Wazzel's mostly SPS 60 Cube

[Wazzel]

FWIW, I run my AI 52's at nearly the same params as you Mark, I got great coloration when I dropped my white channel to 55-60 from 75-80. I loved how bright the tank was when whites were up to 80 but the colors just washed out too much. Loving the bluer look at 60 on the whites. Have you found the growth to be the same when lowering the whites to 60?

I have not noticed a difference in growth since the reduction. If it did it was minor. The tank looks less washed out now, which I like. Do not judge by the pics I posed last night. My tank was already in sunset mode and the white channel ramps out first.

 

[Wazzel]

I'm going through similar questions myself. been running 100 percent on all channels except for reds and whites. switched to 100 percent whites from 60 percent and noticed growth is better as is algae but more washed out look.

I did not have an algae issue, but the colors, especially on the tort, bonsai and blueberry field washed out after I added the second unit and got it up to my single unit levels.

 

[brad65ford]

My apologize not so much as algae issues as i would say algae film on glass. How is your algae after a few days?

 

[Wazzel]

I should clean my glass every 3 days or so. No big change in that regardless of light levels.

 

[plyle02]

gorgeous photos Mark, I cannot believe how happy your corals are under the LED's, you sure have the touch. BTW, your puppy is adorable

 

[Wazzel]

Thanks Perry.

 

[cFloor]

The tank is coming along really nice Mark! And that's a really cute pup. My fiancé freaked when I showed her a picture of it. haha

 

[Wazzel]

Thanks, he is a cute booger. We have to overcome the fact the breeder kept the puppies in a pen on tile so he is having a little issues house training. Already starting to train him. Seems to be picking up on the basics just fine.

 

[markalot]

Not the best of pics, but here is my tort.

Blueberry field and other stuff

PC rainbow and friends

Very cute puppy, congrats.

Tank is looking mighty fine as well!

 

[mario420]

Your tank really looks great. I am running 2 hydra 52's on at 93G. would you be willing to uploads your newest light format for the director. Thank you.

 

[Wazzel]

I will get to posting my settings, been busy.

If you put to much kalk in the avast kalk stirrer it will not stay mixed and the paddle will stick. Just a public service announcement.

 

[brad65ford]

Wazzel, what "if any" algae issues do you have in your system?

 

[Wazzel]

Wazzel, what "if any" algae issues do you have in your system?

Right now I harvest a handful of algae from my overflow every two weeks or so. Other than that nothing at present. I did have algae issues in my main tank for a while. After talking to some locals I believe I got dirty rock from the LFS I town. The owner is not real knowledgeable in salt water. It worked t self out after a few months. My frag tank was I've run for a while, but that was my fault. I set it up with no clean up critters. The algae got ahead of what I added. Once I swapped out the rack for a clean one with enough critters it has been fine.

 

[brad65ford]

Its just one of those things... if algae is growing so is your corals, tough to not have any algae.. Debating to remove my substrate again, always stripe the nutrients away went i run BB systems though. You sure do look like you got the right balance which is great. How many fish and how much do you feed now? You really should take some macro shoots of your corals, we know your pic's done do them justice ;-).

 

[Wazzel]

Yeah. The same things that feed the corals feed the algae. I have 5 fish in the display and 1 in the frag tank. Nothing fancy. 2 ocelaris clowns, yellow tang, kole tang and a mandarin. The frag tank has just a yellow tang. Things seem to be steady so happy with that. Neither of my lenses do macro. Maybe one day I will get one.

 

[nemodan]

The tank is really full. I have had to relocate several things to my frag tank. Though I was going to loose my red milli due to being completely under the tort, but it is coming back just fine in the frag tank. I did loose two different "sunset" millies. They got moved to the frag tank to late. Last weekend I broke off a pile of orange cap frags that ended up about the size of my fist and the thing is still huge.

These are quick snaps just now. Did not even clean the glass.

[/QUOTE

WOW Mark ...... !!!!!

This is really a very nice tank !!! I love those coral pictures you posted too !!! WELL DONE.

Cheers
Daniel

 

[jminick2]

this growth is 100% from LEDs? From frags till now?

Nevermind I went back and found my answer. WOW. This is unreal to me to get this growth and coloration from LEDs. Seriously what do you think was the biggest factor in having such success with SPS?

I just bought a 480g (96x34x34) tank and I am weighing my options for lighting It will be mostly SPS. I don't really want to run 4 400w halides due to the electric bill. How many 52s realistically do you think for an sps tank? I was thinking 8.

 

[Wazzel]

At 21 months since first coral. The pics are a little dark, my lights are not all the way on yet.

 

[Wazzel]

this growth is 100% from LEDs? From frags till now?

Nevermind I went back and found my answer. WOW. This is unreal to me to get this growth and coloration from LEDs. Seriously what do you think was the biggest factor in having such success with SPS?

I just bought a 480g (96x34x34) tank and I am weighing my options for lighting It will be mostly SPS. I don't really want to run 4 400w halides due to the electric bill. How many 52s realistically do you think for an sps tank? I was thinking 8.

Thanks. I think my biggest factor to success is patients and consistency. Probably not what you were expecting? Good things take time to develop in a reef tank and jacking with the lights every week will not amount to anything but frustration. Over the past 21 months I have made only minor adjustments to the way I run my lights. The biggest change was adding the second unit when the shading became apparent. That was around the 12 month mark.

If I was setting up a tank of those dimensions I would start with 8 in pairs with the long axis of the light in the long axis of the tank. They really only cover about 18 inches in the short axis. Plan your lighting support for additional units, just in case. I did not and ended up having to get a whole new mounting system when I added the second unit.

 

[Wazzel]