TrUeBlAcKperCuLa 120 sps under radion G1

Thanks guys but I still have so much to do and learn yet. I am still hung up on the lighting intensity of this fixture as it seems still to bright even at 85%
 
Under 20k lighting it you really can't see the glow of the Sps under that lighting. But when it starts to wind down around 8:00 pm is when my Sps look there best.
 
Looking great Michael, really pleased to see things thriving and growing for you mate. :thumbsup: I think lowering those lights to 75% might be worth a shot as such a drop won't bother the acros at all and it might potentially lead to a deepening of the tissue pigmentation - just an idea buddy. :)

I'm not really sure why this is in your tank and not mine btw - bloody awesome piece that's been placed perfectly to show off its growth pattern. A stag pointed 45 degrees to the left behind this piece would look super cool as a backdrop in a contrasting color.......... you're now fully justified in looking for a new acro mate - i can always justify a new acro purchase for me or any of my friends. If anyone's better half questions the need for another acro just tell em ' biggles said it's ok ' and walk away.......... :p

gj1_zps1fb43f45.jpg
 
Hey Mr. Big thanks for all your positive feed back and help. I took your advice and set my lights to 75% to see how it goes for then next 15 to 20 days. If the corals look better then it will stay like that if they become worse then I will turn it up. The only draw back is I have started dosing amino acids and running GFO so I do t no if things turn up good I won't know what was the direct result or cause of the change. With of course the exception of me just being happier. Lol I have documented pictures as you can see and will take the same angle in 15 to 20 days and you guys and gals can be the judge.

By the way I told my wife biggles says it's ok to buy a frag of reef raft jaw dropper for $500 bucks and she told me to move in with you lmao. Just kidding
 
Will be interesting to see how the acros look in 2-3 weeks mate. You know i'll be brutally honest as usual :) People don't really pay that much for a bloody acro frag do they lol......... what if you bloody killed it or something, i get that some acros are simply stunning and easy to keep and fully see the justification in charging more for a proven winner but anything over $100- for an acro frag is just a total wank.
At the end of the day the only thing that's really important to all of us about our reefs is how we feel about what we have created. As long as your acros color up and put a smile on your face every time you look at your reef nothing else including trying to work out why it looks so good really matters to a point.
I've noticed you're a lot more relaxed about your tank since we first talked which is a great way to treat this hobby rather than stressing about every little thing that changes good or bad. A happy chilled out reefer keeps happy colorful chilled out SPS ! :thumbsup:

trueblackpercula said:
By the way I told my wife biggles says it's ok to buy a frag of reef raft jaw dropper for $500 bucks and she told me to move in with you lmao. Just kidding
Click to expand...

Hahaha i can just hear her saying that lol - you're supposed to walk away while she's confused about what you just said............. try mumbling it next time you're on the way out the door to the LFS :smokin:
 
biggles said:
I've noticed you're a lot more relaxed about your tank since we first talked which is a great way to treat this hobby rather than stressing about every little thing that changes good or bad. A happy chilled out reefer keeps happy colorful chilled out SPS !
Click to expand...

Hey Biggles

Yes I am a little more relaxed then in past years only because I am starting to really understand what can go wrong and how to adjust when that happens. I have been really trying to take my tank to the next level of reef keeping and with that is knowledge something I just thought I had but really didn't until now (Still learning everyday more and more)

I would have to say that lighting plays an enormousness part (probably more then most realize) of maintaining a reef tank and Small Polyp Stony-Corals. I really like my LED fixture and that's why I started this thread on the Radion G1 with TIR lens And most people get confused with some that post enhanced Photoshop or altered photographs. Yes i have seen some amazing sps in person but some pictures around here are just that enhanced to get more sales or create a new name for people to get crazy over.....Including myself sometimes. But I always buy what i like to keep not collect what others feel are going to be the next big hot coral.....Yes I am guilty but I have always bought what I could afford and loved rare or not.

In addition to that would be my water quality and what goes into it, water changes,skimming temp, carbon dosing, GFO Amino Acids Etc all must be aligned and is less forgiving then the lighting, but still with out the correct lighting it will still drive a person crazy because the colors and PE just aren't there.

Now temperature is the most forgiving from the others mentioned above for me. My tank is going to go through its most difficult time of the year right now as winter is quickly approaching and the demand for keeping the water Above 75 degrees for me is most changeling. ( 74 to 82 depending on what month of the year it is my fluctuation) still working on keeping it as stable as possible.

Remember my 120 gallon tank is an In-wall tank so the room its in never had a heat to keep it warm, my tank heater is the only thing that will help. This year I upgraded the heater to a 300watt from last years that was only 200 watts.

I am really looking forward to getting to January 10th or so as this is when I completely re-did the tank and 4 of the SPS I purchase on that day will be a year old. ( Strawberry shortcake, Aussie Blue Stag, green Tort with powder blue tips and and another one that is light yellow with purple blue tips)

I also have been dosing Vodka since July to reduce the algae and do see a big difference but at some point I will need to stop and just let the GFO take over and my skimmer will do the rest. ( MRC MR2 single beckett that rocks) I would also like to add a powder blue tank to assist as well and some schooling cardinals.

Now as for Amino Acids (Elos) that I have been using my SPS PE has been very nice and because of the Carbon dosing/GFO it was much needed and I would recommend to anyone to try it if they are stripping the water like I am with carbon dosing. They don't have to use Elos as there are many brands that will do the job just as good or better. I know i have to stop carbon dosing at some point but would like to try Vodka Sugar Vinegar before doing so as I feel that it will aid in keeping a better system. Just my vision and thoughts) But as of right now things are working well so why mess around?? is what i keep asking myself. I am never happy LOL

My next thing after I see if lowering the intensity of the lighting works or not will be the addition to Either add some Zeo Products or (Elos trace elements ) with the addition of the feeding Program ( Coral V power is my first choice second would be Pappone with the added HGH) started will enhance not only the health of MY SPS but I hope their Colors.

Well I can go on and on about what has been accomplished/lost learned from trials and tribulations but that would bore the hell out of everyone.....Like my days when a bare-bottom tank was all I wanted with cooking my live rocks LOL it works but it was a very fine line between success and failure..

I do owe you some pictures but that will be on or after October 28th and I really want your brutal feed back.

again many thanks for all the help to you and all other around reefcentral as with out you all I would still be banging my head against a wall wondering what to do next.

In closing its really simple once one learns what to add and not add to there system and its not about what goes into your tank its how much and finding the balance that works for you........that is a lot easier to say then actually do ......

Michael
 
Perc, be careful stopping carbon dosing. Its like a tank addiction, you have to wean off like you did in increasing dosage in the beginning. I was dosing NoPoX and once I was getting better results than I wanted I just stopped and my Bacteria colony just up and died. After research I found that this happens when You abruptly stop carbon dosing. Once you get down to 1ml per day You will probably want to stay at that as it really helps break down nutrients that feed you coral. Adjust your skimmer to skim a little less if your tank is getting too clean. Don't make the mistake I did and am now still battling trying to get my system to create nutrients to feed my sps. Lots of STN. Not fun..
 
greenhead said:
Perc, be careful stopping carbon dosing. Its like a tank addiction, you have to wean off like you did in increasing dosage in the beginning. I was dosing NoPoX and once I was getting better results than I wanted I just stopped and my Bacteria colony just up and died. After research I found that this happens when You abruptly stop carbon dosing. Once you get down to 1ml per day You will probably want to stay at that as it really helps break down nutrients that feed you coral. Adjust your skimmer to skim a little less if your tank is getting too clean. Don't make the mistake I did and am now still battling trying to get my system to create nutrients to feed my sps. Lots of STN. Not fun..
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips but its a little to late as I stopped vodka dosing immediately after my sps were turning very pale.

Mr. Big I will be posting some updates this week stay tuned.
 
martinphillip03 said:
Do you plan to update your lights?

Marty
Click to expand...

I thought about upgrading to the radion pro3 upgrade program down the road. But to be honest I am getting good growth and good color and spending $300 bucks may confuse the outcome of my on going issues. So for now when I get everything under control in 4 or 5 months I may upgrade. But I am happy with the G1 and to be honest how much par do we really need?
Michael
 
UPDATE
After much thought and debate I finally figured that it was time to see what PAR I was getting from my light fixture. The reason was my SPS just don’t have the color I was looking for, So I asked a member (friend) from the local club and he lent it to me. Well to my surprise my PAR readings were ultra low so low I don’t know how I got any color at all. I was getting readings of 80 PAR 15” FROM THE WATER LINE.

Here is what I did wrong
Light fixture was 8” above water line and my intensity was 65% this was all wrong for my tank. Below is what I did to correct my PAR problem and I know it’s not been more than a day but my SPS are reacting perfectly, they all look better after 24 hours lol can’t wait to see what they look like in a month. If I keep the fixture as I may jump into a mitras ghl
Also I have it set to acclimation mode over two weeks starting at 65% intensity and going up to 75% The reading below are all it the 15" mark directly under the fixture. now most of my sps are ate the height but I do have some that are closer to the light and they are getting 350 par to 380 at the 10 to 8" mark. before they were getting 150 max so I am so happy that Bill lent me his meter.
**** Note anyone running LED'S really needs to stop guessing and measure your PAR YOU WILL THANK ME LATER :)
This is what I did
LIGHT FIXTURE WAS LOWERED TO 5 ½ FROM THE WATER LINE
Raised intensity to 75% max at peak
Here are the results ENJOY AND HOPE IT HELPS RADION USERS.
10:25 AM LIGHTS ON PAR READING 118
ROYAL BLUE 70%
BLUE 50%
COOL WHITE 0%
GREEN 0%
HYPER RED 0%
12:00 PM PAR READING 132
ROYAL BLUE 80%
BLUE 60%
COOL WHITE 0%
GREEN 0%
HYPER RED 0%
1:00PM PAR READING 136
ROYAL BLUE 75%
BLUE 55%
COOL WHITE 7%
GREEN 10%
HYPER RED 25%

2:00PM PAR READING 190
ROYAL BLUE 100%
BLUE 100%
COOL WHITE 17%
GREEN 17%
HYPER RED 17%

3:00PM PAR READING 205
ROYAL BLUE 100%
BLUE 100%
COOL WHITE 30%
GREEN 17%
HYPER RED 17%

4:15PM PAR READING 214
ROYAL BLUE 100%
BLUE 100%
COOL WHITE 40%
GREEN 17%
HYPER RED 17%
5:30PM PAR READING 203
ROYAL BLUE 100%
BLUE 100%
COOL WHITE 30%
GREEN 17%
HYPER RED 17%

7:20PM PAR READING 136
ROYAL BLUE 75%
BLUE 55%
COOL WHITE 7%
GREEN 10%
HYPER RED 25%
8:20PM PAR READING 133
ROYAL BLUE 80%
BLUE 60%
COOL WHITE 0%
GREEN 0%
HYPER RED 0%
1O:00PM PAR READING 118
ROYAL BLUE 70%
BLUE 50%
COOL WHITE 0%
GREEN 0%
HYPER RED 0%
10:30 PM LIGHTS OFF
 
Why not leave it at the same height and just increase the intensity more? Did you factor in the fudge factor for LEDs? I think it's 20-30%.
 
rovster said:
Why not leave it at the same height and just increase the intensity more? Did you factor in the fudge factor for LEDs? I think it's 20-30%.
Click to expand...

I tried leaving the fixture at the same height raised the intensity and it did not do much at all. It wasn't until I lowered the fixture that I was able to get the PAR I needed.
what is the fudge factor?
 
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