The Garden -- Rakies shallow SPS cube

[Janci]

Based on your experience, I think I also need to Crank up my lighting to kick start some growth=Alk_Consumption. I have been too shy and cautious. But that never hurts.

Have been doubting on the same. But what is the right amount?
To be sure I will take some PAR measurements this weekend.

 

[Rakie]

Based on your experience, I think I also need to Crank up my lighting to kick start some growth=Alk_Consumption. I have been too shy and cautious. But that never hurts.

A few of my corals completely 'came to life'. It made a huge difference. There's two mindsets here that I like, both are complete opposites; WWC, and Vivid aquariums.

WWC uses 3 Radions on a 300g tank. And they're at like 60% max. AND 2 feet above the waterline.

Vivid uses 8 Radions on a frag tank that's much smaller than the 300g WWC uses, and they blast them all at 100%, 8" off the water.

Both have stellar results... I tried lower par, time to try higher. My tank prefers higher.

As far as nutrients going down after BAREBOTTOM change, that means you now have less Bad Waste in your tank = Ticking Time bomb for a AlgaeBloom, Cyano Outbreak, or worse things.
That also means you can feed fish more, get more fish, or even start some experimental Coral Feeding.
I know you miss your Power White Sand, but give it time.

I've been lucky, not many algae problems when I had sand. My only horrible thing was dinos, not sure theyre sand related but they left awhile back now.

Have been doubting on the same. But what is the right amount?
To be sure I will take some PAR measurements this weekend.

Yeah I ran lower par but had to try higher after seeing outstanding results at Vivid.. And it's like my tank woke up.

My corals are all still mostly on frag racks not getting prime lighting though..

 

[Rakie]

Started working on a project tank with my friends.. We got a really rough acrylic 180 and have been putting a bit of work into it. Polishing, drilling, and man... some of the things this guy did to this poor tank?

Half the bulkheads were backwards. Siliconed on both ends to prevent leaks... but my favorite part? He plugged one of the returns with a cork.

This bad boy is a mechanics dream for sure lol

 

[NY_Caveman]

Ha ha ha ha!

 

[WallyB]

Ha ha ha ha!

Funny, but it worked!!

What year was the Vintage?

 

[WallyB]

A few of my corals completely 'came to life'. It made a huge difference. There's two mindsets here that I like, both are complete opposites; WWC, and Vivid aquariums.

....... And it's like my tank woke up.
.

That's great. Your frags always looked impressive to me, so if they are doing even better then looking forward to some photos when they progress noticeable improvements.

I think my tank is asking to be woken up. Each time I increase photo period & intensity, Frags look better.
I think I'm safer with lighting increases now that I'm 100% T5 (Hard to go wrong). Past MH lighting was a different kind of thing.

 

[Rakie]

I sent this as a PM, but decided the information is worth posting here.. someday it may give someone something to ponder. That alone makes it useful.

_____________________________________________


So I would definitely say upping my lighting has helped me out a lot, especially since most my corals we're on frag racks in relatively low par.

So here's what I noticed:

- Alk consumption went from 35mL to 120mL in a few weeks

- ring around the corals on frag plug. This is the coral stinging everything in it's growth path. Corals do this when they're really moving

- new growth. Most everything is growing new arms, especially the corals that have been seemingly dormant or slow growing

- brighter new growth. All new growth is much more colorful and vibrant

So a lot of obvious nice things. As far as my lighting goes I'm using the radion AB+ program, which is equivalent to 8 ATI B+ bulbs, and 2 ABS bulbs. Whenever you hear people talking about AB+, that's the ATI combo they're mimicking.

So if you really wanted to try something crazy... Switching to the AB+ lighting is shown to be one of the best lighting options. So much so that BRS makes an AB+ template for every light they sell so customers can emulate it with all lights. AI, orphek, geisemann, you name it. It's in all their product videos.

The ABS bulb will give you what you may be missing. It's a very yellow and green heavy bulb, and SPS gurus have sworn by using a similar bulb forever -- the GE 6500.

So consider throwing in an ABS dead center. It will round out the missing soectrums.

_____________________________________________

So it makes me wonder if anybody is using the AB+ program with T5's beside the company who worked with ecotech to make the coral lab studies and templates.


The most useful information I've ever given people is through PM's when people ask me questions.

 

[Rakie]

 

[Janci]

Thanks for sharing.
I used to start with the AB+ program but have moved on to a more custom variation wit more whites.
No T5's added but I added 2 GHL Lightbars which are full spectrum and set up to mimic T5. Each bar has 77 W in total.

 

[Rakie]

Thanks for sharing.
I used to start with the AB+ program but have moved on to a more custom variation wit more whites.
No T5's added but I added 2 GHL Lightbars which are full spectrum and set up to mimic T5. Each bar has 77 W in total.

I didn't know GHL had a light bar, awesome! I may have to ask you about that in your thread soon.

As for my tank... You guys ever overthink everything? I do.

Calcium reactor -- Or more light. That is the question.

So on lighting..
I love my radion, but frankly, I really feel like I could use two on my little cube... I really feel that running the radion front to back is ideal to make sure everything is getting a nice blanket of par -- at the same time, I don't feel that's enough for my tank. My corals are absolutely loving being blasted by light.. So I'd love a second fixture, but at $850... Ouch. OUCH!

So this makes me interested in the Orphek bars. I like 'em, and at $120 they're priced pretty darn 'right' to me. Maybe just a single one is all I really need to add what I feel is missing. They're strong, but not totally overpowering.

Calcium Reactor
But man... Calcium reactors are just stability exemplified. Every tank I see running a Calcium reactor has great results, and improved growth. It costs a bit of an arm and a leg to get started... yeah... But the benefits outweigh the cost.

Which helps more? What will give me what I'm seeking more cleanly? Maybe just buy some high end SPS instead? Decisions decisions..

 

[Janci]

I didn't know GHL had a light bar, awesome! I may have to ask you about that in your thread soon.

As for my tank... You guys ever overthink everything? I do.

Calcium reactor -- Or more light. That is the question.

So on lighting..
I love my radion, but frankly, I really feel like I could use two on my little cube... I really feel that running the radion front to back is ideal to make sure everything is getting a nice blanket of par -- at the same time, I don't feel that's enough for my tank. My corals are absolutely loving being blasted by light.. So I'd love a second fixture, but at $850... Ouch. OUCH!

So this makes me interested in the Orphek bars. I like 'em, and at $120 they're priced pretty darn 'right' to me. Maybe just a single one is all I really need to add what I feel is missing. They're strong, but not totally overpowering.

Calcium Reactor
But man... Calcium reactors are just stability exemplified. Every tank I see running a Calcium reactor has great results, and improved growth. It costs a bit of an arm and a leg to get started... yeah... But the benefits outweigh the cost.

Which helps more? What will give me what I'm seeking more cleanly? Maybe just buy some high end SPS instead? Decisions decisions..

That is indeed a hard choice to make.
Both are beneficial and have their pro's and con's.

IMHO, I would recommend the lights.
Calcium reactor: Costly investment, but with a great return and will pay itself back over time. I believe there are not bad reviews or results for a CaRx on a reef tank so far = 100% succes (or = 100% no desister)
Light: another radion not so much. Costly for something you are not sure. Yes, your coral love light, but your 2 fixtures would only run at half (maybe less) intensity and light spill would be huge.
A light bar would help. Something like Reefbrites or even the Orphek.
But light has proven not to be that important for corals. Meaning that there are other parameters that are as influential, or even more important... flow and stability... stability... calcium reactor.

 

[Rakie]

I'd pick the orphek over the reefbrites for sure, already had and sold an xho, wasn't what I wanted.

As for the usefulness, I've got several corals that need to be absolutely blasted.

The vivid tequila sunrise is a rich deep purple with orange corallites when you blast it with light, otherwise it will just turn green.

After really hitting it with par it's body is turning gold, and it's tips are now picking up a purple color. At vivid they achieve their colors by blasting corals with absurd amount of light.

___________________________________

As for Calcium reactor... Yep, they're magical LOL. Not much to say other than they're great and I want one lol

 

[Rakie]

So woke up to a milky bacterial bloom... Not entirely sure what caused this... Corals look okay, fish are sleeping and breathing.

Threw in a sock with a bunch of Rox 0.8 carbon, adjusted the skimmer to skim wet. This has happened before, not the end of the world, but I'm hoping there isn't going to be any random losses.

 

[najer]

So woke up to a milky bacterial bloom... Not entirely sure what caused this... Corals look okay, fish are sleeping and breathing.

Threw in a sock with a bunch of Rox 0.8 carbon, adjusted the skimmer to skim wet. This has happened before, not the end of the world, but I'm hoping there isn't going to be any random losses.

Hope it is nothing major, fingers crossed.

 

[Rakie]

Hope it is nothing major, fingers crossed.

It's a bad one. As I said in the little emergency thread;

Pumps at max, Skimming wet, Carbon added, 3 bubblers in to keep o2 high.

I'm optimistic -- But this isn't good. Several SPS are already looking pretty bad.

 

[Rakie]

Some acros struggling;

 

[NY_Caveman]

It's a bad one. As I said in the little emergency thread;

Pumps at max, Skimming wet, Carbon added, 3 bubblers in to keep o2 high.

I'm optimistic -- But this isn't good. Several SPS are already looking pretty bad.

Ugh! Sorry to hear. Sounds like you are doing what you can.

 

[Rakie]

Ugh! Sorry to hear. Sounds like you are doing what you can.

All part of the hobby. I dipped and added two little mushrooms, that's the only thing that happened.

 

[bubbaque]

Sure it's a bacteria bloom and not snails releasing eggs? Seems weird to have a sudden bacteria bloom.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

coming along well sir...

Love the diversity of your sps... ;Woot