Calling Halide t5 gurus!

[Overboard]

Nice looking set up!

I think your lights are great and use radiums as well. For me, dry rock just took much longer to mature the tank than good old live rock. Hang in there, all will be good but it just seems to take forever (and I have no patience!). Seeding a little live rock would be good too.

Good luck!!

 

[dantdodge]

Nice looking set up!

I think your lights are great and use radiums as well. For me, dry rock just took much longer to mature the tank than good old live rock. Hang in there, all will be good but it just seems to take forever (and I have no patience!). Seeding a little live rock would be good too.

Good luck!!

Thank you I have been feed the crap out of the tank and starting to see coral color return! So this maybe a good sign! I am also putting g up a build thread actually started it tonight if you want to see how I got to this point.

Thread 'Industrial 250 sps build' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/industrial-250-sps-build.865275/

 

[dantdodge]

You should absolutely start a build thread. This looks to be the start of a beautiful tank. I'd love to follow along.

Your stand has inspired me. I am looking to eventually upgrade to a slightly larger tank. I've got a bunch of 24"+ cut offs of 4x8 doug fir. I'd been storing them with no specific project in mind, but now I'm thinking they'll laminate nicely for a stand top.

Lol Done got it started and a lot more to post!!

Thread 'Industrial 250 sps build' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/industrial-250-sps-build.865275/

Thanks for the encouragement again!

 

[dantdodge]

I just wanted to update everyone. I started feeding a lot more and corals have shown great improvement just feeding the tank more. I am seeing more algea growth on the glass and macro is growing like crazy. Nitrates and phosphate are still undetectable with Salifert. I bought a couple more just to make sure it was not the test kits, but same results. I may go the Hannah route. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[t5Nitro]

Probably can save your money and not keep switching/buying nutrient test kits. All the nutrients are taken up by your biomass including coral and algae for sure. Mine are low too, but I just keep feeding. Treating the coral rather than the lab result. If they look good, then I'd say keep doing that.

You'll probably have a situation on your hands like mine though. Ugly alage and great coloration to your corals. Not sure how people eliminate algae and keep the corals the way they are.

 

[dantdodge]

Probably can save your money and not keep switching/buying nutrient test kits. All the nutrients are taken up by your biomass including coral and algae for sure. Mine are low too, but I just keep feeding. Treating the coral rather than the lab result. If they look good, then I'd say keep doing that.

You'll probably have a situation on your hands like mine though. Ugly alage and great coloration to your corals. Not sure how people eliminate algae and keep the corals the way they are.

You bring up a very good point I have been growing sps no problem for a long time. This is my first tank over 100 gallons and previously had a boat load of fish and never checked nitrates or pros for that matter because corals were always booming. I will continue to keep a good feeding regimen and hopefully rid the main display of any algae left I may pick up some more snails! Calcium and alk have been rock solid. Thank you for the Input.

 

[jda]

Residual numbers on test kits are fools gold. Available building blocks are what you are after. High import and high export.

I cannot see anything to change here. If you must do something, order some live rock from the gulf and kick start everything.

As for algae, I have NSW type residual building blocks with N about .1 (need ICP test) and P about 1-3 ppb and I can grow algae like crazy if I don't have consumers like snails and urchins and wide amounts of coralline. Hair and other nasty algae will not really grow on live coralline, but it grows on dead/dry rock with a vengeance.

 

[dantdodge]

Residual numbers on test kits are fools gold. Available building blocks are what you are after. High import and high export.

I cannot see anything to change here. If you must do something, order some live rock from the gulf and kick start everything.

As for algae, I have NSW type residual building blocks with N about .1 (need ICP test) and P about 1-3 ppb and I can grow algae like crazy if I don't have consumers like snails and urchins and wide amounts of coralline. Hair and other nasty algae will not really grow on live coralline, but it grows on dead/dry rock with a vengeance.

Jda long time admire of your threads and feed back. Yep all the Initial rocks I put in there that were seeded all have coral line engulfing them and zero algea the extra rock dead that I put in 6 months later grows algea and no coralline. But keeping the algea in check with spot cleaning and going to add more snails. With your urchins do you fear any damage to coralline sps or soft corals favia, welsi, semphillas? What are your thoughts on photo period with the 4 5ft t5 super actinic and three 250s I run the t5 10:30 to 8:30 and halides 12:30 to 2:00 currently would like them to run maybe to 6 :30 but with my tank not fully stocked with sps right now I'm wondering if I should hold off until fully stocked till I bump photo period?

 

[jda]

I order pin cushions from ReefTopia.com from the Florida Keys. They do eat coralline, but I have so much, I don't really care. They also mow down soft algae. I don't trust other types from other parts of the world as much as these. ReefTopia is also the place to get real Keys peppermints that eat aiptasia (ones from other places don't always) and emerald crabs that will crush bubble algae. Any of these will eat coral rather than starve, but so would you and I. The crabs and shrimp need fed with food just like fish and don't but too many urchins to make sure that they have enough to eat. I only have a few chalices and mostly SPS and the urchins have never touched them. I have had any of these bother any coral for a decade or more. The peppermints and crabs live about 3 years, so you have to replace them. Urchins can live over 100 years and I find them to be VERY hardy and do their jobs well but they do not tolerate high N or P, like most sensitive inverts. The Ceriths from ReefTopia are monsters and so are the Nerite snails on algae. The astras are OK, but they are cheap and offer good homes for hermits if they die so that they hermits do not assassinate your other snails. Again, some extra food for the hermits can keep them really happy.

If I get some rock that is an algae magnet, I grab the urchins and throw them on there every day or so... they get it eventually and you can see the paths that they eat off of the rock.

I have fully stocked tanks for year, so I am not the best at light cycles, so sorry. I turn off any T5s when the halides are running... save the lifespan and the hours and energy/cost. I do run my halides for 9-10 hours. Right now I don't use anything else on my display but the MH, but on a frag tank, I have some actinic T5s come on for a few hours after the MH go off... just to view stuff.

 

[dantdodge]

I order pin cushions from ReefTopia.com from the Florida Keys. They do eat coralline, but I have so much, I don't really care. They also mow down soft algae. I don't trust other types from other parts of the world as much as these. ReefTopia is also the place to get real Keys peppermints that eat aiptasia (ones from other places don't always) and emerald crabs that will crush bubble algae. Any of these will eat coral rather than starve, but so would you and I. The crabs and shrimp need fed with food just like fish and don't but too many urchins to make sure that they have enough to eat. I only have a few chalices and mostly SPS and the urchins have never touched them. I have had any of these bother any coral for a decade or more. The peppermints and crabs live about 3 years, so you have to replace them. Urchins can live over 100 years and I find them to be VERY hardy and do their jobs well but they do not tolerate high N or P, like most sensitive inverts. The Ceriths from ReefTopia are monsters and so are the Nerite snails on algae. The astras are OK, but they are cheap and offer good homes for hermits if they die so that they hermits do not assassinate your other snails. Again, some extra food for the hermits can keep them really happy.

If I get some rock that is an algae magnet, I grab the urchins and throw them on there every day or so... they get it eventually and you can see the paths that they eat off of the rock.

I have fully stocked tanks for year, so I am not the best at light cycles, so sorry. I turn off any T5s when the halides are running... save the lifespan and the hours and energy/cost. I do run my halides for 9-10 hours. Right now I don't use anything else on my display but the MH, but on a frag tank, I have some actinic T5s come on for a few hours after the MH go off... just to view stuff.

Awesome thank you for the feed back. I will check out reeftopia for sure! Thank you and I hope to have some basket sized sps soon!

 

[dantdodge]

Awesome thank you for the feed back. I will check out reeftopia for sure! Thank you and I hope to have some basket sized sps soon!

Also what species of the nerite on reeftopia do you go with? Tessallatta or verginea

 

[shwareefer]

I have 4 ceriths and 4 astrea in my 50 gallon frag tank but recently I added a money cowrie and he out-eats all of them together. I have these random tufts of bryopsis and I see them disappearing too. I started putting some nori chunks in there just in case because he seems bottomless and they're disappearing too. I call him Houdini because I have no idea where he goes in the day but if I shine a light at night, there he is. If you have some annoying algae I highly recommend a money cowrie.

 

[jda]

I have used the black and white and the brown nerites. Both are good. I have no idea about their scientific names.

 

[dantdodge]

I have 4 ceriths and 4 astrea in my 50 gallon frag tank but recently I added a money cowrie and he out-eats all of them together. I have these random tufts of bryopsis and I see them disappearing too. I started putting some nori chunks in there just in case because he seems bottomless and they're disappearing too. I call him Houdini because I have no idea where he goes in the day but if I shine a light at night, there he is. If you have some annoying algae I highly recommend a money cowrie.

Cool! Where do you source your money cowrie?

 

[shwareefer]

Cool! Where do you source your money cowrie?

It was at my LFS here in Canada. Little far from Florida, lol.

Money Cowrie Snail - Monetaria moneta

Money Cowrie Snail - Monetaria moneta, marine snail, shiny shell, historical currency, aquarium favorite, Cypraeidae family, easy care. Ships from Toronto, Canada

www.aquariumdepot.ca