Tall tank questions

[calendor]

480 gallon mixed, 72" x 36" x 43" tall, up for about a year and a half.

Couple of questions on general care:

1. What sort of fish/inverts would help with general pest control? With a tank this large/deep, taking things out to treat them would be problematic. I have no majano or aptasia, more worried about coral pests that i may introduce to the tank when adding new corals. I've heard six line wrasses for nudi control, i don't have one of those but i do have a carpenter, lubbocks, and velvet wrasse in the tank. Should i add a six line as well? Anything else that would be a good idea in general to have?

2. Lighting - I have 3 AI sols, 1 radion gen 3 pro, 1 radion gen 2 pro, and 1 radion gen 2. Should i run them at 100% to get light to the sandbed? I've been reticent to place some of my LPS on the sandbed due to the assumption they would not get enough light. I've gotten over that and finally started placing frags on the sandbed, they seem to be doing ok but i'm struggling with whether i need to buy a PAR meter or not to actually check the light down there. Any suggestions?

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[Best Fish-Jake]

6- lines are great for flatworms/ bristle worms but can be semi aggressive. I'm willing to bet he'd be fine in your tank, but there's always a little risk. Some other fish/inverts for pest control include: arrow crabs (bristle/flat worms), file fish (some not reef safe- others may eat aptasia or asst. worms) blue velvet nudibranchs (flatworms). For algae control, bristle tooth tangs are amazing grazers along with sea hares, and lettuce nudibranchs. Most dwarf angels will also pick at green algaes.

 

[Reefrookie220]

I put a six line in every tank i have owned and will continue to do so.

They stay on the hunt, so much so that when adding new frags he would search them over and start pecking, even after a dip and me clearing the coal to entry the tank.

 

[calendor]

Thanks, i'll look for a six line... As you can tell from the picture we're definitely not rock minimalists.... I have no desire to go ripping things out in order to combat pests.

Any ideas on the lighting? I may be a bit paranoid about the amount of lighting at the sandbed, everything appears to be doing well. I've been fighting the urge to get a couple of kessil a360ne's to punch down that far, i've got a ton invested in lighting already. (picture was in the morning before all lights were on)

There are fish in there believe it or not... everything was just sleeping
Have regal, sailfin, purple tangs, coral beauty, 2 bangai cardinals, diamond goby, maroon clown, couple of damsels, couple of anthias, and lubbocks, carpenter, and velvet wrasses.

 

[Reefrookie220]

Check with a local reef club about borrowing a par meter, with the scratch you've spent on lights I'd have to know I had 200 par on the sand. Lol

With a system this big/ tall your gonna have to keep an eye on pests by adding their predators as you go. If it were me I'd make a connection to a supply of different nudis and the like.

 

[Osteoclast]

My tank is 46" tall. I have 6 gen 3 radions set at 65% intensity. I get 90-125 Par at the sand bed depending on location. I have LPS and a bunch of montipora on the sand doing well. My upper zones have more montis and mainly acros. I have plenty of light. Agree with the suggestion to borrow a meter.

I agree with the tang recommendation. I have 3. I also like a butterfly for aptasia control. Klein's are good. Currently have a tinkers.

 

[calendor]

Thanks all, i appreciate the input. We do have a PAR meter checkout in our dallas club, i'll get on the wait list. I'm a little leery on adding a butterfly, almost gotten a copperband a couple of times but I keep seeing images of my Zoa's getting mowed down by it. I'll try a velvet nudibranch, have had several lettuce nudibranch's but something in the tank likes to munch on them, not sure if it's a tang or if it's my coral banded shrimp.