Tank Arrived today

[James Hammett]

The lights are confusing me a bit. I found a suggested setting online and went with that for the Biocube 32. I actually want to change light timing so that blue moon light is on during school day it is impressive to kids. what is a good light schedule in your opinion

 

[Reef Box]

I'd say most run lights between 8 and 10 hours per day (10 maybe on the end of a lot of corals with the desire for a lot of growth). However, IMO you don't want to just click them on and run them for 10 hours a day right out of the gate. Typically you'd run them an hour or two to start then each week add a half to an hour onto the schedule. This allows everything to adapt to small changes rather than large ones. In my case I had atinics only on for an hour, then both lights for 2 then daylight only for 2 then both again for 2 then back to actinic only for 1. So basically you start with the blues they overlap for a couple hours then you have a couple hours of "daylight" only then they over lap before going back to sunset (blues). I know it seems confusing but there are timers available that allow you to set up multiple on off times throughout the day that are pretty simple. I like the ones with "pins" or "tabs" that can be adjusted over the digital ones.

Example:
8:00 am blues on
9:00 am daylight on
11:00 am blues off
1:00 pm blues on
3:00 daylight off
4:00 blues off

8 hours total but remember to build up the entire schedule only an hour per week max. this is just A way not THE way. Others will have different schedules that work well for them. This way the kids get to see the corals under blues, combo, and daylight only.

 

[James Hammett]

the bio Cube led has a built in timer I need to read and understand it better.

 

[Reef Box]

the bio Cube led has a built in timer I need to read and understand it better.

The older ones had two independent controls for the two bulbs. In this case I am unfamiliar with the new setup. Sorry. I’d still only program them for a short time to start if that’s possible.

 

[James Hammett]

The older ones had two independent controls for the two bulbs. In this case I am unfamiliar with the new setup. Sorry. I’d still only program them for a short time to start if that’s possible.

Apparently now it has 3 channels:

Channel 1 day light 10k??
Channel 2 sunrise /set
Channel 3 blues/ moonlight

 

[James Hammett]

UPDATE>>>> We found our missing Goby Toby... HE IS alive and well in the back of the tank in Chamber 2 under the stock media basket. Took me, 5 students, a light, and two nets to get him out of there he was full of energy, jumping and running . He is back in the tank now. I think he must have slid through the little spaces on the sides in the pictures below I filled those with filter cloth to keep him home.

 

[JBKReef]

UPDATE>>>> We found our missing Goby Toby... HE IS alive and well in the back of the tank in Chamber 2 under the stock media basket. Took me, 5 students, a light, and two nets to get him out of there he was full of energy, jumping and running . He is back in the tank now. I think he must have slid through the little spaces on the sides in the pictures below I filled those with filter cloth to keep him home.

Thats impressive, as Jeff Goldbloom puts it, nature finds a way. Man that guy is lucky. Good job!

 

[James Hammett]

Thats impressive, as Jeff Goldbloom puts it, nature finds a way. Man that guy is lucky. Good job!

Now that is funny because I am a HUGE Jeff Goldbloom fan and absolutely Love that line. The Goby has been gone for at least a couple weeks I wonder what hes been eating. I was adding a small led light to the back in prep to change to an in tank filter basket and fuge basket for cheato and saw his head sticking out from under the reticulated sponge in the return pump. I had checked the sump before guess now I know where he hid when i was looking in there.

 

[James Hammett]

He just let me get a good picture. We labeled this one the "Return of Toby"

 

[Fudsey]

Good to hear he's back and OK

 

[James Hammett]

Update on some learning from the reef we made our own Lugol’s iodine solution for coral dipping especially after fragging... as well as treating tank if we decide to do that.

 

[JBKReef]

How’s the tank going?

 

[James Hammett]

Tank has had some bumps but is doing well... we tried a red monti plate this week and I don’t think it is going to make it. We are working to figure out how to keep calcium up now that we have coral we are running around 360. Also I believe we feed too much phosphates are staying around .25. Did test a couple days ago and everything else is stable as it has been. I’ll post a picture c in a second, thanks for asking about our tank closing in on end of year and I guess I’m slipping on updates.

 

[James Hammett]

How’s the tank going?

 

[James Hammett]

The Monti took a quik turn for the worse with in a day.

 

[James Hammett]

We also decided to take advantage of a petco 1$ a gallon sale and start a 10 gallon frag tank, it is cycling now... we figured it could be a QT or just a place to put all the pieces that fall off our Kenya tree.

 

[James Hammett]

n

A few coral that came in today, from some generous reefers helping our students build their tank. Reefers rock!!!

Tank at 3 months old we went wet 2/12/2018... things are progressing nicely, we have had setbacks and learned from them. Everything in the tank looks good. Shout out to our shop teacher who used his laser cutter to make us this frag rack pictured with frags in top pic.
Just a testament to the value of the tank to my students they are talking about it to their other teachers and getting them involved....

 

[JBKReef]

n

A few coral that came in today, from some generous reefers helping our students build their tank. Reefers rock!!!

Tank at 3 months old we went wet 2/12/2018... things are progressing nicely, we have had setbacks and learned from them. Everything in the tank looks good. Shout out to our shop teacher who used his laser cutter to make us this frag rack pictured with frags in top pic.
Just a testament to the value of the tank to my students they are talking about it to their other teachers and getting them involved....

Always fun to see updates! IF you have the separate frag tank up and running why put the frags into the main display? Thats a really cool frag rack though! Jealous.

 

[James Hammett]

A the frag tank isn't finished its cycle yet 0 ammonia but still high nitrites...I have some Kenya frags in there and they are doing well but not sure if its stable enough for these. That is why my student had our shop teacher who is a reefer himself (about to get back in the hobby and blaming it on my class) build this for us. If you want one he may be able to make it for you? I can ask and send it to you. Let Me Know

 

[James Hammett]

also any tips on placement of these guys? we have a gonipora frag, a rainbow acan lord, maze brain coral,lepostorea, war coral, and some zoas