ChouDawg Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 Thanks for the kind words! I'm not dosing anything but RO/DI for top off. I do 2G WC with IO Salt (not even Reef Crystals) and that's about it. I don't really feed my corals and I don't have any fish so that helps keep nutrients down. I do have a few spots of algae that I manually remove with water changes. Tbh in my last tank I had terrible luck with SPS and that was 3x more water volume under 150W of MH. I think the key is to put them somewhere and leave them there, then keep your parameters stable and wait patiently Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 So after a bit more custom work, I finally have my new LED fixture up. Big thanks to Milad @ LEDGroupBuy and Keith @ Flamin Systems Inc It's a full spectrum MakersLED 6" with 1 OCW, 3x 3-UP (RB/RB/NW), 3x HV, the LEDs except the 6 RB are controlled by a DIM4 controller with sunrise/sunset programming. Just watched my first "virtual" sunset which was pretty freaking awesome Just the RB on now for some crazy actinic pop till full off. Still need to mess with the color blend but I'll see how the corals do first. I hung the light up 10.5" from the water's surface. Which is about twice as high as my last fixture so they should all be fine. Today was their first day under the new fixture. This new fixture since it's full spectrum is a lot harder to photograph I cant get the color balance right. But I also realized it could also be because the spectrum of my current settings might not be correct anyways. Anyways, more to come on that topic, coral updates; none, moved the RDE/Green Encrusting Monti frag onto a permanent location on the rock, It's such an awesome more I wouldn't mind it covering that rock. I fed NLS pellets to my acans, and ricordeas and they devoured them, much simpler than feeding Mysis that's for sure. I did not observe any adverse reaction to the pellets. Livestock: The peppermint remains in isolation in the back, I throw a pellet back there from time to time, I'll get rid of him sooner or later. Still fishless for now... FTS: Aerial: Right: BG Gomezi: MakersLED 6" with custom 18AWG VGA cable (one cord top to bottom ) Photos should hopefully get better once I get my final color mix figured out and find the right white balance, thanks for looking! 3 Link to comment
Deleted User 4 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Sweet setup you got there. 1 Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Thanks! I'm contemplating getting rid of the Hammers/Spawn on the left and getting an anemone instead but it's a bit small of a tank for a nem, aside from mini maxi anemone and I'm deathly afraid it'll end up engulfing all my SPS. Link to comment
supernip Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 let me come molest your tank homes Link to comment
RollaJase Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Loving the look of this cube. Just out of cuiosity, is the rack for your LEDs made from a chrome/nickel plated copper tube or standard metal? I am wanting to remake my own hanging system and am just interested in the materials used. Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 let me come molest your tank homes Thanks...I think? Loving the look of this cube. Just out of cuiosity, is the rack for your LEDs made from a chrome/nickel plated copper tube or standard metal? I am wanting to remake my own hanging system and am just interested in the materials used. I believe it's galvanized steel, 1/2" electrical conduit. Super cheap, about $2 for a 10' section. You can paint it, drill it, bend it, whatever you need. Easily height adjustable and you don't need to drill into the ceiling. 1 Link to comment
supernip Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 fer rizzles. Im in UTC bro Link to comment
RollaJase Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I believe it's galvanized steel, 1/2" electrical conduit. Super cheap, about $2 for a 10' section. You can paint it, drill it, bend it, whatever you need. Easily height adjustable and you don't need to drill into the ceiling. Thanks for that, I'll take a look for it locally, see if I can find some. Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 My tank is 4 months old today! No photos for you guys but I do have a bit of a dilemma I can't quite figure out. So as you guys already know, my corals are doing great; lots of growth, awesome coloration etc. but for some reason I can't seem to keep fish alive. After my first Percula clown died after about 3 days I was fishless till last Friday when I got a small Sixline Wrasse, about 2" or so in length. My pod/critters population was going crazy all over the rocks and glass while my tank was fishless. The Sixline was happy, active, great coloration and plump, the LFS had just gotten it in the day before. I took it home along with a small Watermelon Zoa frag and began drip acclimating at 2-3 drops per second for about 2 hours. I then added the fish and drained a bit more water to complete my weekly 2G WC. The fish seemed happy, it was ducking in/out of the rock work and loved hiding in between my octospawn and hammer and I noticed it happily hunting away at the pods that finally now had a predator. Friday went by fine, Saturday I saw it ducking in/out of the rock work as usual, i didn't try to feed it as I figured it wasn't going to eat anyways and had plenty of critters to snack on. Come Sunday, the lights come on and I don't see the Sixline which came out Saturday morning once the lights came on. I figured it was hiding and thought nothing of it, Sunday night approached and still no fish. I started looking in the rock work and then after lights out did the same thing with a red LED. Nothing on the floor, nothing in the overflow, no carcass or mass nitrate spike. Yesterday came around and still nothing so I've come to the conclusion it's probably gone and cleaned up... :'( So that brings to my question...do I just have bad luck with fish? Corals, inverts, pods, etc all doing great, all parameters in check and only one fish. Any suggestions for things to check/test appreciated. Link to comment
--chris-- Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 If the store only had it for a day before you got it I would place more blamce on stress from shipping then on you. I bought a few fish that were new in the store a few times....all of them were barely alive a week later. I used to know what causes death like that, but I forget now...might be ammonia burns....can't remember. Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 Hmm, ya I was thinking that might be a possibility as well, that's what I chalked it up to for my first Percula clown since I think it wasn't tank raised but two in a row has me wondering. Especially since Sixlines I've read are very hardy and adaptive to captive life. Link to comment
--chris-- Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Adaptive is one thing...but moving them 24 hours after coming in can be a problem. They can suffer damages during shipping that don't appear until days later. Id try to find a tank raised or something that's from another reefers tank for awhile. Id almost gurantee that was your problem. Link to comment
Scorched Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Sometimes we just have a run of bad luck on fish. I never lost a fish inside my tank for years and then I bought my first "expensive" fish and it died in less than 24 hours. So sometimes just shipping, acclimation and adjusting to a new tank is too much for them. Don't let it discourage you though. Wait a week or so and try again. Ask the fish store how long they have had a particular fish you are interested in and ask them to feed it. If its been there over a week and it is eating there is a good chance it will do fine in your system as well. If the fish is brand new and you still want it there is no harm in asking them to hold it for a week to let it adjust and place a small down payment on it. Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 Alright so it's been awhile, not a whole lot has changed so I didn't bother updating often, instead I just enjoyed watching it mature. Tank is 159 days old today, quickly approaching it's half-year birthday. Using Canon software I think I've finally got the white balance figured out for shooting under the Full Spectrum LEDs. The following shots are a good representation of what it looks like in person. Coral addition wise, I haven't added anything besides some Watermelon Zoas. I now have a pair of Hybrid Percula/Occelaris clowns they are eating well and have started clearing off a slanted rock under the Octospawn colony. This is a tank bred/raised pair that lays eggs periodically. I'm hoping to see similar signs of happiness in my tank. A shot of the originally 3-head Acan frag that is now over 10+ heads and balling up nicely. Sorry for the blurry photo was too lazy to do macro/tripod. FTS: I have noticed that my tank seems to look better when viewed looking down from anywhere above the midline, I think this is because almost all the SPS corals have no coloration and PE on parts that are shaded. I'm not sure if this because I don't have a sandbed to reflect light up to the undersides or the LED directional light or both...anyone have this issue? Link to comment
Scorched Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I have noticed that my tank seems to look better when viewed looking down from anywhere above the midline, I think this is because almost all the SPS corals have no coloration and PE on parts that are shaded. I'm not sure if this because I don't have a sandbed to reflect light up to the undersides or the LED directional light or both...anyone have this issue? Almost every tank has the same issue with colors being more dull and polyps retracted on the undersides of corals due to little to no light. The sand being white helps bounce some light back up but it still is no where close to the direct rays of the sun or our lights. Not having any sand isn't a bad thing but in this case it would help the underside of your corals a little bit more. Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 Almost every tank has the same issue with colors being more dull and polyps retracted on the undersides of corals due to little to no light. The sand being white helps bounce some light back up but it still is no where close to the direct rays of the sun or our lights. Not having any sand isn't a bad thing but in this case it would help the underside of your corals a little bit more. Phew, thanks for the information, I was worried my DIY LED setup was to blame. I think my next tank I will have LEDs with Actinic T5 supplementing, I've read the issue is less prevelent with non-point source lighting like T5s and even that shimmer is supposed to help as well... Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Today is day 163 of my tank's life and I did my weekly water change as usual. I decided I'd shoot some shots as well while I was feeding my LPS, this is about 15 minutes into the my "sunset" period which last an hour. Green w/ Purple Polyps Montipora Cap (4.5 months of growth, finally coming full circle and about 2" taller) Bali Green Slimer (Finally encrusted fully onto the plug, still waiting for it to take off in a bunch of nice big branches...) Various Birdsnest in the background Blue Green Gomezi (By far my most successful SPS, great coloration and a ton of branches) Happy Fat Acans Eating NLS Pellets and three small Armor of God Zoas (Had a problem with Zoa spiders/pox before that wiped out my two big polyps, glad these survived) That's all for now...future upgrade in works Link to comment
RollaJase Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Wow it's all looking really good, I love that monti you have, beautiful colour. Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Where's the love N-R, I need more groupies lol Link to comment
Thelizardkin Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Very nice I hope that my tank looks half as good as yours soon Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Thanks man, give it time to grow out and I'm sure it'll be even better, I love your scape, hate mine lol Link to comment
--chris-- Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Another solid update. Hows the chore with maintaining the tank going? No problems? Link to comment
jcandler Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 This is a sick tank! Very awesome. Well done! I might have missed this but are you doing anything? Link to comment
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