Kevlow's Very Shallow Reef Tank

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I am pretty surprised that when I lowered my kelvin temp, my colors seemed to have improved. At the same time I doubled my LED emitters so I did dial it back a bit , but I did increase the white to blue ratio. The increased lights but lowered power I equate to having more torque but a little less horsepower. So far, So good.

 
When I first added the new light I also pulled a very large Blue chalice colony. I though that my alk consumption would drop very noticeably. It did drop for one day and on the second day it was nearly back. I am once again dosing 180 ml each of AF Comp123 . I think the increased light has increased some growth. The Green Stunner Chalice has definitely sped up growth. I am carefully watching the acros to see what they do. Some have colored and others have pushed out new polyps.
Right now dosing daily

AF Comp123 180ml
NP Pro 5ml
Pro Bio S 3 drops
Acro Power 1ml
 
I am actually amazed at the difference that increasing flow and adding light volume [but not par] has made in the tank. Both growth and PE have increased and a general more healthy, lively appearance to the corals.
I borrowed a par meter and adjusted the power so that I have the same par as before the second light was added, 350-450 in the majority of the tank. But now the light is coming down on nearly all of the tank evenly. I think of it as more torque but the same horsepower.
I upgraded to the larger pumps and now have a lot of intermittent flow. Even the fish are happier chasing their food around.



 
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Four days ago I turned UK the power even more on the surge setting, again the across livened up even more. I would like to post some progress pics from the last month, these will just be some Individual corals some showing a difference in the last four days.
 
Looking good!
 
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Nice job!
 
kevlow said:
I never buy anything larger then 1/2" - 1" frags. I would feel like I was cheating buying already gone out colonies. LOL. But only having 8" of water allows me to stay small and save money up front. I have to frag back pieces when they start becoming full colonies. Most of the frags that I get are small and cheap $5-$15 un named frags. Many are browned out and unidentifiable. I will not pay insane prices for pieces that will only morph when they go into your own system. I think there is a challenge to taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary. Husbandry will be more important then lineage.
Click to expand...


I love tanks ran by this mentality, the 1k frags and name brands are missing but it looks amazing. Proof that(your words) husbandry>lineage.

Fantastic tank!

A side note, I've got a busy who cracked a tank from acros grown to the bottom.
 
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Reefrookie220 said:
I love tanks ran by this mentality, the 1k frags and name brands are missing but it looks amazing. Proof that(your words) husbandry>lineage.

Fantastic tank!

A side note, I've got a busy who cracked a tank from acros grown to the bottom.
Click to expand...

Thank you for stopping in and looking, and for taking the time to comment. And, thank you for the compliment.

Regarding the acros growing on the bottom, I am addressing that. I did not know that damage could happen, but you certainly have my attention. I have begun placing acros first on 2"x2" square ceramic tiles instead of rocks or plugs. Then I am mounting the bigger, nicer pieces on 4"x4" square marble tiles. This is to allow the piece to encrust but still be moveable. It also allows the entire piece to be lifted out of the tank for servicing without damage. Another advantage is that it guarantees the acro a certain amount of space free of encroachment from other coral. The large Red Planet in the center and the firey orange mille that have grown on the bottom I will be lifting off the glass and mounting to marble tiles.

I will get soon getting another tank that I will place side by side with this tank. It will be plumbed into the same sump. At 48"x24"x16" it will still be a shallow display but have 8 additional inches for the acros to grow up into mature colonies. The large pieces that are currently on the bottom will be mounted and eventually moved into the new display [a bigger version of the same thing]. The rest of the large marble mounted mini colonies will get moved as well. The original 8" display tank will remain as is and house all the corals on the 2"x2" ceramic tiles. I may put down white starboard on the bottom of the new display and black backing on the back glass. I will take my time and try to do everything properly and in order. Well, at least that is my intention! LOL.

Thank you again, Reefrookie220.
 
A side note about the plugs seen in the pics. Quite a few are rather large, not standard frags square. The blue stag, Perry's Planet, Green Slimer, Lokani, Frogskin, and a few others are on 4" square marble tiles. Often people have thought they were tiny frags since they barely cover the length of the frag plug. They appear small in the close ups. I have also started using 2" squares as well as starter tiles. This way the snails and urchins have not been able to push and drag pieces around the tank.
 
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I believe your onto something with the star board idea, it wouldn't be to hard to do without totally draining a tank.
 
My wife just made a 10 minute video with her phone. It came out pretty good but two things of note.

One is that the music runs out just after the seven minute mark. That is where I think the best video is frm the 7-10 minute mark for acro lovers.

Two is that her camera tints to green. The greens pop off the screen, while the reds, oranges, and pinks are all bland to look the same color. My phone tints to the red and our Ipad tints blue.





 
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