about balanced balling systems? I'm using aquaforest balling and my values are not balanced ( kh 6.5, CA 500 and Mg 1500). Before aquaforest I had the same problems with red sea balling, because my system don't consume Mg. Are there a problem if I only add kh?

Thanks

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Lovely colours Ed. I look at your corals with envy. Pinks and reds are insane.

I have a question about T5s. In a 8-tube configuration, would using 3 C+ and 1 P+ along with 4 B+ (or 3B+ and 1 actinic) give too much red spectrum?

My current configuration has 3 B+ 1 Actinic, 1 ABS 1 P+ and 2C+ in it. I want to swap ABS with another C+, but want to get you opinion on red spectrum. I think C+ has more red in it than ABS.

Thank you.

 

[Squibege]

I just found this thread and the couple of pictures I've seen are absolutely drool-worthy. Reading this from the beginning to see what your tricks are [emoji4]


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[Big E]

Awesome Ed, those colors are to die for.

Thank you Mark

After to read all the post, let me ask you something. I understand that no3 and po4 levels are not much important if are close to zero or not, if you export all that you generate. Right?

Yes, the goal is to have a high energy system without letting algae get out of control. That's why people have success with PO4 from 0-.10 and Nitrates from .25-10.

It's a lot easier to have some readings, so there's a little more to go around. If there's too much surplus the algae sucks it up.

To me, the ratios are more important than the actual numbers.........get in the ballpark range, so to speak, and then you let the corals growth and color direct things. When everything looks good is when your test numbers have actual value.......those become the targets.

That's why I say most people do it azz backwards........they try to force the system into some strict numbers and wonder why the corals aren't responding.



Light is clear too.
But I don't have aclear opinion about how to feed the corals. During the last times I collect all the zeovit products, now all the aquaforst products.... Is it Necessary?

No..........all the same aminos, vitamins, are in your fish food........the corals get some of that food The fish create ammonium and urea to feed the bacteria which feeds the zoo in the corals and the zoo creates the aminos as well to feed the coral.

You can feed some natural foods like oyster feast, reef frenzy or other coral foods like that if your fish load is light.

The phosphate and nitrate are produced or passed through by what the fish excrete.

As far as trace elements ,I prefer to keep my trace levels in line with water changes. There's debates over water changes not being able to keep up fast enough......I'm not sure on that.

You over dose those trace metals and guess what?............algae benefits........they can suck up trace metals better than the corals. There's all kinds of scientific evidence of how efficient they do it.

That's why I've never been into algae filters they steal trace elements from corals. It's no wonder some people say some elements are depleted when they get a Triton test.............first question I'd ask is do you have an algae filter?


Watch this video, it explains it better than I ever could about what happens in a healthy reef.

Coral reefs in the Microbial Seas


https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...=3d4fa48255695a1dfa7d2ec8627d9437&action=view

And last question please, what is your opinion about balanced balling systems? I'm using aquaforest balling and my values are not balanced ( kh 6.5, CA 500 and Mg 1500). Before aquaforest I had the same problems with red sea balling, because my system don't consume Mg. Are there a problem if I only add kh?

Alk and calcium will be consumed at the same ratio if your solutions match. If one or the other is too concentrated you get that imbalance.

I replenish my Mg with water changes, very little Mg gets used up. You may just be over dosing that.

I've never used the commercial balling systems........too expensive, when I can get the same chemicals off the shelf and mix them to matched ratios on my own.

If you want to stick with the commercial systems it would be better to get the dried versions and mix them yourself so you know exactly what the concentrations are.

Thanks

Lovely colours Ed. I look at your corals with envy. Pinks and reds are insane.

I have a question about T5s. In a 8-tube configuration, would using 3 C+ and 1 P+ along with 4 B+ (or 3B+ and 1 actinic) give too much red spectrum?

My current configuration has 3 B+ 1 Actinic, 1 ABS 1 P+ and 2C+ in it. I want to swap ABS with another C+, but want to get you opinion on red spectrum. I think C+ has more red in it than ABS.

Thank you.

I don't like the P+ it makes the tank look too pink even in a six bulb configuration. A coral+ would add more pink but not over the top.

The Actinic is going to give you a violet look.....maybe some edge pop. I doubt one bulb will do a lot for the corals, but it may help ambience wise.

The ABS has more red than a Coral+.........but not by much. It also has more green and that's why it casts a whiter look than a C+.

To me an ABS and a P+= 2 Coral+ bulbs......that's why I don't bother. Two coral+ already mix it together and do a more uniform job. Look at the spectral plots and you'll see what I mean.

A lot of this goes back to what I said about what our eyes see and what the corals need. Any of those one or two bulb mixes are for ambience.

Hope this helps?

 

[Big E]

I just found this thread and the couple of pictures I've seen are absolutely drool-worthy. Reading this from the beginning to see what your tricks are [emoji4]


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Thanks...........hope you can find some info that's helpful.

Tricks.........ummmm...........most of my tricks are in plain sight, common, and most often ignored

 

[bucfan]

What's your bulb combo?


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[Big E]

Coral+ & Blue+ 50/50 no matter how many bulbs are in the fixture for growth and color of the acros.

That's all I have ever used for the past 4+ years..........I like the ambient look and how the acros look.

 

[bucfan]

Coral+ & Blue+ 50/50 no matter how many bulbs are in the fixture for growth and color of the acros.

That's all I have ever used for the past 4+ years..........I like the ambient look and how the acros look.

Do you have 6 or 8 bulb unit? Also can you share the hours you run the bulbs. Thanks.


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[carlosmos]

Thank you for the explanations Ed


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