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Becact's Zeovit SPS Cadlights 39g Sig


becact

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Because I hate softies ;). I have a few zoa frags in this tank to fill out the rockwork, and I also have a few pieces of LPS (some chalices, a frogspawn, acans). But overall I went with mostly SPS because of the intense care they require, their unique growth forms, and their slow growth rates. It's kind of a personal challenge to try to keep a successful SPS tank, and keeping a beautiful one is even harder. So I guess I'm doing it partly to keep the tank interesting to me over time. :)

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I see. I've never thought about SPS like that. I am getting my sunpod in the mail and am going to try my first SPS this weekend. :ninja: I'm nervous. I'm going with a monti cap. What other easy SPS are there that are pretty? Not brown :)

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Montipora digitata is pretty easy along with the monti caps. Next up the ladder is probably the birdsnest type corals (pocilipora, stylophora, etc).

 

In my experience, lighting is kind of over praised by most as the most important factor for SPS. While it is important, I've found that water quality is far more important, along with stability. I've had two tanks with powerful lighting and browned out SPS now, so I'm hoping to buck the trend with this new one :)

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Montipora digitata is pretty easy along with the monti caps. Next up the ladder is probably the birdsnest type corals (pocilipora, stylophora, etc).

 

In my experience, lighting is kind of over praised by most as the most important factor for SPS. While it is important, I've found that water quality is far more important, along with stability. I've had two tanks with powerful lighting and browned out SPS now, so I'm hoping to buck the trend with this new one :)

 

I do like pocilipora... I will try a monti cap frag and a pocilipora then. Are certain colors easier than others?

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I just superglued a small flat piece of plastic over them. No microbubbles yet, but I'll keep my eye on it :). The skimmer seems to be back to functioning normally now, I'll post a skimmate pic when I get some.

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My DSB being useless in small fuges comment was based on something I read which indicated DSBs only gain their function, or become efficient at nitrate reduction, further out from the glass walls, like a foot out. So someone with a 3 by 6 foot tank bottom running a DSB would have some denitrifying area to work with, whereas someone with a 40 breeder might not have much effective area. Again, everyone has differing opinions on this issue, and I've not done a ton of research of DSBs. But even assuming DSBs are equally effective over their whole area, you've got to wonder how effective a very tiny surface area (as is common with nano DSBs) can really be.

 

Also, don't rely on nitrate testing to tell you how your tank is doing nutrient wise. I know that sounds absurd, but in my 90g, which was an algae farm, my nitrates always tested 0. This is because as soon as a trace of nitrate is produced, it is consumed by the algae. I would use phosphate as a more useful measure of the tank's nutrient state, personally. Though this is also consumed by the algae, it seems to linger in the water so you can test it. Perhaps the algae can not consume it as fast as the nitrate, or needs less of it (that's a question for a biologist!). I have known people to have very high nitrates, but still not have an algae outbreak, so I've formed the opinion that phosphate is the oft overlooked culprit with nuisance algae problems, not the commonly ascribed nitrates, which are more a problem for animal health, IMO.

 

If I could offer some advice Tim, I would honestly suggest to remove the DSB in your fuge, and just pack that area full of chaeto and mangroves. I think the space would be much better served in that function. Plus, you give more room for pods and other critters to multiply (a good thing). But I would even more highly suggest doing a ton of research and drawing your own conclusion! :)

 

i've posted my response to this in my thread (follow link in my signature) to avoid hijacking your thread/taking up your real estate. :)

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As it turns out, without the foam, micro bubbles did make it to the display. So it's back in. Blocking off two of the holes still seems to be worthwhile, though, as it lets me keep the skimmer higher.

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Darn, seems I have some zoapox. The cure is pretty easy, though; just dip them in furan2 four days in a row. It's just a hassle unmounting them from their spots.

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Darn, seems I have some zoapox. The cure is pretty easy, though; just dip them in furan2 four days in a row. It's just a hassle unmounting them from their spots.

:o:scarry::eek:

 

that sucks -- but at least it sounds like it won't be too bad to fix. good luck with the fix! fingerscrossed

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Playing around with my camera today, I think I got some good shots! (for a point and shoot).

 

Just picked this beautiful fungia (aka plate coral) today at WWC. A buddy and I split the cost and we're going to split it in a week or two:

 

11272009-1.jpg

 

My hawkfish. That poor digitata he's sitting on has been through hell, lol. It's been stung by chalices, broken, knocked off, etc so many times. You can see one of the tips is healing over:

 

11272009-2.jpg

 

Some kind of watermelon chalice:

 

11272009-3.jpg

 

And a hermit hitchin' a ride (can't compare to rehype's macro hermit shots!):

 

11272009-4.jpg

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Awesome pics B!I love the shot of the hawkfish.

 

Thanks! He's quite a character.

 

Awesome shots. I wish I could of made it to WWC today. How was the sale?

 

It was OK. There were a ton of people there pushing and shoving as is typical of sales. If you were in the market for salt you could have made out well; it was buy one get one. Traffic was horrible, though!

 

On a side note, I started dosing Phol's Xtra today at 0.5ml daily, ramping up to 1 ml daily. This supplement is supposed to increase coral growth and color, and also help with healing. I know from reading that there are AAs and trace minerals in it, but who knows what else there is. People seem to like it, though. We'll see how it goes!

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Oh. I was talking about the chalice. It's really nice. The plate is awesome too. You're fragging it?

 

Yup. A buddy and I split the cost as it was pretty pricey (as it is not a single color like the more common color morphs). Plates are supposedly easy to frag, but this will be my first attempt!

 

An aside about the tank: I am having a diatom bloom right now, as you might be able to tell from a few of the pics, but I'm not worried. It happens to every new reef I set up, and is in fact healthy for the tank, as the diatoms consume any stray silica in your tank. Diatoms don't seem to be related to excess nutrients (besides silica), which I hope the zeovit is taking care of. I also had some bryopsis on a few frags that came in with me. The bryopsis looks gray and shriveled now, but still seems to be growing a tad. I'll give the tank a chance to fight it off on its own, but if it continues to grow, it's easy to kill it with high magnesium. It looks a lot different than it did in my 90g, though, where it looked green and full.

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Oh noes! Tissue Necrosis! omgomgomg

 

IMG_0864-1.jpg

 

IMG_0865.jpg

 

Luckily this is the only coral affected, it has been doing this for the last few days. I asked the guys on zeovit what to do.

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scubasteve2580
Oh no B that's not good. Could it be shock from switching to an ulns?

i dont know. seems kinda close to that frog spawn.. they have been knows to send out sweepers. its just kind wierd how its all over the coral is spots.. also ive heard rumor that they are highly allelopthic. dang thats a nice colony too

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I don't think its from the frogspawn, because there is an acro colony even closer to it on the other side. Plus the sweepers could never reach the far side of it.

 

Could be from shock E, I don't know to be honest. None of the other corals are affected, even a pocilopora I have on the other side of the tank, which is very similar. My green slimer had a bit of TN as well when first starting, but is healing now. It might have had it when it went in for all I know.

 

I don't know that there's really much I can do. I'll take a nice frag off of it tomorrow for insurance.

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scubasteve2580
I don't think its from the frogspawn, because there is an acro colony even closer to it on the other side. Plus the sweepers could never reach the far side of it.

 

Could be from shock E, I don't know to be honest. None of the other corals are affected, even a pocilopora I have on the other side of the tank, which is very similar. My green slimer had a bit of TN as well when first starting, but is healing now. It might have had it when it went in for all I know.

 

I don't know that there's really much I can do. I'll take a nice frag off of it tomorrow for insurance.

i pit a nice green cap under my t5's some time back. the cap came out of a halide tank.. needless to say it got RTN and was gone in one day.. it very well may be the lighting.. i dont care what anyone says about the intensity of halides.. t5 doesnt have shimmering light its a constant uniform lighting.. they are very capable of being "to much". i have a 150 over a 10 gallon frag tank and then i have my diy 108 watt t5 over my 10 gallon display and to me the t5 seems much brighter. and 3 out of the 6 bulbs are actinic. but anyway... even with all that going on you still have an awsome tank.

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