Hey guys, I recently set up a 100 gallon tank thinking that putting ai sols on it would solve my sps issues. The tank is about 4 months old. EVERY sps is brown excepts a birdsnest and stylophora. I have two Ai sol blues about 10 inches from the water. They have been on the tank for about 3 months. They arent doing a good job :/. I have them increasing from 15% up to 40% for whites. blues go from 20% to 50 % throughout the day. from 1 pm to 7pm its white 40% blue 50% and rb 45%. params are great. 0 phosphate based on red sea test. nitrates 0. calcium 420 and alk about 10. All acros are brown! could it be because i ordered these corals? mostly from live aquaria. I have some pics too. I also have 2 mp10's hooked up. My purple bonsai in the pic is half purple half brown. Maybe im placing to high? Please help!
AI SOL destroying tank???
- Thread starter Flameangel08
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Connie
Valuable Member
The SPS aren't getting enough light or flow. Since the lights have been on 3 months, they should be at a higher percentage than what you have them. The whites should ramp up to 50 - 55%. Blues can be at 80%. After you raise your percentages, place new frags on the sandbed and gradually move them up to where you want them. Don't make the big jump in the percentages all at once. Just do a few points each day until you get there so you don't shock the frags you already have. I have the Vegas and my corals have never looked better.
Flow - I have never owned the MP10s. I have the MP40's, but I would think you need an additional powerhead. SPS like lots of flow.
Flow - I have never owned the MP10s. I have the MP40's, but I would think you need an additional powerhead. SPS like lots of flow.
dknuckles
Valuable Member
2 issues
1- 2 SOL Blues is not enough to cover 4'or 6' (even if using wider optics) unless you have an intentional low light area for a safe area for acans as I do. I run 2- Vega Colors (set@ 20-20-20-80-80-80) and 1- SOL Blue (20-80-80) for 10hrs/day my tank is 43x24x16. Some acros (ie WTs Tierra Del Fuego) need a bit more light but 99% will bleach if any higher lighting levels.
2- the Flow from MP10s is very narrow and inadequate circulation for a 100g...Which the Bonsai in particular HATES low flow!
1- 2 SOL Blues is not enough to cover 4'or 6' (even if using wider optics) unless you have an intentional low light area for a safe area for acans as I do. I run 2- Vega Colors (set@ 20-20-20-80-80-80) and 1- SOL Blue (20-80-80) for 10hrs/day my tank is 43x24x16. Some acros (ie WTs Tierra Del Fuego) need a bit more light but 99% will bleach if any higher lighting levels.
2- the Flow from MP10s is very narrow and inadequate circulation for a 100g...Which the Bonsai in particular HATES low flow!
Ch3tt
Active Member
I would also check you Magnesium levels, i've noticed a huge difference in the color of sps with a higher level between 1400-1500. I also agree that the flow needs to be increased and you should slowly ramp up the intensity of light. Good Luck!
ReefLEDLights
Valuable Member
The AI Sol is at best a 250 watt MH equivalent. At the coverage you looking maybe a 150-175 Watt MH.
For starters you need more flow...2-3 MP 40s
Its very common for SPS corals to brown out when switching LEDs. They are not used to the new light (Either too little or too much). Also you are looking at a fresh cut frag not even used to its new ceramic base.
Some vendors are very good about growing their frags under great flow and 400 watt MH. Others have the scruples of a puppy farm owner. Personally I would never purchase a frag unless it started to encrust the base. Then I always ask what light was used. This helps with acclimation. A before and after PAR Meter reading is also a great asset. I like to see 200 PAR on the Sand Bed during peak hours.
Once they acclimate they normally colour up better than before depending the spectrum of the LED Mix. I've personally seen this when I made the switch years back. You will see best colours with high light once they are acclimated. There is a lot of debate right now on which sprctrum is better but if I were to bet I would max out you Royal Blue immediately as it looks like not enough light and this is your primary grow spectrum 410-470nm.
Hope this helps
Bill
For starters you need more flow...2-3 MP 40s
Its very common for SPS corals to brown out when switching LEDs. They are not used to the new light (Either too little or too much). Also you are looking at a fresh cut frag not even used to its new ceramic base.
Some vendors are very good about growing their frags under great flow and 400 watt MH. Others have the scruples of a puppy farm owner. Personally I would never purchase a frag unless it started to encrust the base. Then I always ask what light was used. This helps with acclimation. A before and after PAR Meter reading is also a great asset. I like to see 200 PAR on the Sand Bed during peak hours.
Once they acclimate they normally colour up better than before depending the spectrum of the LED Mix. I've personally seen this when I made the switch years back. You will see best colours with high light once they are acclimated. There is a lot of debate right now on which sprctrum is better but if I were to bet I would max out you Royal Blue immediately as it looks like not enough light and this is your primary grow spectrum 410-470nm.
Hope this helps
Bill
dknuckles
Valuable Member
100% invest in a PAR meter! Keep in mind LED PAR is considerably more intense than MH @ same PAR, and that LEDs are beams vs saturated light as in T5 or MH. The AI Sols can vary PAR readings between pucks
W/ my AIs I can cook most acropora @350-400 PAR so use much caution when ramping up!!
W/ my AIs I can cook most acropora @350-400 PAR so use much caution when ramping up!!
Well, I'm thinking this could be because your tank is 4 mos old. At this age, parameters are still fluctuating. I found that what kept my SPS lovely was a 15% weekly water change, consistently stable salinity, and also very clean water. I used GFO and had ok luck but I added a large biopellet reactor and it did an amazing job.
KoleTang
Valuable Member
Sols don't have full spectrum, so some colors will not pop. But they are browned out (not enough light) right now, so you wouldn't even be able to notice that.
And +1 to pretty much everything else said here.
And +1 to pretty much everything else said here.
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i put sps in my 34 gallon redsea max system 3 weeks after my insta cycle was done. this was with all live rock no sand, just for background. i am using an ai vega color over it. i barely look after my params right now, do a 15% water change weekly and my sps look great. flow is two stock returns and an mp10. been this way for past two months. you should try hanna phos checker and get good reading on phosphates. that is always good to now, get some good flow and ramp up the lights over the next month. here is a pic for show.
Wow thanks for the help! What I did for flow was I had two koralias sitting around so I put them on the back of the tank. Is that good? As for the lights, should I do a 5% increase weekly? Also, put all my acros at the bottom? I dont see myself getting another light in the near future :/. Off topic, I am also battling ich. I have my 3 clowns in an ht doing hypo and two chromis in the dt. Once the treatment is done, I put the clowns back?? I also got an aqua uv sterilizer for free its a 25 watt. What size pump shoukd attatch for minimizing ich?
do not put acros at the bottom. keep them where they are. do you have a controller? i see you have an mp10, that i would suggest upgrading to an mp40. i would put the mp10 more towards the front of the tank as to push water past the front side per say. if it where me , i would have two mp40 , one on each side of the tank. one towards front of the glass and the other towards the back to get flow all around the rockwork. as for lights. a 5% increase over the next few weeks should be ok, unless you have an acclimation setting on your controller? i see you have acro at the top of the tank with color? always make sure you put new fish in a quarantine before putting them in you tank to prevent ich and other such pests and disease from getting in your tank. read up on caring for ich and when the clowns are healthy again, add them back. basically take your time right now and do not go drastic. i never use a uv sterilizer, but i am sure some people had success with them, i just don't see the reason to use one. ich may be in the system , but alot of fish have ich , but it just stays dormant under the skin of the fish. at least that is how it was explained to me. clowns are usually hardier then most and if your having ich issues i may consider letting the system clear of it before putting them back. i am sure someone here is much more knowledgeable about this then i am for sure. hopefully someone else will chime in with more info for you.
Bdcampbell3623
Community Member
I agree def more flow
Okay thanks! I have two koralias and two mp10's. In the future I will upgrade to 40's. I would go fishless but the chromis are impossible to catch. The sterilizer was free so might as well use it ! Im going very slowly for the hypo treatment. It seems to be working! The clowns never ate and now theyre going nuts over food 
.
.Okay so I got a new frag to test things out, looked great in the store. A light green with pink tips. Put it in my tank, its white with pink tips. Ughhh the frag was under a metal halide I think 250watt with reef brite leds. Any idea how I can match that??
ohio reefer
Valuable Member
You're running 40% white and 50 blue? Try ramping up the blue. It always makes my green pop.
Ridem32
Active Member
I got (4) AI sol blues on my 150 gallon reef tank with AI controller had my lights about 8 months my whites 82 blue 76 RB 74 everything does great! I lov my sol blues! You just have to keep ramping up slow my tank is 6 ft long!
