290G Peninsula Tank

[mseepman]

So the tank has gone through some rough times lately...half my fish have ick...at least the ones that haven't died. Still furious with myself for shortcutting quarantine. Anyways...onward and upward.
Here's a shot of the tank tonight. The corals are coming together nicely (if I haven't bleached them half to death).
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130508_202959_RichtoneHDR_zpsf4a58d71.jpg

[H2o2]

Hind site is a wonderful thing as we get to learn from our mistake ,not taking away from your loss,Hope going forward that the tank turns into the thought that we had in our mines eye that we all have getting into this adventure and responsiblity.

[mseepman]

On the weekend I was in Calgary to pick up my new Frag Tank from the wonderful people at Concepts.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/IMG-20130520-WA0005_zps44b1a36a.jpg

Also did a little frag and fish shopping. Nice Leopard from Big Al's.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130520_180837_zps0234ef91.jpg

Calgary has so many amazing goodies that we just don't have here in the Okanagan that I couldn't help myself and bought a few frags as well...here's one in my temp frag tank.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/IMG-20130520-WA0002_zps68d0f0e0.jpg

[fishytime]

It was good to see ya again Mark and good to see the little kitty made the trip home ok

[lastlight]

Nice leopard. I saw probably 5 of them in various lfs in the city this weekend. They all dwarf my meleagris which has grown a lot but is only an inch long.

Is your frag there from Pisces? Looks like one I nearly picked up...

[H2o2]

Looking great Mark and hurry with that frag tank ,there coming

[mseepman]

Nice leopard. I saw probably 5 of them in various lfs in the city this weekend. They all dwarf my meleagris which has grown a lot but is only an inch long.

Is your frag there from Pisces? Looks like one I nearly picked up...

This Frag actually came from Concepts. I only had a chance to visit Big Als and Concepts during my visit to the city. I always stay way SW and so getting up north to all the stores becomes a challenge with all the "family" things I get roped into.

I got two more Chalices from Concepts but haven't pictured them yet.

[nrosdal]

Looking good buddy. Got any other frags lately? or the frag tank running? or a really sweet light on that frag tank? :mrgreen:

[mseepman]

Looking good buddy. Got any other frags lately? or the frag tank running? or a really sweet light on that frag tank? :mrgreen:

Haha...is that my hint to update? Working on some cleanup right now of my "fish junk" as my wife has named it. "Happy wife equals happy life" and so too much junk that doesn't have a home in my fish room directly contradicts this philosophy.

Otherwise the frag tank is up...with frags in it...under a very nice 2040 light fixture from reefsupplycanada.com :biggrin:

Pictures will follow soon.

[mseepman]

I promised a few pics...so here you go....

FTS
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130524_200459_RichtoneHDR_zps7ee980c2.jpg

End shot on Peninsula
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130524_200514_RichtoneHDR_zps0e50a48b.jpg

Frag tank with a couple frags in it and IT2040 going through it's end of day programming.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130524_203836_RichtoneHDR_zpsb5118251.jpg

[Myka]

You need more stuff in your frag tank!!! Let me know if you want a donation. ;)

[mseepman]

You need more stuff in your frag tank!!! Let me know if you want a donation. ;)

Mindy, always up for a donationi!!! When will you be delivering that? :biggrin:

As for filling it up...I've got corals arriving from Frag-a-lot on Tuesday and I'll be holding someone else's portion of that order for a bit as well so I'm pretty sure the room will be filling fast.

In regards to the main tank, I've been having some good growth on some corals and not so great on others. This is my first SPS / LPS tank and the learning curve is really something else.

I've been battling an Alk issue since shortly after the tank was started. I just can't get the Alk high enough, even when using crappy old IO salt. Every test I do, I get about a 6 - 6.2 on my Hanna. When I test new IO it measures in between 9.5 and 10 usually. I had one bad bucket of IO which only had an ALk of 4 and that seems to have set off the chain reaction.

This week I was going to set up my Deltec Kalk reactor but the top motor needs changing and due to a lack of time, I just put together a quick old fashioned doser with a premixed bottle for the time being. I'm using Ms. Wages Pickling lime and I've mixed it to 2 TBLspoons for 1 gallon of RODI. I've never used Kalk before but hopefully this helps me get through this problem. It's a 1.1ml per minute doser and I've got it going 9.5 minutes ever hour through the night (9 hours total).

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/IMG-20130530-WA0007_zpse28f59ec.jpg

In case anyone is wondering what my other numbers are:
Ca 460
MG 1400
PH 8.15
Salinity 1.026
Temp 78.9
NO3 - 0
Phos - 0
Amm - 0


Ideas are welcome. I know my PH needs help, so hopefully the Kalk will help this too.

[Myka]

Hey Mark, saturated limewater is 2 teaspoons per gallon. Anything more will just sit on the bottom. You can add up to 3 tsp per gallon if you add vinegar (up to 45 mL per gallon), but don't forget the implications there. :lol:

I will bring you frags in July! :D

[mseepman]

Hey Mark, saturated limewater is 2 teaspoons per gallon. Anything more will just sit on the bottom. You can add up to 3 tsp per gallon if you add vinegar (up to 45 mL per gallon), but don't forget the implications there. :lol:

I will bring you frags in July! :D

Oops...that would explain the little bit of sediment. will it dissolve if I add in some more RODI water?

[Myka]

Oops...that would explain the little bit of sediment. will it dissolve if I add in some more RODI water?

Yes, but I wouldn't worry about it much (lime isn't expensive), just make your next batch with the lower amount. Make sure you don't mix up too much at a time and keep it well sealed because it will react with the CO2 in the air.

Check this out, oldie but a goodie: The Degradation of Limewater in Air (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rhf/feature/) by Randy Holmes-Farley.

EDIT: RHF mentions his use of a bucket with a bunch of lime in the bottom of the tub and he just adds more RO/DI water to the tub via ATO. When the tub runs out of lime at the bottom he just adds more and mixes it a bit. Sounds like a simplified way to do it.


More sophisticated systems can involve a large holding reservoir for limewater (up to 55 gallons or more) coupled to a delivery pump and a float switch in the aquarium or sump that controls the delivery to match the evaporation rate. This is the type of system that I use. I make up limewater in a 44-gallon Rubbermaid Brute trashcan by putting the CaO in the bottom, and pouring in water by 5-gallon buckets. That process takes about 5 minutes once every 2-3 weeks. The trashcan is closed by simply putting on its lid. The pump that sends the water to the sump is a Reef-Filler pump (maximum pumping rate 3 gallons per day), which is controlled to match the evaporation rate using a float switch in my sump. The entire limewater system is located remotely from my aquarium (in my basement), so the size of the reservoir is of no consequence. In my case, I often do not use saturated limewater because my aquarium does not need that much supplementation of calcium and alkalinity. Consequently, I add less CaO than would be required to produce saturated limewater. If an aquarist wants saturated limewater, there is no real reason to try to add a specific amount. Any extra solids just sit on the bottom and wait for the next water refill (these solids also absorb impurities like copper out of the water, but that's the subject of a different article).


This type of limewater system is the type that most often comes under fire for being prone to degradation problems by reaction with atmospheric carbon dioxide. In this type of system, limewater is made up once, and then allowed to sit unstirred for as long as it takes the delivery system to send it to the aquarium. Since this type of reservoir can deliver limewater to the aquarium for several weeks, many aquarists have incorrectly concluded that substantial potency is lost as the limewater degrades, and that such a system will fail. Moreover, this assertion is why many aquarists claim that Nilsen reactors are simpler: because the simple delivery from a large reservoir won't work and that only daily mixing of limewater can be successful. In truth, it takes me five minutes to make up limewater every 2-3 weeks, so the idea that some other system is easier to use is simply unfounded. Later in this article I will show that such simple systems do not lose substantial potency, and hence should be considered by aquarists who have the space for large reservoirs.

[mseepman]

Got a few frags from a recent fragalot order...though I would share.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/IMG-20130604-WA0011_zpsa39102de.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130605_110404_zpsd73694a9.jpg

[Ginu]

Looks good, typically I've had some good luck with acans from fragalot, but most zoas are doa and havent ordered much in term of hard corals, so cant comment.

[nrosdal]

Looks great Mark, even better in person. I have had great luck with sps and acans from them as well.

Tank is coming along beautifully really look forward to seeing some of these beauties grow out. Have you given much though to what you are going to add as far as livestock? and what their names will be? :mrgreen:

[H2o2]

I am so looking forward to seeing this tank in person

[mseepman]

I am so looking forward to seeing this tank in person

Only a few more days and you can Harry...you coming back to the Okanagan on the 9th or 10th?

[mseepman]

Looks great Mark, even better in person. I have had great luck with sps and acans from them as well.

Tank is coming along beautifully really look forward to seeing some of these beauties grow out. Have you given much though to what you are going to add as far as livestock? and what their names will be? :mrgreen:

I'm trying to keep the kids from naming them until I make sure I'm not going to accidentally kill it. Fish with names seem to hit them so much harder.

Maybe I can get them to name coral...then I have a better chance at keeping it around for a long time.

[FishyFishy!]

I have a quick question for you. Is this half a union attached to your reeflo?

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/bilmaga/6-5-20132-20-54PM_zpsb245ada6.jpg (http://s24.photobucket.com/user/bilmaga/media/6-5-20132-20-54PM_zpsb245ada6.jpg.html)

If it is, how does it work? No leaks?

[mseepman]

Yup. .. its what came with the pump. .. no leaks. .. solid as any connection on my system

[FishyFishy!]

Yup. .. its what came with the pump. .. no leaks. .. solid as any connection on my system

Aahhh that would make sense. I didn't know they came with connections like that. I thought you just used the one side of a regular union! lol.

[mseepman]

Got a few new residents in my display...almost all of which are tough to catch on camera. Thought I would have some fun seeing if people can figure out what this little guy is off this terrible pic.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130611_110212_zps0383304a.jpg

[ensquire]

Flame Hawk or Wrasse ............

[Ginu]

I'm not even sure what were look at over here :)

[mseepman]

Flame Hawk or Wrasse ............

First guess got it. I ordered a pair of flame wrasses but sadly the female died while being bagged at J&L. I still got the male. He is beautiful...not out much yet though.

Also got some new shrimp and a bunch of Tangs to fill out the tank. Everyone is looking good so far.

[ensquire]

First guess got it. I ordered a pair of flame wrasses but sadly the female died while being bagged at J&L. I still got the male. He is beautiful...not out much yet though.

Also got some new shrimp and a bunch of Tangs to fill out the tank. Everyone is looking good so far.


What did I win WHAT DID i WIN :biggrin:

[H2o2]

Time for a FTS but wait till u are happy with the pic .I saw that wrasse at JLs and 290 will be his forte and when the girls show up ........well u know

[mseepman]

It's been a while since I did an update because I've been struggling with fish issues for a bit now.

Here's a FTS (sorry thought it was less blurry before).
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130707_203505_RichtoneHDR_zpsa296b92c.jpg

This was from about a 9 days ago...since then I've seen an ICK outbreak, ended up in the hospital for surgery myself, then returned home to find that ick has slowly taken out my Whitecheek tang, my Ebili, my Tomini and my Orange shoulder tang. Fishing for bodies isn't any fun. I pulled several of them and tried to treat in quarantine but it appeared I was too late.

Frustrated at this point. What was most frustrating is that I've had them for a while now and everything was perfect...don't know what might have set them off onto the ICK tangent.

Anyways, coral is coloring up, as is my rock. Got a few more pieces to move from my frag tank once I heal up some more.

[Skimmerking]

so sorry to hear Mark ya fishing for dead fish isnt fun.

[lastlight]

Hope you and the tank make a positive turnaround. Sorry to hear about your lost fishes.

[FishyFishy!]

Rock is looking mighty puuurdy!

Sorry to hear about those losses. As if a normal fish isn't bad anough. $100's of dollars worth of beautiful tangs is just silly. Hope things start to look up for you.

[mseepman]

Thanks everyone...I'm in this for the long haul, so I will rebound. I just plan to go with no new fish for a while.

[michika]

Sorry about your losses. :(

[kien]

Thanks everyone...I'm in this for the long haul, so I will rebound..

That's what we like to hear! Keep on reefin' on!

PS. Tank looks peaceful :-)

PPS. Sorry 'bout the deaths :-(

[Ginu]

Thats a very unfortunate course of event. Sorry to hear Mark, hopefully soon enough the tank will turn for the better.

[Myka]

Hey Mark, it was great to see you and your family again last week! The new house is beautiful and the tank really makes an impression. Well done! I'm also happy to hear you're doing ok after the surgery. See you in a couple weeks in Florida!

[mseepman]

It's been a bit since I updated this thread. Things are doing well for the most part. I am still struggling a little with low ALK so I have decided to get going on proper dosing using my Marine Magic Doser (the one in the box for the last year).

Got three of these bad boys off of Nick at Reefsupplycanada.com (thanks Nick) and plan to work on hooking them up this weekend. They are the 5L versions. Nicely built and should work well for me. I will be using the Fauna Marin Balling lite dosing chems (after a nudge from Myka on how good they are).
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130816_121922_zpsa5d2f78c.jpg

I also have been going for a while without Carbon and so I finally got the parts in yesterday to hook up my reactors. I'm doing it a little differently than most. I've put in two BRS chambers...the first is a pre-filter and the second is a Carbon Block. It would plug too quickly without the pre-filter.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/IMG-20130816-WA0000_zpsa12beedd.jpg

[Reef Pilot]

What are you running in your pre-filter?

[mseepman]

Standard RO system pre-filter block. I know it will plug more quickly but I can get them pretty cheap.

It's all being run by an MJ900...I might step it up to a 1200 soon though.

[lastlight]

you're putting tank water through that? this is instead of running granulated carbon?

i'm amazed the prefilter doesn't clog in a day. how long has it been going?

[mseepman]

Haha...about 2 hours. We will see if that ends up being a disaster. I just thought I needed to try as I hate rinsing and getting carbon ready each time. What you are saying is there may be a "fly in the Ointment" of my brilliant idea?

[Reef Pilot]

Standard RO system pre-filter block. I know it will plug more quickly but I can get them pretty cheap.

It's all being run by an MJ900...I might step it up to a 1200 soon though.
Sediment filter? How many microns? And how long does it last before plugging.

The reason I'm asking is that I run similar carbon and GFO canisters in series with a sponge pre-filter. But mine plugs in about a week, and needs frequent cleaning.

[lastlight]

these carbon blocks normally treated tap water. is there any data that shows how well a block like that performs in reducing organics from an aquarium vs say rox 0.8 ?

Carbon drives me nuts as well. Now all I do is pour a small amount into both of my mesh filter socks. That way I can easily rinse the new carbon by pouring clean water thru the sock then add to sump. each week when i clean my socks i just dump the carbon out. It's been so easy.

[Ginu]

Not sure how effective that carbon filter is vs granulated tumbling carbon... and that per-filter will clog up realllly fast in my opinion requiring extra unwanted maintenance.

The best way to wash the carbon is when doing water changes... just turn off pumps, swap out the contents (GFO/carbon) then move the hose out of the sump and activate pump in the draining container... Once the water comes out clean, I'm good to go and move on sucking up detritus and other crap which i dont want in the aquarium for the remainder of the water.

[Reef Pilot]

Not sure how effective that carbon filter is vs granulated tumbling carbon... and that per-filter will clog up realllly fast in my opinion requiring extra unwanted maintenance.


I actually use granulated carbon in my canister (similar to a DI refillable filter), same with GFO. Works well. Except my pre-filter sponge does clog up. That's why I was asking.

[lastlight]

yes standard carbons in the canister would work well and I've done this. Just curious about using a carbon block. I thought they required high pressures.

[Ginu]

I actually use granulated carbon in my canister (similar to a DI refillable filter), same with GFO. Works well. Except my pre-filter sponge does clog up. That's why I was asking.


I see what you mean; well if the prefilter doenst clog too fast I think you should be ok.

Now I would probably get the biggest micron per-filter possible...

BRS has a 1micron and 5 micron, however I've seen 10 micron which I would recommend over the 5... I can just see a fish stir up the sand and the filter getting clogged super-fast though.

[mseepman]

Hmmm...this is why I love Canreef....I probably should have run my idea through here before jumping in.

Not sure the block has to be under pressure but will have to investigate that.

As for how it will work...not sure again (I obviously like flying blind) but my water already looks pretty clear from the prodibio so I was just thinking a little extra polish couldn't hurt.

[mike31154]

Many carbon blocks normally used in RO systems are 0.5 micron. Regardless of pre filter, which will clog pretty quick if it's also fine, the carbon block will likely clog up in short order. I'd be interested in how long it goes though, could be wrong. I'd be more inclined to deal with carbon in a bag or container, agitated by flow that's already being produced by return pump or other powerheads rather than a dedicated pump just for the carbon. Don't find rinsing the fresh stuff all that much trouble.

[mseepman]

I thought I would throw a few coral pics up on the thread cause that's what I've been working so hard to get started. I was just hand feeding some of my LPS and you'll see it in the pics.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130820_084416_RichtoneHDR_zpsee7bc532.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130820_083950_zps9be1df07.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130820_083932_zpsa58f1fcc.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130820_083920_zps5a82cde4.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130820_083847_zps1aabfc5a.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130820_084354_RichtoneHDR_zps62a6c0f7.jpg

[michika]

Wow! Handfeeding is certainly working out for you! I love that first one.

[H2o2]

Great pics and did u try the salmon roe yet

[mseepman]

They go crazy over it Harry....but its tough to regulate portions so I only give a tiny bit per week.

[mseepman]

Thought I would throw a FTS in the thread today. Gonna look a little different soon as I've got a few frags on their way.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130825_145007_RichtoneHDR_zps9a4cbab4.jpg

[lastlight]

Nice purple rock. I'd say you're ready for a schwack-o-frags.

[mseepman]

Yeah, it's funny but my lighting during pictures really makes my rock look purpled up. But the truth is that it's not. It's got an average amount of coraline on it.

As for frags...I already feel like things are getting crowded...so 13 frags will really change things.

Many of them won't make it into the tank anytime soon...they have to go through QT and I'll be gone to MACNA this coming week so not much will happen till I get back.

[Myka]

I will send you some big frags after MACNA. Remind me please. :)

[gregzz4]

Spectaclar Mark
Well worth the wait

[AdamsB]

I absolutely fell in love with this whole setup when I saw it in person. And Marks so good at talking about it :D I learned a little and saw some very nice frags and fish. That Christmas wrasse is fantastic.

[Reef Pilot]

Thought I would throw a FTS in the thread today. Gonna look a little different soon as I've got a few frags on their way.



Yup,... you sure do have a nicely finished tank and location in your house. Good job... If I was building a house, I would do a peninsula tank as well. Great choice on your part...

[mseepman]

Thanks everyone...looking forward to this maturing and showing it off some more. :)

[mseepman]

Been a little while since I updated. Got some great coral the other day while visiting BBlinks in Burnaby...wow now that is a TANK! Thanks so much Richard.

Here is a brief video showing some of my latest fish additions...the Powder Blue, Kole and Regal tangs. It's been a rough handful of days for them as my Yellow is a real SOB. I am hoping everyone is going to pull through. I know it's short and shaky but I'll do a better one when all the fish have truly settled in.

http://s485.photobucket.com/user/mseepman/media/VID-20130916-WA0000_zpsedd9cc83.mp4.html

[Myka]

Love the PBT - great choice! :D

[lastlight]

quite the swarm you have in there now. Looks like your leopard is a happy camper still too which is good news.

[mseepman]

Thanks everyone. The PBT is still struggling a little...but overall it's looking good.

[kien]

Pretty much all tangs are SOBs once they've set up shop. That PBT is gorgeous tho! Did you try the mirror trick to distract your other fish while the new ones settled in?

[mseepman]

The tank is progressing nicely. Still got some issues...PH is too low and fighting to keep ALK high enough and fighting off Cyano.

Thought I would throw up a few pics.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20131125_201259_zpsa1f530b1.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20131125_201356_zps451ffe10.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20131125_201509_RichtoneHDR_zps9f9a02fd.jpg

I only have a phone for pictures so excuse the quality.

[nrosdal]

Looking good my friend.

Those pictures look closer then the standard camera will go. Are you using some kind of special equipment for your shots??:mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Have you tested your Mg lately ?
It could be low and is why you're having issues getting your Alk up
Or it could just be a whole lotta Alk usage ...
Test your Ca too

[lastlight]

why you're having issues getting your Alk up

happens to a lot of reefers mark don't worry too much :wink:

[gregzz4]

happens to a lot of reefers mark don't worry too much :wink:
Apparently there are pills to help with it, but I didn't want to say anything about it ....

[lastlight]

Apparently there are pills to help with it, but I didn't want to say anything about it ....

magnesium ones. where were you going with that lol?

[gqlmao]

One awesome peninsula tank, the wood working and craftsmanship is top notch! This tank reminds me why I love peninsula tanks so much!

[gregzz4]

magnesium ones. where were you going with that lol?
I was originally thinking about giddy-up pills, but in relation to the thread, calcium pills are appropriate, due to the lack of sunshine at this time of year

Probably a good time to ignore the gallery

[AdamsB]

Those are nice pics for a phone! What Is your alk level sitting at?

[mseepman]

Thanks for all the advice guys (both tank and personal related...haha).

I have checked my Alk and it's sitting at 6.8 today. CA is at 450 and MG is at 1250. I use a Hanna meter for the Alk and Elos kits for the rest.

I'm dosing a crap load of Kalkwasser. I don't have my regular dosers going yet for the big three but I'm gonna have to do something pretty quick. i have changed out 150G of water in the last 3 weeks...but not much of a bump in Alk. Using IO right now and it's testing just over 9 in the holding tank before I do my water change.

[kien]

those corals look really happy !

[mseepman]

Thought I would do a little update.

The tank has gone through a little transition lately. On Monday I decided to use Chemi-clean. My total water volume is about 345G so I used the entire package which said will treat 300G. I had lot of pumps oxygenating the water but within about 6 hours, several corals were struggling and my birdsnest was dead. All of the corals struggling were very healthy before the treatment too.

I let it run it's course and after 48hours I did a 20% water change. More corals started to struggle and the water looked somewhat cloudy so I did another 20%. My skimmer went crazy if I turned it on, even after lowering the water and turning it all the way down. So I continued to change water. I've now done about 200g since Wednesday and things have turned around. The struggling corals are looking much better and some have polyp extension.

The Cyano appears to be mostly gone and one positive thing is that my PH has risen. If you read above, I was struggling with PH issues despite large water changes and heavy dosing of both Kalk and ALK. Now today my PH started the day at 8.04 and currently sits at 8.18 when before I was at 7.84 and 8.01 as a high during the best days.

Anyways, it's nothing without pics...so here you go. These are just phone pics as that's all I have for a camera.

FTS
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140105_200728_LLS_zps7ca39f2e.jpg

Some corals:
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140105_192623_RichtoneHDR_zps11bba50e.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140105_192606_RichtoneHDR_zps406195c9.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140105_192539_RichtoneHDR_zpsbc98cdcb.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140105_192550_RichtoneHDR_zps125b6e3a.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140105_192432_zps24dbdc9d.jpg

[H2o2]

Holy cow I think I was at your place 3 or 4 months ago and I cant believe the growth well done

[Doug]

Crap. Blah stupid cyano Mark. Glad your corals seem to be recovering.

[AdamsB]

That blows. I went through the same issue although on a much smaller scale. Haven't had issues since, hopefully you won't either!

[Myka]

Well it looks good now! I've never had such a reaction when dosing ChemiClean; the corals look mad, but I've never lost anything. Too bad about the birdnest. :(

Also, Happy Anniversary for your tank! :D

[mseepman]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Today the tank is looking even happier. PH continues to rise...lets hope I can keep it high. Due for my first Prodibio dose tomorrow since doing the treatment...hope no meds left in there to react to bacteria being added.

[mseepman]

The tank continues to progress. The new Tangs . Introduced still have to defend themselves now and then but overall the fighting is down. My Ph has finally settled down. I thought I would update with a few coral shots.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140117_171406_zpsfe9fdc83.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140117_171353_zps3df0f0ec.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140117_171546_zpsc256dae9.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140117_171233_zpsb1082cf4.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Mobile%20Uploads/20140117_171023_zpsbf24814a.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Mobile%20Uploads/20140117_171254_zps1fe38b42.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Mobile%20Uploads/20140117_171529_zps79d66c7e.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Mobile%20Uploads/20140117_171344_zps676ecd7f.jpg

[Reef Pilot]

Looking better all the time.... Corals are coming along nicely.

[Myka]

That yellow sponge on the Faviid (? Hard to see on my phone) is balls! I love those sponges.

Sent from my Dungeon using mad Ninja Skillz.

[mseepman]

I always love the growth pics that people do on their threads...so here goes. :)

May 2013
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/2013-05-02184911_zps38e170fa.jpg

Jan2014
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140117_170956_zpsdaf9ba1b.jpg

May 2013
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/2013-05-02184945_zps20d5be23.jpg

Jan2014
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/IMG-20140114-WA0000_zps3313ed29.jpg

August 2013
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20130818-WA0006_zps415ae477.jpg

Jan2014
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140127_112117_zps9b6e13fc.jpg

[nrosdal]

Looking good my friend. Even better in person if i may say.

[mseepman]

Thanks Nick.

Here is another one.

May 2013
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20130524-WA0001_zps917cfd29.jpg

Jan 2014 (after I had to trim it because of conflicts with neighbor acro)
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140127_112038_zpseead37cf.jpg

May 2013
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20130524_200514_RichtoneHDR_zps0e50a48b.jpg

Jan 2014
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140118_152500_RichtoneHDR_zpsaaa4ad04.jpg

[Doug]

:thumb::thumb:

[lastlight]

looking great it's growing well!

[FishyFishy!]

:drinking:

:lol:

[Myka]

Big changes! Looks great!

Sent from my Dungeon using mad Ninja Skillz.

[Lance]

Me Like!

[mseepman]

Thanks everyone. I've been noticing that the colors on a lot of my corals seem lacking...especially compared to the mad skills of some of they people on here. I use Prodibio and my system is pretty low nutrient. Due to some cyano I had, I had stopped using reefbooster about 4 months ago...but now I'm questioning if I am starving my corals. I dose potassium and some lugals but my purples and blues fade to brownish often. Any thoughts?

[FishyFishy!]

Thanks everyone. I've been noticing that the colors on a lot of my corals seem lacking...especially compared to the mad skills of some of they people on here. I use Prodibio and my system is pretty low nutrient. Due to some cyano I had, I had stopped using reefbooster about 4 months ago...but now I'm questioning if I am starving my corals. I dose potassium and some lugals but my purples and blues fade to brownish often. Any thoughts?


Sounds like you might have a case of LED syndrome! :fencing:

[mseepman]

Haha. ..the thought never crossed my mind. I was at reefsupplycanada today and Nick has a few corals that I have given him that look amazing compared to mine and he also uses LED.

[H2o2]

I have also read that the purples don't do well under leds and that's why I added those T5s and turned down my Sunbrite and I am starting to see more purple coming now and I wanted to be your 600th posts :-)

[mseepman]

All the way from Costa Rica Harry? Hope you're having fun.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Thanks everyone. I've been noticing that the colors on a lot of my corals seem lacking...especially compared to the mad skills of some of they people on here. I use Prodibio and my system is pretty low nutrient. Due to some cyano I had, I had stopped using reefbooster about 4 months ago...but now I'm questioning if I am starving my corals. I dose potassium and some lugals but my purples and blues fade to brownish often. Any thoughts?

My purple validas LOVE being under LEDs. Lots of purple with green growth tips. That's with the emitters NOT at full power. Probably a much higher nutrient system than you have, cause I love lots of fish in my tanks.

[mseepman]

I have also read that the purples don't do well under leds and that's why I added those T5s and turned down my Sunbrite and I am starting to see more purple coming now and I wanted to be your 600th posts :-)

After seeing Richards tank with the mix of led with a little t5, I added two Fiji purple t5 bulbs to the fixture. They have been on there about 45 days now. I have been running them when only a few rows of my LEDs are on and then off when the fixture really wakes up in the afternoon/evening. I figure if there is some spectrum that I'm missing then this might hit it.

I have a feeling that the aminos from the reefbooster might change things up so I will slowly add this back into the mix.

[Myka]

After seeing Richards tank with the mix of led with a little t5, I added two Fiji purple t5 bulbs to the fixture. They have been on there about 45 days now.

That should be long enough to see a difference if you were going to. See anything? I notice in your photos it looks like your green Monti Cap used to have a purple rim, but doesn't anymore...? What color is the rim on the green Monti Cap I sent you? The rim is blue in my tank.

[mseepman]

The rim is White on the cap you sent me Mindy. I also gave Nick a piece of that green with purple rim....and I saw his yesterday...nice purple rim. Mine, white....:(

[H2o2]

I use this stuff and so does Kelly and you have seen my blue ZEOvit Potassium Iodide Fluoride Concentrates it s the reds I am of my forest fire that I am going after now

[mseepman]

A quick update on the tank. Things are progressing slowly. My colors are still not where they should be but I'm working on it. Haven't got my full dosing setup done yet but soon.

Had a bout with Red bugs...but treated and got rid of the problem...corals are much happier now.

Here are a few pics.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140419_124746_zpsdcf8ff3e.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140419_192725_zpsf0e39fce.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140419_192719_zps92166d51.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140428_104118_zpse89f82e5.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20140428_104152_zpsdbaa7e34.jpg

[reefwars]

Hey Mark how many fish do you have can't help but notice in the pics few fish so pretty low bioload?

[mseepman]

I've got 4 tangs, 12 cardinals, 2 Chromis, 7 wrasses, 1 dottyback and 1 blennie, 1 large sandsifting gobie. I always thought it wasn't too low as the tangs can get pretty sizeable (as can the amount of crap i see them pumping out)...is that particularly low?

[fooman]

Wow you have a beautiful tank set up! I hope to have my tank look half as good as yours. I see you live in Vernon just down the highway from me.

[mseepman]

Wow you have a beautiful tank set up! I hope to have my tank look half as good as yours. I see you live in Vernon just down the highway from me.

Thank you so much. I'm always happy to have visitors.

[Myka]

Looks good Mark! Colors or not, the setup is stunning! Do you get much algae growth on the glass or rocks? If you aren't getting much algae you could experiment with feeding the fish more to see if you can improve color that way. Your bioload is quite low now but will increase as the fish grow.

Sent from my Dungeon using mad Ninja Skillz.

[mseepman]

I'm always thrilled when you take a peek at my build Mindy. Haven't chatted with you in way too long. My glass does seem to get growth quite quickly but I have little to no algae on the rocks. Nitrate measures zero on my hanna and my PO4 was 0.05 also on the hanna meter.

[lastlight]

The view through the end of the tank looks stunning. :)

[Doug]

Tank looks great Mark. As to not clutter your thread, I will post my thoughts on colour in another in the reefing forum, as I dont like some of mine either.

[mseepman]

Tank looks great Mark. As to not clutter your thread, I will post my thoughts on colour in another in the reefing forum, as I dont like some of mine either.
Thanks Doug, you're going to have to find a chance to head down this way one time so I can show you it in person. :)


The view through the end of the tank looks stunning. :)

Thanks so much...down the end is one of my favorite views. Sometimes I get frustrated as I have a sand sifter and he can really just mix it up enough with those four big powerheads at the end to give me a sandstorm.

[lastlight]

Sometimes I get frustrated as I have a sand sifter and he can really just mix it up enough with those four big powerheads at the end to give me a sandstorm.

Do you have a Kien equivalent in your area? I dismantled my reef to catch my sifter and gave it to him.

[Ginu]

I see a ton of people complaining about sand sifters but never ever read of anyone housing a sand-dollar... I've had one in my reef for over two years now and he keeps the sandbed spic and span and I never get to see him unless he decides to go offroading and climb the rocks (this happens once a year and doesn't last very long)

[mseepman]

I see a ton of people complaining about sand sifters but never ever read of anyone housing a sand-dollar... I've had one in my reef for over two years now and he keeps the sandbed spic and span and I never get to see him unless he decides to go offroading and climb the rocks (this happens once a year and doesn't last very long)

Personally I've never seen one offered for sale? They would be an interesting option though.

I can't imagine ripping my reef apart no matter how much the goby bugs me...that is my worst nightmare other than the thing bursting.

[StirCrazy]

I see a ton of people complaining about sand sifters but never ever read of anyone housing a sand-dollar... I've had one in my reef for over two years now and he keeps the sandbed spic and span and I never get to see him unless he decides to go offroading and climb the rocks (this happens once a year and doesn't last very long)

your pretty lucky, about 2 years is where starving dollars start to die off, the problem with them is each type has a spicific food requirment and 99.9% of the time a tank doesn't support the right food. this ontop of the huge amount of sand bed you need for them gives them a very pour sucess rate in tanks.

Steve

[mseepman]

So it's been way too long since I've updated this thread. The tank is doing well. I had a little bout with Cyano a while back and after trying all the natural methods, decided to treat.
I've reached the stage where I'm getting some battles between corals and so I need to do a little cleanup to deal with it. Dreading that job as it's tough to decide who stays and who goes.
Here are some pics of how it sits now.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20141002_195147_zps4d8c0a68.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20141002_195219_zpsa42aa5ab.jpg



http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20141002_195437_zps128e78a4.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20141002_195449_zpsc856119d.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20141002_195244_zps1499becd.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/20141002_195237_zpsd1d13dd8.jpg

[michika]

What did you treat with? What happened to your pod population while this was happening?

[mseepman]

I used chemiclean at a slightly weaker dose than suggested. My problem wasn't terrible, just more than I could tolerate. The pod population appears fine...still everywhere.:biggrin:

[Gools]

looking awesome Mark! I need to come over again and get my fix, your whole system keeps me awake at night! Awesome! Let me know when you do some clean up.

[Doug]

Looks good Mark.

[mseepman]

Thanks everyone. I love how it's coming together. At first I was nervous about how much water space I left above the rock but now that the coral is growing in...it's taken shape nicely.

[Skimmerking]

Mark the tank is looking great my friend, just watch out for that Doug fella out there he is bad news :lol:

[Myka]

Look at all those corals! Awesome Mark!

[Dez]

It's filling in nicely. Sometimes it's fun to just watch the battles. It the end, it could look very cool and more natural. Plus it's also less work!

[Skimmerking]

:pop2:

[mseepman]

haha...less work does sound appealing! I can't believe how quickly I have completely run out of room for more corals. I've been struggling to balance my dosing off since they all started to grow.

[Gools]

Hey Mark are you dosing with 2 part or using a reactor? last time I was their you had something in a box, you hadn't hooked up, and thinking it was a reactor.

[Myka]

Hey Mark, did you get your dosing figured out?

[mseepman]

For the most part I have. I figured out that I wasn't dosing enough...Haha.

I have been steadily upping the Alk every week and testing. It just seemed like a lot and so I started questioning myself...but now I realize I need to dose more. :)

Colors in tank are not quite right though...still working on it. I am upping my lighting some since i see frags that I've given out with more color in other people tanks who are blasting lights at full pop. I've been overly careful so I gotta start pushing some more.

Growth for me hasn't been an issue, but there are still too many browns or brown-like corals for my liking.

[Myka]

Hehe, yeah I figured you weren't being aggressive enough with the dosing. It's shocking how much the tank uses up when you're holding the dry powder in your hands!

How is your polyp extension? If PE is a bit lacking, it may be flow that you need. When you say "browns", light isn't the first thing that comes to mind (unless light is severely lacking). How's PO4? Any nuisance algae?

[mseepman]

My PE is okay...nothing too spectacular. As for flow, I have a lot. 2 x 6105, 1x6305, 1 x WP60, Return pump, and maxspect gyre. It's like a hot-tub...haha.

My PO4 was last measured at .02 and I have almost no algae...tiny little spots here or there.

I dose Prodibio (just the big 3) and also some honey. I also dose CA and Alk.

I did have the odd cyano issue until I added honey and it all went away.

[lastlight]

I did have the odd cyano issue until I added honey and it all went away.

i need to read the forums a bit more often. you mean to tell me we're dosing honey now into our tanks lol? what is the advantage over VSV?

tank looks like it's growing in nicely well done.

[mseepman]

I did some reading about a guy dosing milk and honey...and his results were awesome. I was afraid of the milk side of things but the honey explanation made sense versus VSV...which is more work. I squeeze a dollop of honey in the tank every day if I remember and it's been going well. How's that for scientific?

[Doug]

I did some reading about a guy dosing milk and honey...and his results were awesome. I was afraid of the milk side of things but the honey explanation made sense versus VSV...which is more work. I squeeze a dollop of honey in the tank every day if I remember and it's been going well. How's that for scientific?


:jaw:

[ponokareefer]

Honey as a supplement? That's really weird. Nice tank by the way.

[Myka]

I did some reading about a guy dosing milk and honey...and his results were awesome. I was afraid of the milk side of things but the honey explanation made sense versus VSV...which is more work. I squeeze a dollop of honey in the tank every day if I remember and it's been going well. How's that for scientific?

Haha awesome!

[Myka]

Hey Mark! How's spring in the Okanagan? How's the tank?

[mseepman]

Well its been a while since I posted on the tank. It's had some ups and downs in the last 6 months....right now i've got algae which I have never had before....mainly due to coral over growth on each other and the warfare that ensues. Today I decided that I would tackle the return pump which had started seeping about nine months ago and was a giant ball of salt now. Not a job I look forward to again. The impeller had rusted onto the shaft where the seal was weeping and it took 2hrs to break it loose. I switched to my second pump (another new blackfin3600) with new seals and put it back together to discover the seal was faulty and leaked. we took it all apart again and put in my spare set of seals and thankfully the leak was over.....except that now I have a drip at the bulkhead where the return draws from the sump.....arghhhh!!!!

[Gools]

Hey Mark any recent tank shots? I must say your setup is my candy store!

[Myka]

Oh jeez Mark! Hang in there! :) Is the algae getting any better? What have you done to counteract it?

[mseepman]

I will put some shots on here shortly...gotta take them first. Thanks for the vote of confidence though.

As for the algae, i've got two reactors running gfo and have added one with carbon per your suggestion. I was lights out also for the last three days. By changing the return pump i've bumped the flow with a clean pump too. Continuing with prodibio and of course pulling out stuff manually every day.

[Myka]

Yeah the carbon will help with alellopathy. Did you beef up the CUC?

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

[ALBERTA REEF]

Like your tank journal. fallowing along. :biggrin:

[mseepman]

Thanks...it's been a bit of a struggle lately. I know I promised to get a few shots up and I haven't yet....it's on my short list of things to do.

Today I started the "trimming" of the corals to try and reduce some of the battles that are causing me so much algae and strife. Not sure what I did helped but we will see over the next few days. Can't believe how quickly I ran out of room in the tank.

[Gools]

If you looking to get rid of some of those cuttings let me know!

[mseepman]

What do you need Nigel?

[Gools]

Always looking for frags! What I need though is to pick you brain! Haven't had the greatest luck this year either! We'll have to get together soon!

[mseepman]

That works for me. Not sure my brain has the answers.

For example...I am always always low on ALK...I've been bumping my doser regularly over the last year but still fighting to hit 6 dkh. About 2 weeks ago I changed the head on the doser channel for ALK as the old one had some seepage coming out. Then about a week ago I noticed some strange behavior on a few corals...and it continued to get worse. Had a couple outright die on me. It almost looked like burnt tips and then overall burn on some pieces. Today I retested my ALK twice and I'm at 10.5dkh. Holy Crap!! I had done some recent big water changes and when testing the new Reef Crystals, the ALK was up at 11 but I thought it could only help me since I'm always so low. I didn't think about the fact that the new doser head would function much better and because my doser works on time and speed i was putting a lot more in than before.

Tested my CA which is always high and was down to around 300...so what a mess. Working on some slow corrections now.

[Myka]

Yikes! I hope it works out ok for you.

[mseepman]

So my tank continues to endure strife....Although most seem to center around ALK issues, my Phosphate has climbed to. 06 and after buying another new test kit, I am registering. 25 nitrates. Gonna start biopellets this week. Just working on whether I can find the fittings needed to plumb right into skimmer. Been looking around for a recirculating reactor but will use phosban 150 for the interim.

Taken two ice cream buckets of dead sps in the last two weeks. Crying shame.

[Ginu]

Ouch Mark, I went through the same thing with my sps... total loss for me...

Also cant remember how you run return/overflow, but I suggest not plumbing anything to the return as it will fluctuate overflow box due to many factors which slow down the main pump, mainly gunk buildup...

[Skimmerking]

Looking good Markus

[mseepman]

Thanks, sadly its not really looking good. Sitting at about 80% Sps loss right now...just can't figure out what is wrong. Watching all parameters and they are normal. PO4 is a little high at (.06) Checked equipment for failures....replaced some just for the heck of it. Changed GFO and changed carbon brands just in case. Scrubbed my water change station down completely. Changed Di and prefilter on rodi.
Last resort has been doing 100G water changes every day...trying to change something for the positive.

Fish are happy but dead corals bring algae and cyano. I can't remove them fast enough.

Corals develop large white 'spots' and then return in all directions from each spot with a few days.

[Ginu]

What is your NO3 running at? Also do you dip the sps to see if anything "strange" happens to come off them?

[mseepman]

So my NO3 has been tested by two test kits. API which showed zero and Salifert which showed just above zero. In case I had issues that i wasn't detecting, a few weeks ago I started with Biopellets (though a minor amount). This was well after corals started dying in mass.

I have searched corals for pests but can find none. My frag tank is attached to main tank and frags have gone through same issues. I've dipped them in several dips but nothing visible. Haven't added a coral in many months. I was too full.

Might try a Revive dip to see if maybe bacterial infection...not sure if that would help.

The only event was an Alk dip that I described above quite a while back. ALK is now 7.1, CA is 500, MG is 1400. Tests done today. Ph is 8.32 and 8.31 on my two probes respectively.

[mseepman]

Just as additional information, this is killing acro, monti, birdsnest...even pocci. Its not particular.

[Ginu]

What lights do you use and what is the schedule

What Alk test kit do you use?


Sorry for all the questions. I have had a similar scenario where all my sps died and I'm still confused on the cause, so I'm trying to see if we have similarities.

[mseepman]

My lights are of my own design....Cree Led along with minor T5 as a suppliment. They are all a little too high off the water (14") but they have grown my tank well for the last three years.

My ALK test is the Hanna meter. I've tried two batches of regents just in case. I also have an Elos manual kit that I checked it against periodically.

[mseepman]

Wow, I have not updated this in forever. So as mentioned above I was experiencing some strife in the tank. Then the APEX failed while I was on Vacation and in its failure, it ignored the fallbacks as well and dumped all my dosing containers as fast as it could at once into the tank. (I had switched to 3 BRS dosers run by the APEX after my prior doser failed). This really put things over the edge and killed most of the corals in the tank that had survived the prior strife. Algae came hard after those deaths (how the fish made it through is beyond me). I've battled the algae for the last three years gaining some days and losing most. In mid 2019 I tried Vibrant and it really was what I needed to get things back on track. The tank cleaned up dramatically (although my Cheato all died) and I was able to stabilize everything.
I'm now back in game and the tank is doing mostly well. I have some cyano issues right now but I have been dealing with it. I'm back on prodibio and that has helped as well. I was lucky to get some help from local reefers and a few orders from Marine Experience to re-stock the tank with SPS. I will be using Aquaforest products to color things up and strengthen the corals as they grow.
My lights have been giving me issues for a while now and I'm currently debating moving to fixtures if I can make the pricing work. My lights were never full spectrum and so I always wondered if I could get more color from my SPS if they were.
I've attached a few pics to give an idea on how it looks.

https://i.imgur.com/GLuPZRmh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NJIMucXh.jpg

[Gools]

looking good Mark.

[mseepman]

I'm still trying Nigel, how is your tank doing?

[Gools]

my tanks eh! good and bad!
If you need any fresh cut sps pop on over!

[lastlight]

Other than the cyano your tank looks clear so congrats on that. I faced similar issues but not for that long thankfully. My rocks were so covered within a week of carefully brushing/cutting/plucking that I could barely see them. Vibrant was also what turned things around in my case. I have only done single, small doses maybe once every 2 months since and things are continuing to do ok for me. Looking forward to more updates =)

[mseepman]

I wanted to give a huge thanks to my fellow reefers H2o2 and Gools who stepped up with some amazing frags to get me going with fuzzy sticks. I can't thank you both enough for your generosity!!!

[mseepman]

So I've been having issues with my DIY Led rig after 7 years. It still works but 3 strings of Royal blue go out at random times every day and won't come back on until I intervene. I also noticed as I was replacing a few LED's the other day that some of the new ones look brighter than the old and upon inspection up close with the reflector off, I see some cloudiness in the older LED.
The exciting news is that I ordered 3 new fixtures to replace the old unit and today they arrived. They shipped on Thursday and got here today so that was nice and quick.
https://i.imgur.com/qd92mIbl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/46GEzFPl.jpg

[Thanhk87]

Without knowing much about how the setup and rig is..... led does fade over time...faster if over heated. Could be salt that got in, check your soldering you never know its diy after all. Check your cooling system. Check your Amps.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[bauder1986]

I'm very curious about these new lights of yours after you mentioned them on that other thread. Look forward to the full review.

[H2o2]

Wondering if you will have to acclimate the corals now as the new lights should be a stronger light ? Please posts some pics when up and running of those great Frags 😊

[mseepman]

Yeah I'm betting that I will have to be really careful not to kill everything with the new light. I've going to use the old DIY fixture and try to re-wire so that I can use a string or two if I need to supplement the outside edges...although from what I read, this light will overpower everything.

[mseepman]

So I broke these bad boys out of the boxes and out of their shrink wrap. They quality is really impressive!! I got them hooked up to each other to make sure nothing got bumped out of place in transit.

They are crazy bright and the App is a little un-polished but it works fine. I plan to try to mount them to the old DIY fixture this weekend. Fingers crossed. :)

https://i.imgur.com/zSZDqm0l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/HMhMcIZl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FoFj3RSl.jpg

[mseepman]

Got the lights up today. By the way, it's the lower light boxes...not the DIY up top. I mounted to my previous fixture as I have an electric lift on it and can move these up and down now too.

https://i.imgur.com/V0kSqjEl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1vDGjVdl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/k6QL5xfl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MIL0UO3l.jpg

[bauder1986]

https://i.imgur.com/zSZDqm0l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/HMhMcIZl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FoFj3RSl.jpg

Damn I love the full spectrum to these lights. You can actually discern the different light spectrums. What was it worth per fixture?

[mseepman]

For the three of them, one master and two slaves. With the spectrum set as I wanted it (12 different LED colors) and the lenses of my choice, I'm into it for $832US including shipping. I can still use the old lights for added effect if needed.

[mseepman]

So the new lights have been up for a while...my corals are happy and growing. Maybe not as fast as I like because I've had trouble with getting Alk and CA right. The lights are not turned up yet with the highest channel reaching 60% during peak hours.

https://i.imgur.com/JU4CXvTl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/EdyJT3jl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/oYSd2t4l.jpg

[mseepman]

Thought I would update the tread with a few pics on how my tank is progressing. The lights are working well and corals continue to grow and color up. I ran out of room so I added some new rock as you can see by the color difference.

https://i.imgur.com/YdW0fijh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/g4sRqgWh.jpg

[smokinreefer]

Looks great!

I spy some new rocks!

[Delphinus]

Sorry if this info is posted somewhere and I just overlooked it (I did try to look but came up empty), what lights are these new ones? Thanks!

[mseepman]

I installed new Mirage x200 lights from LedZeal. I got to design the setup and spectrums. They are fully controllable with four channels. All in, including shipping was less than one radion.

[smokinreefer]

cool.

would you think 3 of those would light a 96" x 36w x 24h?

and what changes did you make from the default set up and why?

[mseepman]

I would say that you would be better to go with more of them. I have them straight up the center and my tank is 84"L x 28"w x 26"D and as my corals grow large I imagine I will need to add a strip (maybe orphek) or t5 up the sides. In your situation I would say to look at 4 of them set diagonally which would cover the extra width and the length. An extra slave unit was about $235USD. They are also introducing the new X300 which is 36"long and more wattage. I don't know pricing.
As for my changes, I felt the original was a little too windex like. They now have a pre-made "super blue" option which has been popular and it mirrors the Radion G5 blue for look. I have attached what I did in this pic. In hindsight I think I would replace the reds with two Royal Blue as I get enough red in my low K whites.

https://i.imgur.com/GD70RC5h.png

[smokinreefer]

Hey,

It's been a couple months, any more thoughts on the new lights?
Is your layout the same as the "G5" premade, or how is yours different?

[mseepman]

Sorry I didn't see this. I'm still loving my lights. I have added some Orphek OR3 bars to each side to angle in so that some areas that might be shaded otherwise from coral will get some light.

[mseepman]

So it's been a while since I posted...the tank is doing ok. I have been really busy and have not given it the attention it deserves.

Corals are growing and so are the fish. The little jerks keep ripping new corals off the rock and dropping them (some never to be found).

I have always hated working with filter socks and just recently decided to make the leap to a filter roller. I installed this yesterday. I like that it lets me switch the input side around easily. Overall, I'm pretty impressed.

https://i.imgur.com/bU2RCqMl.jpg

[H2o2]

Right on I am also getting tired of cleaning socks and will get a report off in a while. Have another frag or 2 for u also

[mseepman]

Ditto buddy, I have some good stuff for you. Let's make sure we get together soon!!

[kien]

How are you liking the filter roller still ? I was doing some googling on these. I noticed that Red Sea is coming out with one soon and was curious to know how these worked. The only gripe I have with these is having to throw them out and buying a new roll.. can you throw the old floss into the washer and re-use it ?