Additional LED?

[jason604]

Hey guys I'm planning to get another led fixture to my 75g center braced tank. My LPS has been growing nice and fast but my sps seems to be growing very slow for 7-8 months but color is very nice. I'm currently using the dimmable taotronics fixture exactly the same as this 1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0092LXQRM/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1387715564&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Should I get the same thing or should I try the full spectrum
D12

http://www.reefsupplycanada.com/d120-v2-dimmable-120-watt-full-spectrum-led-light-16-light/

They are pretty much the same price so which do u guys think will be better? Or is light not the problem and just stick to my one fixture? I do get pretty good light spread "I think" except there's some shade right under the brace and far right and left side of tank. Here's a FTS

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b578/kosin604/F8BCEDEB-93CC-49F3-B725-4A834ED0EDF4-10924-000008905E71F627_zps1fd6352c.jpg

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b578/kosin604/197DE4BB-6089-4694-81CD-B8E27E303EAE-10950-0000089360B69BD1_zps05cf9e78.jpg

[Slyguy00]

You get what you pay for. Personally id get rid of both lights and buy some name brand ones. Thats just my 2 cents

[darkreef]

Light it up ! LEDs are pretty direct there spred sucks . My LEDs light up my room. But I still can't grow any sps out of my 25x25 square .

I'm going to buy two hydras for my 48x24x20 tank :)

[Aquattro]

I think that light looks fine for growing SPS, I'd look at other things first.

[jason604]

I think that light looks fine for growing SPS, I'd look at other things first.

What do u recommend?

[Aquattro]

What do u recommend?

I'd go for a bit more flow than those powerheads can do. Make sure temp is about 78/79, stable water parameters, not sure what you have for skimmer, but better skimming typically means better SPS growth.
Keep in mind that parmeters ideal for LPS aren't optimal for SPS.

But based on the brightness of the sand and hotspots on the upper rocks where the SPS are, I'd say you have more than enough light.

Overall though, long term stability is best for SPS

[jason604]

I'm planning on ordering the WP40 on Boxing Day and I have my Levites at about 60% I turned down blue so I can take better pic they normally at 70%. I'm using a euro reef 125 rs skimmer and my system is a high nutrient one. I stopped doing water test but last time I check my nitrate was 10-15ppm. I keep hearing about calcium reactors. Are they worth getting and how do they work? Do they cause tank crashes and what equipment do I need to buy to make them work?

[nrosdal]

full spectrum will give nicer color and definitely grow sps. But i reccomend 1 fixture for every 2x2 section as the d120s have lenses that focus the light so it will not spread near enough for a 4 footer. Or if you have your mind set on 1 fixture and are happy with that one you should do the same again as i wouldn't put a d120 on anything bigger then 30" (and that is with stripping the lenses off or changing them to 120 degrees).

[Aquattro]

Light looks fine, color is just a personal preference. The ER 125 is a good enough skimmer, keep it clean regularly and skimming a bit wet. Nutrients are too high IMO for great SPS growth. If your NO3 is that high, your PO4 is probably elevated as well. Get both down for better SPS growth. The WP 40 will help with flow, but might bother your LPS a bit, so you might need to get creative with placement.
You don't need a Ca reactor unless you need to supplement levels beyond what your water changes provide. You do regular good sized water changes, right??
If things aren't growing fast, Ca/alk won't deplete fast.
But you need to test regularly to determine consumption, then once it's significant, you can look at ways to replace. 2 part liquids, dosing or reactors are the most common methods.

[jason604]

full spectrum will give nicer color and definitely grow sps. But i reccomend 1 fixture for every 2x2 section as the d120s have lenses that focus the light so it will not spread near enough for a 4 footer. Or if you have your mind set on 1 fixture and are happy with that one you should do the same again as i wouldn't put a d120 on anything bigger then 30" (and that is with stripping the lenses off or changing them to 120 degrees).

Was planning to just add another to my tank so one on each side of center brace but prob not now that brad suggest its good enough

Light looks fine, color is just a personal preference. The ER 125 is a good enough skimmer, keep it clean regularly and skimming a bit wet. Nutrients are too high IMO for great SPS growth. If your NO3 is that high, your PO4 is probably elevated as well. Get both down for better SPS growth. The WP 40 will help with flow, but might bother your LPS a bit, so you might need to get creative with placement.
You don't need a Ca reactor unless you need to supplement levels beyond what your water changes provide. You do regular good sized water changes, right??
If things aren't growing fast, Ca/alk won't deplete fast.
But you need to test regularly to determine consumption, then once it's significant, you can look at ways to replace. 2 part liquids, dosing or reactors are the most common methods.

I'm doing 20G water changes every 1-2 weeks. I keep my KH around 7 I think. How u suggest me to improve my parameters?

[jason604]

My skimmer is pulling out about 3/4 of a 2L pop bottle every 10 days or so. Is that good enough? It's a light green

[Aquattro]

My skimmer is pulling out about 3/4 of a 2L pop bottle every 10 days or so. Is that good enough? It's a light green

I don't drain mine into anything, I take the cup off and clean it. I'd say yours is a bit too wet, try lowering the level a touch.
What size total water volume do you have? How much/often do you feed? Any other filter media being used?

[Dez]

I've found one important part of sps growth is just to leave them alone. If you are constantly moving them, it will take them that much longer to adjust to it's new placement and it will take that much longer for them to start growing. Many of my corals are in their original placement from over 4 years ago. Some corals took almost a year in the same location to start growing, but once they start, they'll just take off. I grew sps just fine with cheap LEDs.

[jason604]

I don't drain mine into anything, I take the cup off and clean it. I'd say yours is a bit too wet, try lowering the level a touch.
What size total water volume do you have? How much/often do you feed? Any other filter media being used?

I'm not able to take out my skimmer cup from my sump without spilling it everywhere due to very tight space. 75gDT with about 10-15g of water in my sump. Feed flake 2x a day and my corals feed reefroid mix with phyto n tank water 2x a week. No other filter media except for a bag of carbon in sump.


I've found one important part of sps growth is just to leave them alone. If you are constantly moving them, it will take them that much longer to adjust to it's new placement and it will take that much longer for them to start growing. Many of my corals are in their original placement from over 4 years ago. Some corals took almost a year in the same location to start growing, but once they start, they'll just take off. I grew sps just fine with cheap LEDs.

U know what. My largest sps the hulk green acro and my monti caps stay stationary pretty much always and are the fastest grower by FAR.

[Aquattro]

If it were my tank, and some will disagree, I would stop feeding the corals. Feed the fish, add a weekly mysis feeding to the tank, and the corals will manage just fine. Less food going in and more of it getting used instead of turning into high nutrients in the water.

[Madreefer]

If it were my tank, and some will disagree, I would stop feeding the corals.

Well I agree with you

[Dez]

If it were my tank, and some will disagree, I would stop feeding the corals. Feed the fish, add a weekly mysis feeding to the tank, and the corals will manage just fine. Less food going in and more of it getting used instead of turning into high nutrients in the water.

I have never "fed" my corals or anemones or clams in my tank. They've been doing just fine with light, flow, and water changes. And I think I have a fairly established reef. Good suggestions there Brad.

[jason604]

What's u guys alk lvl at? Should I look into dosing mag? Never did it( never got the test kit). Is my 7kh too low?

[Aquattro]

What's u guys alk lvl at? Should I look into dosing mag? Never did it( never got the test kit). Is my 7kh too low?

7 is fine. I've never worried about Mg in 12+ years, my SPS do ok :)

[Dez]

What's u guys alk lvl at? Should I look into dosing mag? Never did it( never got the test kit). Is my 7kh too low?

Test kit? What's that? My sps do ok too lol.

[jason604]

I actually do enjoy a low maintenance tank without all those fancy equipment but its there is something that will make my life easier n corals more amazing then spill the beans guys =)

[jason604]

I'm also having this type of sps growing litterly everywhere in random places in my tank. Pic doesn't show it but it has green polyp extensions and looks fuzzy. I thought it was my green porcilapora spawning at first but then I notice it was a bit if purple when I cleaned my tank today. Seems to be encrusting not acro type and doesnt branch out like porcillopora and all of them are in a pebble shape.

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b578/kosin604/A2471967-1A7C-4F48-868E-050ADE2A8BFF-13396-00000A96133B380A_zps2d5bbd42.jpg

[tang daddy]

That's a fungia coral

[tang daddy]

Correction looks like a fungia, probally a pocci.

[jason604]

Correction looks like a fungia, probally a pocci.

Hey Chris. Prob not a fungus since its encrusting. Most likely a pocci cuz it's polyps is exactly the same as my green pocci but its body has purple tho and my green pocci isn't which kinda threw me off. It's litterly everywhere in random places 15+ and none of them branching like my pocci. Do pocci reproduce like this? Anyways my goniopora I got from u looks fuking awesome under my LEDs and acclimated well.

Correction on my nitrate its at a steady <5 ppm not 10-15