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Roger's 50G Frag Tank


TheKleinReef

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They were labeled as Phoenix 14k
There's nothing 14k about a phoenix bulb, regardless of how they label it. It's every bit as blue as most 20k's. Slightly more blue than a radium.

 

Imo phoenix is your best option for de.

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jedimasterben

There's nothing 14k about a phoenix bulb, regardless of how they label it. It's every bit as blue as most 20k's. Slightly more blue than a radium.

 

Imo phoenix is your best option for de.

Yep, the Radium on a proper ballast isn't all that blue in comparison to running it at the wrong power level, making it look smurf blue.

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There's nothing 14k about a phoenix bulb, regardless of how they label it. It's every bit as blue as most 20k's. Slightly more blue than a radium.

 

Imo phoenix is your best option for de.

 

but its not giving me good color. right now i have the radion running at 100% blue/royal blue for some actinic, but it doesn't cover the whole tank

 

Very nice tank room but something seems to be missing?!

 

what's missing?

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jedimasterben

but its not giving me good color.

What color(s) specifically is/are missing? That will tell you what spectra you're missing, but with a 14K Phoenix, you're not missing anything. If you wanna add some VHO/T5HO actinics to get more fluorescence, that's one thing, but color is different than fluorescence. Fluorescence will ONLY happen when there is far more blue light than anything else.

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What color(s) specifically is/are missing? That will tell you what spectra you're missing, but with a 14K Phoenix, you're not missing anything. If you wanna add some VHO/T5HO actinics to get more fluorescence, that's one thing, but color is different than fluorescence. Fluorescence will ONLY happen when there is far more blue light than anything else.

 

purples are nonexistant

greens on the body are brown (green polyps are green though)

reds are orange

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Ca: 420 (dosed 30mL 3x per week)

ALk: 7.0 (dosed 20mL 4x per day 7x a week)

Mag: 1400 (dosed 35mL per day)

 

everything is growing really well. and the addition of the radion for actinic supplementation is working wonderfully. i still plan on switching to 20K halides and remove the radion.

 

pics soon.

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purples are nonexistant

greens on the body are brown (green polyps are green though)

reds are orange

 

Doesn't sound lighting related to me. How's the po4?

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Ca: 425 dosed 2x @ 12,12mL

Alk: 7.0 dosed 4x @ 20,25,20,25ml

Mg: 1450 dosed 1x @ 25mL

 

Trying to get my alk to 8-8.5 but I can't. Any advice? I've been increasing the dose 5ml a week and it won't budge past 7.3! Should I keep it there if it's stable?

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Ca: 425 dosed 2x @ 12,12mL

Alk: 7.0 dosed 4x @ 20,25,20,25ml

Mg: 1450 dosed 1x @ 25mL

 

Trying to get my alk to 8-8.5 but I can't. Any advice? I've been increasing the dose 5ml a week and it won't budge past 7.3! Should I keep it there if it's stable?

What's wrong with 7.0 dKH?

 

Just keep it there, it's where your tank wants to be for now.

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It's probably high but I'm not really sure. I don't have a phosphate test kit. Usually judge by eye.

 

If you're judging by the eye then you should pay attention to what you see man!! It really does sound like more of a nutrient issue than a lighting issue.

 

Phoenix bulbs don't turn coral colors like what you've described, po4 does. Most complaints that people have about phoenix blbs (yself included) is that they wash out the tank in blue a little bit.

 

Alk stability is probably the most critical thing in our tanks.

 

Statement couldn't be more true, IMO.

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good to know about the alk, the tank seems to want to stay a 7.0-7.3 so i'll keep it there.

 

as for the coral color, its getting much better know that i have an actinic supplement. i guess i'll order another pair of 250w DE 14K phoenix's

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  • 1 month later...

Came home to a MESSED UP frag system. luckily nothing is dead, but i can't leave the tanks unattended for more than a week. luckily its not too bad, but ugh it was frustrating: here's the damage:

 

turf algae everywhere, on pumps, zoa frags, and sps mounts

alk: 6.0

ca: 435

mag: 1500

 

necrosis on purple tip slimer and echinata :(

 

corals affected by warfare due to contact

2 slimer frags

echinata

millerpora

 

 

i also figured out why alk is messing up. i misread the BRS directions and have been dosing a solution half as strong as the real solution. which explains why i can't get my alk up at all. even after dosing 95mL. i was dosing the equivalent of 42mL when the system really needs 80-90mL.

 

so i picked out all the algae, moved the corals around, and did a 5gal water change. oh and i fixed the doser now its set up ) like this

 

ALK (daily):

00:01 22 mL

10:00 23mL

 

CAL (Daily):

05:00 10mL

16:00 10mL

 

MAG (daily):

23:00 10mL

 

oh and i made a DIY dosing line holder :P :

http://s147.photobucket.com/user/roger_090/media/46B05846-D748-4E7D-9F55-F9985B5A6EE5.jpg.html'>46B05846-D748-4E7D-9F55-F9985B5A6EE5.jpg

 

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It's always the case, no matter how much we think we have our tank automated, we never do. This kind of reef needs daily attention or things go south fast. I feel for you 100%, you need a tank sitter.

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It's always the case, no matter how much we think we have our tank automated, we never do. This kind of reef needs daily attention or things go south fast. I feel for you 100%, you need a tank sitter.

 

my mom does her best. i usually come home every week to make sure everything is okay. my mom doesn't have the time to test, check dosers, lights, pumps, skimmer, and all that jazz...

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my mom does her best. i usually come home every week to make sure everything is okay. my mom doesn't have the time to test, check dosers, lights, pumps, skimmer, and all that jazz...

Who does? The reef is a full time job! Maybe a Reef Cam would help?

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