ok so I have a question. I have a 29 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump/refuge. I also have a heck of alot of wattage of MH lighting approx 2 x 250 watts. Some of my zoos are awsome with fully open skirts short stalks...... they are smack in the middle of the tank and spread both up and down to almost cover the entire depth of the tank on my rock wall, but on the other hand i have some snake paly's and purple palys that are extending their stalks to be about 1.5 inches or more, and either keep their skirt curled in ( snake paly) or for my purple palys they have their skirt out but it curls underneath and doesn't extend. I also have zoos on the bottom of the tank that are huge polyps with an exteded skirt. any one know why i have such a wide variation when they are all in the same tank environment???? any way to fix it??? I've tried moving everything around several times. Oh! also my snake palys seem to have lost the white line that runs through the center of them to make them look like eyes...... wuts up with that ????? any help or suggestions?
stalks and skirts
- Thread starter Matrajeous
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Since i have put those lights on my coral colonies have doubled in size I also have some lps and one frag of sps, and some leathers, kenya tree, toadstool ,and a cabbage leather. As well as two different kinds of ricordea ( orange and blue bullseye, and a red ricordea) all approximatly 3-5 inches across huge specimens. The lights are 12 k I am using an Eheim type 2271 to return water form the refugium. Drilled tank to drain to the sump below. I also have to Zoo med rotating Ps-10 pumps on on each end of the tank...... I added those when my pink paly's got a funky brown fuzzy growth to increase flow and it went away. the paly's have been not opening their skirts fully for a while... even before the 500 watts of mH...... The 500 watts were gradually adjusted a little bit at a time over a period of 6 months being set ay 4 feet above the tank and gradually lowered a couple of inches every 2 weeks untill it is at the level it is at now approx 1 foot above the tank
Sounds like too much light it the skirts are curled up. I have 250 over a 29gal and i think it's super bright. How did you fit 2x250 over a 29gal??? My one takes up the whole canopy.
NapoliNewJersey
Achilles Keeper
Lighting is not the only thing that effects corals.
Also watts per gallon is a misused rule for reef tanks. PAR is what you're looking for. So depending on the depth, location of the corals, and height of the light 500watts doesn't really matter. If he's keeping his temp in line then I wouldn't worry about the wattage.
As far as all of your zoas doing great except these two.... fact is some tanks just can't keep certain corals. I can't keep RPE for the life of me .. they just melt away. But I have a slew of other zoas and palys that thrive in my tank.
Certain SPS do the same thing... they don't keep thier color no matter where I put them in the tank. And other SPS change color for the better from where I bought them to my tank.
Water chemistry, Lighting, Feeding, Location .... there are so many factors that contribute to the health of each and every living organism we add to our tanks.
Also watts per gallon is a misused rule for reef tanks. PAR is what you're looking for. So depending on the depth, location of the corals, and height of the light 500watts doesn't really matter. If he's keeping his temp in line then I wouldn't worry about the wattage.
As far as all of your zoas doing great except these two.... fact is some tanks just can't keep certain corals. I can't keep RPE for the life of me .. they just melt away. But I have a slew of other zoas and palys that thrive in my tank.
Certain SPS do the same thing... they don't keep thier color no matter where I put them in the tank. And other SPS change color for the better from where I bought them to my tank.
Water chemistry, Lighting, Feeding, Location .... there are so many factors that contribute to the health of each and every living organism we add to our tanks.
Briney Dave
High School Marine edc.
The simple answer is: well there isn't a simple answer. I have a single 250 10,000 k on my 29 tall and its great for most but one species on the edge behaves as though light starved and I will be moving it up.
You really must treat each species of zoa and in some cases even the indivdual seperately.
Each will have its own flow and light combo that is going to be best for that one. another guy will have better results for the same PPE or what ever at a differnt combination than you will.
I know that sounds odd or frustrating but you must watch each closely and move to satisfy each on their own terms.
I agree that there is no golden rule for light levels and same can be said about flow levels. But 500 watts is a bunch and very well might be too bright for the zoas that you are keeping.
try to find the curling zoas some shade and see how they look a couple weeks from now.
For my tank I would have been better served to have used two 150 rather than on 250. but you live and learn
I know that is not the most helpful, but I think its the most accurate way to approach things. There are guideline numbers such as watts per gal. or flow rates to help a beginer get their tank into the ball park of working systems but to advance to keeping a mixed tank of certain zoas or other very specific types of set ups the guide lines become almost trip wires
your pal
Briney
You really must treat each species of zoa and in some cases even the indivdual seperately.
Each will have its own flow and light combo that is going to be best for that one. another guy will have better results for the same PPE or what ever at a differnt combination than you will.
I know that sounds odd or frustrating but you must watch each closely and move to satisfy each on their own terms.
I agree that there is no golden rule for light levels and same can be said about flow levels. But 500 watts is a bunch and very well might be too bright for the zoas that you are keeping.
try to find the curling zoas some shade and see how they look a couple weeks from now.
For my tank I would have been better served to have used two 150 rather than on 250. but you live and learn
I know that is not the most helpful, but I think its the most accurate way to approach things. There are guideline numbers such as watts per gal. or flow rates to help a beginer get their tank into the ball park of working systems but to advance to keeping a mixed tank of certain zoas or other very specific types of set ups the guide lines become almost trip wires
your pal
Briney
This particular system has been up and running for hmmmmm approximatly 9 months 6 of those with the MH lighting. when i bought them from a fellow reefer it was already set up dual reflector with two seperate ballasts. I jimmy rigged an open hood using a cross beam and bookshelves from ikea and the reflector runs the entire length of the tank. thats how i wus ablt to start it so high and work it down. the temp maintains aroun 79-81 degrees max and that was the same prior to the mh lights being added I guess i will just have to start moving everything around and see what happens
