Nano Sapiens 12g - Ye Olde Mixed Reef

[owenj]

I want to bounce around on your ric garden like a fun house

[ScoobyDoo!]

Oh my! That tank is awesome! Reeheeheehee!

[Nano sapiens]

I want to bounce around on your ric garden like a fun house

 

LOL...kinda like my Clowfish do

 

Oh my! That tank is awesome! Reeheeheehee!

 

Glad you like it

[Polarcollision]

One of the advantages to having a tank run for a long time

 

The mint green coral is either Pavona varians ('Corrugated Coral') or possibly Pavona decussata ('Lettuce Leaf Coral', 'Potato-chip Coral', 'Cactus Coral'...take your pick). The more I look at it in larger colony size the more I'm leaning towards P. decussata:

 

 

 

Looks even better in the side shot - really nice piece. Love how it's growing

[Nano sapiens]

Looks even better in the side shot - really nice piece. Love how it's growing

 

It used to have more 'fronds', but since it's a small tank I've knocked a few off, unfortunately.

 

Looking back, this one of my first SPS. It was the second to last coral left on the frag-swap table since few people were interested in Pavona six years ago. It's nice to see more of these encrusting SPS such as Pavona, Psammacora, Leptoseris, and the like, being kept these days.

 

Interesting tid-bit: That little purple Discosoma 'shroom hunkering down in the pic is from 18 year old lineage as it was the first coral in my old 50g tank started in 1997

[Sk8n Reefer]

That is a great looking piece !

[Nano sapiens]

That is a great looking piece !

 

Thanks, nice to see Pavona getting some appreciation

 

It's a little lighter in color due to sitting under ~200 PAR LEDs. It gets a richer mint green color in areas of slight shading where PAR is lower, as can be seen in the bottom left most area of the pic.

[Polarcollision]

It used to have more 'fronds', but since it's a small tank I've knocked a few off, unfortunately.

 

Looking back, this one of my first SPS. It was the second to last coral left on the frag-swap table since few people were interested in Pavona six years ago. It's nice to see more of these encrusting SPS such as Pavona, Psammacora, Leptoseris, and the like, being kept these days.

 

Interesting tid-bit: That little purple Discosoma 'shroom hunckering down in the pic is from 18 year old lineage as it was the first coral in my old 50g tank started in 1997

 

The paddles look very thin - easy to understand how fragile they are. The group of coral you mentioned all have great surface patterns, especially pavona. I've recently picked up a green branching psammocorra that is almost neon as well as an unknown neon orange frag that might be pavona or psammocorra--nice to watch something grow that you (I) don't see very often.

 

Ever wonder how corals don't appear to suffer from cancer? They seem immortal in a way and yet cell division doesn't seem to go awry.

[Nano sapiens]

The paddles look very thin - easy to understand how fragile they are. The group of coral you mentioned all have great surface patterns, especially pavona. I've recently picked up a green branching psammocorra that is almost neon as well as an unknown neon orange frag that might be pavona or psammocorra--nice to watch something grow that you (I) don't see very often.

 

Ever wonder how corals don't appear to suffer from cancer? They seem immortal in a way and yet cell division doesn't seem to go awry.

 

With higher life forms, the telomeres get minutely shorter with each cell division. Depending on the species, this leads to a sooner or later finite life span.

 

This is an interesting read which specifically looks at telomeres and telomerase in scleratinian corals:

 

http://www.biolbull.org/content/218/2/113.full

[TigerLily]

Great FTS! I've got serious ric envy. Happy New Year!

[Nano sapiens]

Great FTS! I've got serious ric envy. Happy New Year!

 

Thanks...and Happy New Year, too!

[Nano sapiens]

Took a good long look at my Triton water test results and I noted that they were very similar to reef enthusiast/chemist extraordinare Randy Holmes-Farley's tank test results. Since we both use the same salt company, both use only Kalkwasser and both dose Mg (and have many of the same element deficiencies and excesses) his post detailing his results and what they mean from a chemist's point of view is priceless:

 

http://www.reef2reef.com/blog/my-triton-testing-results-by-randy-holmes-farley/

 

My New Year's strategy to address many (hopefully all) of the deficiencies is to mix my currentl 60/40 blend of RC/IO with a 'close to NSW level' tub of Red Sea (blue bucket), at a 50/50 ratio. Specifically, I hope to accomplish these things:

 

1. Lower my 2x/week water change alk swings from 0.4 dKh to 0.2 dKh (or less)

2. Maintain my alk a tad lower at around 8.6 - 8.8 dKh

3. Maintain my Ca at around ~420-430 ppm

4. Correct my Molybdenum deficiency to NSW level.

5. Lower my Tin, Bromine, Zinc and Lithium excesses

6. Increase Vanadium and Manganese to measurable levels closer to NSW

7. Maintain Mg at ~1300 - 1350 ppt

 

Second part of the plan is to have a second Triton test in about a year to see if the plan to adjust elements was successful (or not).

 

I'll admit it's a stretch, but since most of my Yuma population are slowly losing their footing (literally) I'll be paying close attention to see if the salt mix change has any effect on improving, or possibly even reversing, this condition.

[Nano sapiens]

In addition to the salt mix changes to address specific element issues, I plan to keep these parameters as regular and stable as possible:

 

Salinity (specific gravity): 35ppt (1.026) +/- 0.00025

Temperature: 77.5 F (`10 months), 77.5 - 80 F (~2 months in summer)

Lighting: No changes to emitter compostion, intensity or duration. One day/week at 1/2 intensity (both high power DIY strips)

Feeding: Clownfish feeding 2x/daily (flakes/pellets morning, various frozen feeds evenings). Coral feeding 1x/week (Reef-Roids or powdered Prime flakes for SPS/Zoas and meaty frozen foods for LPS).

Nutrient Reduction: Regulation of nutrients through adjustment of maintenance practices when necessary

 

By keeping changes to a minimum, the effects of addressing element abnormalities can be better ascertained.

 

I'll also be observing key species in the tank that have been helpful in determining changes in the past. Over the years, I have noticed that the Sunset Montipora will pale quickest when nutrients begin to get low, followed closely by the Mint-Green Pavona. The Red Planet Acro varient is highly sensitive to salinity, alk swings, lighting changes....well, just about everything, really

 

Keeping such tight control on a small 12g AIO system might seem excessive, or even impossible, but the challenge I've set forth is to determine the limits of stability in such a simple system and what positive changes might come out of such stability for the tank inhabitants over the long term.

 

The journey continues...

[ninjamyst]

I may have to start mixing salt too given RC is so high in alk. Thanks for the suggestion!

[jedimasterben]

Took a good long look at my Triton water test results and I noted that they were very similar to reef enthusiast/chemist extraordinare Randy Holmes-Farley's tank test results. Since we both use the same salt company, both use only Kalkwasser and both dose Mg (and have many of the same element deficiencies and excesses) his post detailing his results and what they mean from a chemist's point of view is priceless:

 

http://www.reef2reef.com/blog/my-triton-testing-results-by-randy-holmes-farley/

In short, #RHFforpresident

 

 

 

 

I still say you should get an LED controller.

[Nano sapiens]

I may have to start mixing salt too given RC is so high in alk. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Yeah, RC is high alright, but the alk swing is too high for me unless I were doing something like daily dosing where the swing would be minimized.

 

In short, #RHFforpresident

 

 

 

 

I still say you should get an LED controller.

 

LOL...

 

I've fiddled around a lot with the LEDs last year, but this year I'm leaving them 'as is'.

 

Next year, who knows

[metrokat]

Happy new year to you, sorry I missed the wild Yuma and sponge issues after the triton test, I miss your pink Yuma I've been looking for one ever since you got yours. I'm sure you thought of it but would carbon have helped when the sponges turned to warfare?

 

 

I want to bounce around on your ric garden like a fun house

This

[jedimasterben]

I've fiddled around a lot with the LEDs last year, but this year I'm leaving them 'as is'.

 

Next year, who knows

Psh.

[Nano sapiens]

Happy new year to you, sorry I missed the wild Yuma and sponge issues after the triton test, I miss your pink Yuma I've been looking for one ever since you got yours. I'm sure you thought of it but would carbon have helped when the sponges turned to warfare? This

 

Happy New Year, too!

 

Loosing the pink Yuma was a blow, but it happens. The others are showing signs of falling off their perches, but at least it doesn't look like a full blown bacterial infection. I have an orange one on the sand bed and it's still colored up okay and looks puffy, so there's still hope.

 

I'm not 100% sure that the sponge was actually the culprit since the condition spread to other Yumas, too. The sponge may just have been in the right place to make it look like it was the cause. So easy to jump to conclusions in this hobby

 

Good luck in finding a nice pink one!

 

Psh.

 

LOL. This coming from the #1 LED fiddler of them all

[jedimasterben]

LOL. This coming from the #1 LED fiddler of them all

 

 

 

but seriously, you should totally use a controller. It will change your life.

 

 

 

ok, well, maybe not to that extent, but it'll change your corals' lives

[Nano sapiens]

 

 

 

but seriously, you should totally use a controller. It will change your life.

 

 

 

ok, well, maybe not to that extent, but it'll change your corals' lives

 

 

I'll grant you that a controller would allow a fine adjustment of the white channel intensity, which could be helpful. I already have a 'ramp up/ramp down' using three timers, so that part is covered fairly well, although a controller could smooth that out even more. Any other benefits you could suggest benefting the corals? I suppose my Stunner Strips would need to stay on a timer unless a controller of some sort could accomodate them?

 

The plan for this year is to concentrate on parameter stability and address any water quality issues. At the end of the year, once everything is dialed in as well as possible, a controller for Xmas would make a great present (hint for the wife)

[jedimasterben]

 

I'll grant you that a controller would allow a fine adjustment of the white channel intensity, which could be helpful. I already have a 'ramp up/ramp down' using three timers, so that part is covered fairly well, although a controller could smooth that out even more. Any other benefits you could suggest benefting the corals? I suppose my Stunner Strips would need to stay on a timer unless a controller of some sort could accomodate them?

 

The plan for this year is to concentrate on parameter stability and address any water quality issues. At the end of the year, once everything is dialed in as well as possible, a controller for Xmas would make a great present (hint for the wife)

If you had a Bluefish controller, it has an interface to basically pulse the constant voltage power going into the Stunner strips to dim them. https://aquarium-led-controller.com/product/bluefish-power-dimmer/

 

Then while you could use the Inventronics drivers you have, I would personally swap to a Meanwell LDD-based setup so that you have much, much enhanced dimming control. In addition, since the LDD are dirt cheap, you could control each color individually so long as you have enough dimming ports.

 

Dimming throughout the day can allow you to reach higher total output of the LEDs without changing your total DLI.

[Nano sapiens]

If you had a Bluefish controller, it has an interface to basically pulse the constant voltage power going into the Stunner strips to dim them. https://aquarium-led-controller.com/product/bluefish-power-dimmer/

 

Then while you could use the Inventronics drivers you have, I would personally swap to a Meanwell LDD-based setup so that you have much, much enhanced dimming control. In addition, since the LDD are dirt cheap, you could control each color individually so long as you have enough dimming ports.

 

Dimming throughout the day can allow you to reach higher total output of the LEDs without changing your total DLI.

 

So the Bluefish controller could be used to control my DIY strips as well as the Stunners. That's handy, indeed!

 

If I'm going to go full control, then what I'd really like to do is have a set up that mimics not only the light spectrum and intensity changes that occur throughout the day, but also the earth's daily rotation in relation to the sun (what we would naturally think of as the sun's trajectory across the sky). This would take some fairly sophisticated planning but would be closest to what actually happens in nature.

 

I envision that it could be done using (3) individual clusters spanning the length of the canopy and activating from left to right. The emitters in the left most array could be activated in such a way as to provide actinic to near full sun, then blending with the center array for 'full intensity/full spectrum' and then the third array blending from near full sun back down to actinic again to complete the cycle.

 

Hmmm...

[jedimasterben]

So the Bluefish controller could be used to control my DIY strips as well as the Stunners. That's handy, indeed!

 

If I'm going to go full control, then what I'd really like to do is have a set up that mimics not only the light spectrum and intensity changes that occur throughout the day, but also the earth's daily rotation in relation to the sun (what we would naturally think of as the sun's trajectory across the sky). This would take some fairly sophisticated planning but would be closest to what actually happens in nature.

 

I envision that it could be done using (3) individual clusters spanning the length of the canopy and activating from left to right. The emitters in the left most array could be activated in such a way as to provide actinic to near full sun, then blending with the center array for 'full intensity/full spectrum' and then the third array blending from near full sun back down to actinic again to complete the cycle.

 

Hmmm...

For that, you couldn't necessarily use the Bluefish as it does not have that many channels of control. The Storm X has 16 channels, though, and you could definitely work with that. No wireless control, though. I've seen a few builds that do that and it's pretty freakin sweet. I considered it for mine, and may still do it one day in the future if Bluefish gets more channels.

[Nano sapiens]

For that, you couldn't necessarily use the Bluefish as it does not have that many channels of control. The Storm X has 16 channels, though, and you could definitely work with that. No wireless control, though. I've seen a few builds that do that and it's pretty freakin sweet. I considered it for mine, and may still do it one day in the future if Bluefish gets more channels.

 

Wireless isn't really necessary, IMO (nice have, though). If I do this I'd first create an arced canopy to better approximate the natural light angles of penetration. The Stunners would likely have to go, though, unless I can figure out if it's possible to bend them to match the canopy arc.

 

This would be one crazy-a$$ build