SPS dominant recommendations please

[ajcanale]

Bulbs right now are radium 250 MH, and running 2 ATI blue plus T5. I am getting ready to add 2 purple plus T5 soon, but waiting on ballast. The inside T5 bulb ballast went out with only a month of use.

What color temp on the radions? Also would highly recommend pairing 2 actinic with the 2 blue+, instead of p+. P+ is a full spectrum bulb. You should be getting plenty of full spectrum light from halides. 20k halides + 2blue+ and 2actinic should yield the best color results.

 

[JOKER]

How do you like the RO Elite?

I love it after I added an external container and an automatic shutoff for it as it will foam up from time to time.

 

[JOKER]

The radium are 20k! I may look into actinic then for lights paired with the Blue +. How long should I run the MH versus T5? Right now I run the T5 12 hours, and the MH 10 hours.

 

[ajcanale]

The radium are 20k! I may look into actinic then for lights paired with the Blue +. How long should I run the MH versus T5? Right now I run the T5 12 hours, and the MH 10 hours.

I'd run the halides for 8 or so.. 10 should be fine though.

 

[BoomCorals]

I think you need more flow. I had two gyre xf250 on my 6 foot tank and had to set them to 80%

 

[Davy Jones]

I love it after I added an external container and an automatic shutoff for it as it will foam up from time to time.

dang.. My Vertex did that. That is what i was hoping to avoid by going with a different unit

 

[BoomCorals]

dang.. My Vertex did that. That is what i was hoping to avoid by going with a different unit

Go with a lifereef or RK2 Venturi skimmer.

 

[jda]

If everything is growing coloring, then just leave it alone. You can do more damage by interfering than you can by just letting nature work. Just replace he big-3 or use a CaRx and top off - that is all that you need to do.

 

[JOKER]

I think you need more flow. I had two gyre xf250 on my 6 foot tank and had to set them to 80%

How deep was your tank? Mine is 16" rimless so I am at 14" or so water depth. I do plan to add more flow

 

[JOKER]

dang.. My Vertex did that. That is what i was hoping to avoid by going with a different unit

Mine hasn't in a while. When it did it was new, but after that I fixed the problem with the auto shutoff. This thing is dead silent too. I love the DC pumps. My tank is so quiet, the most you hear is the water from the power head.

 

[Wrangy]

I think the biggest flaw in your tank is there.... isn't enough acro in there yet!!! haha

In terms of potential improvements you could make, some more flow like Boom Corals has suggested wouldn't go astray and I run exactly the same light as you but a 2ft Cebu Sun with a 250w Radium but don't get purple+ bulbs as the red spike is too strong with the Radium, the bulbs I recommend with a Radium are Blue+ and Coral+ by ATI, either 4x Blue+ or two of each or if you want Giesemann tubes work really well as well. I run 2x Actinic+ (blue+) and 2x Lagoon Blue (coral+) on my tank. I'm a big fan of bluer spectrum lighting though so I've also added an actinic led strip with my lights and run the times like so;
MH: 4hrs
T5: 10hrs
LED's: 12hrs

I would recommend upgrading your bulb and ballast and run a 400w Radium instead of a 250w as I think it'll suit you a lot better Other than that I reckon you're on the right track mate

 

[JOKER]

Ok so I may need to cut my lighting period on the MH. Add 2 more blue +. I had actually thought of adding 3-4 Kessil 360's. Thanks so much guys for all the input. I however forgot to mention my light is around 18" above the tank, but being as the acros colored up I have left it that high. I also like it being out of the way..

 

[Wrangy]

3 or 4 kessils would kick butt!!

You don't have to cut the time period as the lights are much higher up, my lights are only like 6in off the tank haha
I'd leave the lights at that height, it looks great!

 

[BoomCorals]

How deep was your tank? Mine is 16" rimless so I am at 14" or so water depth. I do plan to add more flow

24" deep. But the length you have is too long for sps dominant with only a return and one xf250. SPS dominated need a TON of flow.

 

[BoomCorals]

Ok so I may need to cut my lighting period on the MH. Add 2 more blue +. I had actually thought of adding 3-4 Kessil 360's. Thanks so much guys for all the input. I however forgot to mention my light is around 18" above the tank, but being as the acros colored up I have left it that high. I also like it being out of the way..

In my sps frag tank where all acros are 3-5" below surface, I am using two 400w radium and four T5, fixture mounted 18" above water surface. I'd lower the light or switch to 400w.

 

[bif24701]

24" deep. But the length you have is too long for sps dominant with only a return and one xf250. SPS dominated need a TON of flow.

+1

I have 5 powerheads in my 72" 180. MP60, 2 Tunze 6105s and 2 WAVs. I have certainly noticed more growth with the addition of the two WAVs to my display. I now have ensured each acro gets strong water movement across its flesh. I can see the polyps of each moving in the flow.

 

[five.five-six]

looking really good.

I don’t think you need to go to 400’s your tank is no that deep.

I would like to see the pH a little more stable and higher, it’s not really an issue but a refugium running at night or pH controlled kalkwasser dosing could improve that.

Did you get the m58 or m80 ballests? Radiums will run very nicely on a m58 but you are likely to start having problems with them not fireing around the 6 month mark. If so, send them to me, there’s still another 6 months of good life left in them on a M80 and I’m cheep.

 

[BoomCorals]

looking really good.

I don’t think you need to go to 400’s your tank is no that deep.

I would like to see the pH a little more stable and higher, it’s not really an issue but a refugium running at night or pH controlled kalkwasser dosing could improve that.

Did you get the m58 or m80 ballests? Radiums will run very nicely on a m58 but you are likely to start having problems with them not fireing around the 6 month mark. If so, send them to me, there’s still another 6 months of good life left in them on a M80 and I’m cheep.

It's not about how deep his tank is, he has the lights 18" above the water, plus 16" deep tank, so that's 30" from light to tank bottom.

 

[JOKER]

I got the camera out. Also got a video, but I have to find it. 2 Blue+ T5 only

 

[JOKER]

No editing so excuse them. Now I have to figure out where the video is. It supposedly imported with the photos with lightroom.