buddy08
SPS Addict
Yeah, i had to turn the intensity down to about 250 par at the surface to acclimate the corals again. I will slowly bump it up over the next few weeks
And We're Live! Buddys 75g Setup
- Thread starter buddy08
- Start date
Smitty
Reef pro
Whoa, that's a big difference. Just a thought, but why don't you try removing the optics from the leds around the center brace, that way you can still get that coverage around the center brace like you had before. And leave the optics on all the other ones.
buddy08
SPS Addict
Thats a great thought! only problem is the optics are now epoxied to the LEDs and I'm affraid if I try to take one off, it might damage the LED itself :(
the 215 measurement is still higher than the one without the optics in that area so it should be fine. They really highlight my rocks and the bottom of the tank now and not so much the powerheads and back glass pane.
the 215 measurement is still higher than the one without the optics in that area so it should be fine. They really highlight my rocks and the bottom of the tank now and not so much the powerheads and back glass pane.
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buddy08
SPS Addict
JBJ ATO arrived today! will update when i return from work.
buddy08
SPS Addict
Update time! After the results of my par levels, I decided to go ahead and start housing SPS corals. So far so good, I turned the LEDs up to give the new sps corals adequate lighting. I pissed a few LPS corals off but theyre making a strong recovery. I bought a ORA rose Millipora a week ago and 2 encrusting monticaps. I thought I was going to lose the sps due to improper water conditions but turns out, I handled it to much and it was just unhappy. It has perked up and seems happy. The monti caps look great as well. It was recommended that I should top off daily where as I used to top off every 3 days or so. I ordered a JBJ ATO on cyber Monday and received it a few days ago. It has now been installed and is working like intended. Now I just need to increase my salinity from 1.024 to 1.026 (I used to keep it a constant 1.025 but its dropped some over time). I can assume that once my salinity reaches 1.026, the corals will be happy as a fat kid in a bakery. I also have started feeding my softies and LPS reef snow every other day and so far, have had positive results especially with the zoanthids. Heres some photos of my progress
New Cap and barely visible above it is the rose milli
I bought 4 more sps frags today from a local reefer. 1x ORA Red planet, 1x pink digitata, 1x yellow millipora (looks teal in my tank, was yellow in his) and 1x tricolor
I also received a few new zoanthids
and this mean green favia is regrowing its 4th head that was attacked by an acan when I first got it
Heres the ATO installed, I am using a bucket as my freshwater reservoir. I hope to change that out in the future with a 10gallon tank and be able to hide it all under a cheap end table as its kind of sitting on the floor in my living room.
and lastly, videos.. All photos and video is taken with my iPhone so the quality is not that good but it works.
Video:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aCAdT0yD1U]Buddys Reef @ 10 months - YouTube[/ame]
Actinic:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0VdjEBOEwI]Buddys Reef @ 10 mos under LED actinics - YouTube[/ame]
Thanks for yalls help so far. all feedback and comments are welcome :bounce:
New Cap and barely visible above it is the rose milli
I bought 4 more sps frags today from a local reefer. 1x ORA Red planet, 1x pink digitata, 1x yellow millipora (looks teal in my tank, was yellow in his) and 1x tricolor
I also received a few new zoanthids
and this mean green favia is regrowing its 4th head that was attacked by an acan when I first got it
Heres the ATO installed, I am using a bucket as my freshwater reservoir. I hope to change that out in the future with a 10gallon tank and be able to hide it all under a cheap end table as its kind of sitting on the floor in my living room.
and lastly, videos.. All photos and video is taken with my iPhone so the quality is not that good but it works.
Video:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aCAdT0yD1U]Buddys Reef @ 10 months - YouTube[/ame]
Actinic:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0VdjEBOEwI]Buddys Reef @ 10 mos under LED actinics - YouTube[/ame]
Thanks for yalls help so far. all feedback and comments are welcome :bounce:
buddy08
SPS Addict
New stuff
and the frag rack is back in the tank to acclimate the new guys.
I need a little troubleshooting on my tank, I have been told I am over skimming and its limiting my ability to keep encrutsing montiporas, I've lost 2 so far over the past 10 months the tanks been running mainly lack of proper lighting but thats no longer an issue but with that being said, I am slowly losing a 3rd. The polyps have never fully extended in my tank but it maintained color for a month now until the other day. It began bleaching in the center and is progressing rather rapidly over the whole coral frag (2 inchs long). I can see the skeleton inplace where the coral has bleached (or died off) and am affraid I will lose this one too. My water parameters seem fine but there has to be a hidden variable somewhere thats inhibiting me with montiporas. I am not having any troubles with the new acro frags (But the oldest ones I have are about 3 weeks old now) nore am I struggling with the the monticaps.
After testing all parameters, This is where my water parameters stand:
-Salinity 1.026
-Temp 80.6 (raises to 81.5ish during the day)
-ph 8.0
-nitrites 0ppm
-ammonia 0ppm (my test kit is reading a little greenish and matches the 0.25 ppm color more but I dont know how reliable the kit has been as its an api kit and has always been this color since day one of setup. with as much live rock I have and 10 months of being set up, I doubt theres any ammonia in this tank.)
-nitrates 0ppm
-phosphates 0ppm
-alk 9dkh (going to bump this up with twopart tonight)
-calc 440
-mag 1440
I have moved my powerheads in hopes of generating a better flow but its hard to tune them into a perfect location when everything else seems happy. I will be installing 2 hydor 1400's on the tank after Christmas with the new hydor wakemaker system. Hopefully that helps generate a more random current. I would really like to get this thing figured out, esecially now that I have a new tyree sunset monti frag and a new rainbow monti frag. Theyre currently acclimating with the other sps corals on the frag rack (only the rainbow is pictured as I was still attaching corals to plugs and tiles when I took that photo).
as for equipment below in the sump, I change the waste basket in the skimmer every 3 days but runs 24/7 and the same with the bio pellet reactor running 24/7 as well. I have a jbj ato installed now so my salinity stays a constant 1.026 now. The only thing I don't do as often as I should is water changes. I change my water once a month based on my water parameters.
Do any of you know what could be the problem and a solution that could point me in the right direction.:bowdown:
and the frag rack is back in the tank to acclimate the new guys.
I need a little troubleshooting on my tank, I have been told I am over skimming and its limiting my ability to keep encrutsing montiporas, I've lost 2 so far over the past 10 months the tanks been running mainly lack of proper lighting but thats no longer an issue but with that being said, I am slowly losing a 3rd. The polyps have never fully extended in my tank but it maintained color for a month now until the other day. It began bleaching in the center and is progressing rather rapidly over the whole coral frag (2 inchs long). I can see the skeleton inplace where the coral has bleached (or died off) and am affraid I will lose this one too. My water parameters seem fine but there has to be a hidden variable somewhere thats inhibiting me with montiporas. I am not having any troubles with the new acro frags (But the oldest ones I have are about 3 weeks old now) nore am I struggling with the the monticaps.
After testing all parameters, This is where my water parameters stand:
-Salinity 1.026
-Temp 80.6 (raises to 81.5ish during the day)
-ph 8.0
-nitrites 0ppm
-ammonia 0ppm (my test kit is reading a little greenish and matches the 0.25 ppm color more but I dont know how reliable the kit has been as its an api kit and has always been this color since day one of setup. with as much live rock I have and 10 months of being set up, I doubt theres any ammonia in this tank.)
-nitrates 0ppm
-phosphates 0ppm
-alk 9dkh (going to bump this up with twopart tonight)
-calc 440
-mag 1440
I have moved my powerheads in hopes of generating a better flow but its hard to tune them into a perfect location when everything else seems happy. I will be installing 2 hydor 1400's on the tank after Christmas with the new hydor wakemaker system. Hopefully that helps generate a more random current. I would really like to get this thing figured out, esecially now that I have a new tyree sunset monti frag and a new rainbow monti frag. Theyre currently acclimating with the other sps corals on the frag rack (only the rainbow is pictured as I was still attaching corals to plugs and tiles when I took that photo).
as for equipment below in the sump, I change the waste basket in the skimmer every 3 days but runs 24/7 and the same with the bio pellet reactor running 24/7 as well. I have a jbj ato installed now so my salinity stays a constant 1.026 now. The only thing I don't do as often as I should is water changes. I change my water once a month based on my water parameters.
Do any of you know what could be the problem and a solution that could point me in the right direction.:bowdown:
Smitty
Reef pro
How much light are the monti's getting? From my understanding, monti plates don't like super bright, direct lighting like other sps's. I've lost two also in the past, and my other sps's are doing great, so I think it may be too much light.
buddy08
SPS Addict
the ones that ive lost were at the top of the tank receiving the most light. Should I move it down?
Smitty
Reef pro
Yeah, I'd move them down some...they're lower light sps's.
buddy08
SPS Addict
I broke them off of the frag tile and glued it to the tonga branch that overhangs my zoa garden. its roughly 8 inches above sandbed and about 20" below the lights. hopefully that helps. I was affraid I had a parasite that was the culprit but have never seen any signs of one. I know Ive seen flatworms in my tank messing with my LPS (mainly my torch) and have flatworm exit to kill them off but am affraid it will cause more harm than good. Still debating if I should mess with that or not. I am moving around March of 2012 and plan on replacing my tank with a new 75g s the silicone is flaking off on the one currently in use. When I swap tanks out, I plan on dipping everything and replacing my sand with new sand. Can liverock be dipped as well to flush out unwanted critters?
Smitty
Reef pro
Get yourself a turkey baster and siphon out as many flatworms as possible, then use the fw exit...it works well, I've used it in the past with great results. Then in a day or two, perform a water change. As long as you follow the directions, nothing can go wrong. Good luck with your monti also.
buddy08
SPS Addict
I removed the 3 that I had seen, Havent found any sense then but I know theyre there... somewhere
little_fish
Moderator
When you do the flatworm exit they will jump off the rocks into the water column as they die, and suck them up as you see them. Although the flatworm exit isnt toxic, when the flatworms die they do release a toxin. That can be medigated by sucking them up as they die, then doing a good water change and running carbon.
buddy08
SPS Addict
As for my water quality, is there anything inhibiting my corals growth?
little_fish
Moderator
Not that I saw in your results
buddy08
SPS Addict
New stuff from Christmas
Have them installed in the aquarium now, Not sure where I should direct the flow or how I should sync the flow but for now its swapping every 10 seconds with the power head on the left side aimed upwards and the right power head aimed downwards across from each other. Will post more pictures later :bounce:
Have them installed in the aquarium now, Not sure where I should direct the flow or how I should sync the flow but for now its swapping every 10 seconds with the power head on the left side aimed upwards and the right power head aimed downwards across from each other. Will post more pictures later :bounce:
buddy08
SPS Addict
Been a while since I've updated this. For starters; a lot of the new acros are doing great! most have encrusted onto their frags and are beginning to spread outward. Not much for polyp extension yet, still investigating that one and plan to have my water tested from a second source. Not sure how reliable my api test kits are and I havent been doing water changes as often as I should so I will do one tomorrow and a follow up water change next week to see how the corals react. I did lose 2 of them since then and sadly it looks like I'm losing a third. These three acros colored up nicely but began bleaching from the base up. Very slowly but definitely progressed over a few weeks. 2 of which I killed by trying to frag a branch off thinking I could salvage (this just spead the process up). I do not see any signs of AEFW and have yet to see a red bug. Most of the other frags are now attached to my live rock although I have a few still on the frag rack. I'm giving them more time to encrust and grow before I relocate them as they seem happy where theyre at.
I also have a few new frags as well; cali blue stag, pearlberry, german blue, jedi mind trick monti, sour apple acro, ponape birdnest, tyree sunset monti, miami hurricane, tyree sand dollar monti, ora valida, ora tri color, garf bonsai and tons more.
I moved some of my chalices down as they were taking up room where my sps needed to go. I also moved my acans to the lower left corner of the tank so I now have an "acan" garden, along with 2 different zoanthid gardens.
The red monticap has also been moved below the purple monticap. they fill out this ledge nicely.
At the beginning of January I ventured over to the atlanta area and purchased 3 lyretail anthias. They were in good health and eating so the offer couldnt be passed up. I figured I would have to remove some fish when I got home but fortunately everyone is getting a long well with no signs of aggression or stress. The anthias are still eating and have been in my tank for 2 weeks now.
With the addition of these anthias, I started feeding my tank 2 times a day to keep everyone fat and happy. During this time, my red fire shrimp was MIA. Normally he would come out during feeding time. It was no where to be found and I assumed I would see him more often since I fed the tank twice a day but still no signs of him. I was certain he was dead and my CUC enjoyed him until Friday, I bought 2 more fire shrimp. These were more active unlike the last one which constantly hid. I had some family over and fed the tank for them. The 2 new shrimp came out of course but then my sister counted 3 and I disagreed. She then corrected me and pointed all 3 out Sooooo long story short, the original shrimp wasnt dead, and was just playing hide n seek. I now have 3 fire shrimp. Live aquaria says its best to keep only one but they seem to get along as far as I can tell.
Lastly, I bought a new clam in replacement of the maxima clam I lost last year. Its gorgeous and has already footed himself to the rock I placed him on. It has 4 different colors in its mantle: Blue, Teal, Tan, and Purple and my Girlfriend loves it.
As for the hydor powerheads I recieved for Christmas, they're working great for my setup. I'm thinking about buying a 3rd because I have them set opposite of each other alternating flow every 10 seconds. One is angled towards my overflow and the other towards the bottom of the tank. Bad thing is, my gph turnover is cut in half as both pumps dont run together. Basically Im running a constant 1400gph + 450 return where as if I add a 3rd powerhead.. I should be running 2800+ 450 gph which is 40x+
And lastly, I thought I would show how big this candy cane has gotten. Was a 4 head frag when I got it, Now it has 17 heads!
and a video of everyone, excuse the iPhone quality.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAI3qmbGD10]Buddys 75g Reef Tank - YouTube[/ame]
Good News: I have permission to upgrade to a 180! That is in the near future and everything from this tank will be transfer over. Be on the lookout for my new build, Im going allllllll out! :^:
I also have a few new frags as well; cali blue stag, pearlberry, german blue, jedi mind trick monti, sour apple acro, ponape birdnest, tyree sunset monti, miami hurricane, tyree sand dollar monti, ora valida, ora tri color, garf bonsai and tons more.
I moved some of my chalices down as they were taking up room where my sps needed to go. I also moved my acans to the lower left corner of the tank so I now have an "acan" garden, along with 2 different zoanthid gardens.
The red monticap has also been moved below the purple monticap. they fill out this ledge nicely.
At the beginning of January I ventured over to the atlanta area and purchased 3 lyretail anthias. They were in good health and eating so the offer couldnt be passed up. I figured I would have to remove some fish when I got home but fortunately everyone is getting a long well with no signs of aggression or stress. The anthias are still eating and have been in my tank for 2 weeks now.
With the addition of these anthias, I started feeding my tank 2 times a day to keep everyone fat and happy. During this time, my red fire shrimp was MIA. Normally he would come out during feeding time. It was no where to be found and I assumed I would see him more often since I fed the tank twice a day but still no signs of him. I was certain he was dead and my CUC enjoyed him until Friday, I bought 2 more fire shrimp. These were more active unlike the last one which constantly hid. I had some family over and fed the tank for them. The 2 new shrimp came out of course but then my sister counted 3 and I disagreed. She then corrected me and pointed all 3 out Sooooo long story short, the original shrimp wasnt dead, and was just playing hide n seek. I now have 3 fire shrimp. Live aquaria says its best to keep only one but they seem to get along as far as I can tell.
Lastly, I bought a new clam in replacement of the maxima clam I lost last year. Its gorgeous and has already footed himself to the rock I placed him on. It has 4 different colors in its mantle: Blue, Teal, Tan, and Purple and my Girlfriend loves it.
As for the hydor powerheads I recieved for Christmas, they're working great for my setup. I'm thinking about buying a 3rd because I have them set opposite of each other alternating flow every 10 seconds. One is angled towards my overflow and the other towards the bottom of the tank. Bad thing is, my gph turnover is cut in half as both pumps dont run together. Basically Im running a constant 1400gph + 450 return where as if I add a 3rd powerhead.. I should be running 2800+ 450 gph which is 40x+
And lastly, I thought I would show how big this candy cane has gotten. Was a 4 head frag when I got it, Now it has 17 heads!
and a video of everyone, excuse the iPhone quality.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAI3qmbGD10]Buddys 75g Reef Tank - YouTube[/ame]
Good News: I have permission to upgrade to a 180! That is in the near future and everything from this tank will be transfer over. Be on the lookout for my new build, Im going allllllll out! :^:
Smitty
Reef pro
Looking good Buddy...thanks for the updates and congrats in the new additions.
little_fish
Moderator
Looks awesome!
buddy08
SPS Addict
Thanks! I cant wait for the upgrade. Debating if I should go with a starphire tank or a standard tank. I found one and almost bought it but unfortunately when I asked my better half, her reply was "When do I get a shiny ring?"... And she was serious. Soooo I have a ring being made for her. Once she gets that, then comes the 180 upgrade!
