My 70g Cadlights Artisan, Radion Powered SPS Reef!

[Illuiix]

Hmmm...Well I think i did see ur thread! I tend to remember stuff I like! I definitely have seen ur scoly tank!

 

So what do you think about my plan. Being you have more experience in lps.

 

I plan on only biological filtration. Basically it's going to have a heater hidden behind rockwork, a mp10 for flow, and maybe a tunze nano topoff. If not I will manually top off everyday. Once in the morning before I leave, and once when i get home. I used to top off my 60f by hand and never had problems.

 

I plan to only have 1 small fish like a goby and a very small cuc to keep the bioload low. Plan to keep nutrients and parameters in check are.

 

Water change every week, and siphon bottom

Feed the corals the day of my water change. Basically siphon all the left over food out that day.

Feed my fish 1 time a day only what he can eat.

If needed dose some of the zeovit stuff to keep nutrients in check (doubt it will be needed)

 

I really want minimal equipment and a SUPER clean tank. Plan to make a nice rock structure that will hide the heater and mp10. The light will be hung also, so no wires behind the tank!

 

Wow, sounds like work since you're going to be water changing every week. I did that for my scoly tank as well but I wouldn't do it again because I'm lazy.... but anyways I think that would be the only option for you since you're going with a synergy setup.

 

Everything sounds good though. There is a secret I can let you know in. When I was in the process of taking down my scoly tank, I sold the fish 1st and got lazy to do water changes for the scolys..but anyways, surprisingly I ended up not having to do water change for over 1.5 months after the scoly tank went fishless and the scolys were happier than ever. So it's something you can think about, I mean once your tank gets a little mature, you can go fishless and not have to do water changes for a good while. But this also means that you can't be feeding your lps, I never fed my scolys lol.

[Alex B]

Wow, sounds like work since you're going to be water changing every week. I did that for my scoly tank as well but I wouldn't do it again because I'm lazy.... but anyways I think that would be the only option for you since you're going with a synergy setup.

 

Everything sounds good though. There is a secret I can let you know in. When I was in the process of taking down my scoly tank, I sold the fish 1st and got lazy to do water changes for the scolys..but anyways, surprisingly I ended up not having to do water change for over 1.5 months after the scoly tank went fishless and the scolys were happier than ever. So it's something you can think about, I mean once your tank gets a little mature, you can go fishless and not have to do water changes for a good while. But this also means that you can't be feeding your lps, I never fed my scolys lol.

 

Cool! Well I have 2 options.

 

#1 I could always sump it. I would get one of the x aqua overflow that look super cool. I can hide most of it with rock work. If I did this, I would run a pls50 skimmer and have a bigger cushion on water changes.

 

#2 Canister and lily pipes. I think I would rather go option 1, but it's a possible.

 

 

The reason I don't think weekly water changes would bother me is because I already have to do it for the big tank. Zeovit requires weekly water changes. So what's another 2 gallons on the little tank since I'm already working.

[D Z]

Cool! Well I have 2 options. #1 I could always sump it. I would get one of the x aqua overflow that look super cool. I can hide most of it with rock work. If I did this, I would run a pls50 skimmer and have a bigger cushion on water changes. #2 Canister and lily pipes. I think I would rather go option 1, but it's a possible. The reason I don't think weekly water changes would bother me is because I already have to do it for the big tank. Zeovit requires weekly water changes. So what's another 2 gallons on the little tank since I'm already working.

X-Aqua would be awesome with a little sump, but damn are they pricey.

[Illuiix]

True. Any of the three sounds great imo.

[opaquelace]

She's more of a Lps fan. She likes the pop and glow, as I call it. She actually can name and talk about a decent amount of coral. You would be very surprised lol...we are actually setting up another tank now. It's gonna be all lps just for her. I feel bad. We bought a scoly and it didn't make it. Seems like between the light, flow, and low nutrients. Lps is doomed from the start in my tank. Oh well...I tried. Now she gets her own tank and whatever she wants. That's a crappy rule. No Bueno...

Your wife needs a very nice acanthophyllia. That's like the ultimate LPS imo. Especially considering the array of colors they come in! I think Lawnman's goby actually lived under one of the acanthophyllias he had.

 

http://uniquecorals.com/coral/lps/acanthophyllia-deshayesiana-green-rim-dark-orange-acanthophyllia-5-when-open-wysiwyg-specimen.html

 

Unique Corals has amazing acanthophyllias right now. <3

[gabe3eb]

Looks great. I have my eye on this tank and your build in particular is really clean. How does the tank look with just T5s. Do you feel like the LEDs would be enough? If you are controlling the LEDs, what intensity do you have them set on? Thanks and keep the pics coming! Love love the scape.

[Alex B]

Your wife needs a very nice acanthophyllia. That's like the ultimate LPS imo. Especially considering the array of colors they come in! I think Lawnman's goby actually lived under one of the acanthophyllias he had. http://uniquecorals.com/coral/lps/acanthophyllia-deshayesiana-green-rim-dark-orange-acanthophyllia-5-when-open-wysiwyg-specimen.html]http://uniquecorals.com/coral/lps/acanthophyllia-deshayesiana-green-rim-dark-orange-acanthophyllia-5-when-open-wysiwyg-specimen.html[/url]

 

Unique Corals has amazing acanthophyllias right now. <3

Very pretty. I saw one not to long ago that i fell in love with. Maybe that will be the centerpiece of her tank

Looks great. I have my eye on this tank and your build in particular is really clean. How does the tank look with just T5s. Do you feel like the LEDs would be enough? If you are controlling the LEDs, what intensity do you have them set on? Thanks and keep the pics coming! Love love the scape.

Thank you. If U get one I'm sure you will be happy. My LEDs are fully controllable. Right now I have them at about 50% and my t5s come on for 4 hours. I personally like t5s. If I didn't own this hybrid unit, I would own another ati. I do like my light very much though, and so far so good.

I think the duo 24, which is what I have, would be ok for the tank. Don't have any par readings, but my tank is fully lit to the corners.

[opaquelace]

It might just take a longer time to recover. My bonsai frag that came from a friend's tank after her macro algae went sexual (yikes) was really browned out and mad. It's taken several months to get close to being the blackish purple you see on other colonies. It always had polyp extension though so I don't know the whole problem. SPS is fairly new to me. I know you run a really low nutrient tank. Are you feeding your SPS?

[Alex B]

It might just take a longer time to recover. My bonsai frag that came from a friend's tank after her macro algae went sexual (yikes) was really browned out and mad. It's taken several months to get close to being the blackish purple you see on other colonies. It always had polyp extension though so I don't know the whole problem. SPS is fairly new to me. I know you run a really low nutrient tank. Are you feeding your SPS?

 

I'm fairly new to sps also. Been into it hard for about a year, maybe a little more. I wouldn't be so worried about color if I atleast had polyp extension. The tank has plenty of flow and light. Don't think it's that.

 

Yes the system is low nutrient. I have not directly fed my sps, but I do feed frozen. Mysis, cyclop, ect for the fish. I am dosing the basic 3 zeovit additives now, and acro power. I'm waiting for coral vitalizer, extra sp, and some other stuff to get here. Most people who run zeovit dont really feed sps. The additives provide the nutrients. Ohhh well...guess I'll keep waiting. Just wish my SSC would look better. Atleast some polyp extension.

[opaquelace]

Yea I know next to nothing about the zeovit system. Too complicated lol. I have good color on my SPS with a mixed reef. I feed and run a great protein skimmer and make sure trace elements and amino acids are present. I don't even have a sump. Just a HOB skimmer and a HOB filter running a sponge and carbon. That's my mechanical/chemical filtration. Everything else is biological. And I feed heavily probably 3 times a week.

[opaquelace]

For reference this is a 6 week difference in growth on my 1 inch bonsai frag.

It's starting to grow out more and has gotten darker tips.

[Alex B]

For reference this is a 6 week difference in growth on my 1 inch bonsai frag.

It's starting to grow out more and has gotten darker tips.

 

That's some good growth! I'm not seeing the growth I would like, but the tank is very young. I hope with the other additives I start seeing a little more. So far most frags seem happy, and some like my red planet, and tyree have gotten better color. My superman digi is growing actually too.

[Arkayology]

The SSC will recover in time. Just don't move it around much. I found that with my SSC, it RTN'd when I used zeovit. It didn't like the sudden drop in nutrients. Now that I am just running a skimmer and fuge, it is really encrusting well. I would try and raise your nutrients a little to help it recover.

[Alex B]

The SSC will recover in time. Just don't move it around much. I found that with my SSC, it RTN'd when I used zeovit. It didn't like the sudden drop in nutrients. Now that I am just running a skimmer and fuge, it is really encrusting well. I would try and raise your nutrients a little to help it recover.

 

Cool. I hope it does. I haven't moved it since mounting it. It actually has encrusted a little bit. I see no polyp extension during the day or night so it's wieird to see it encrusting. Hopefully it bounces back. Base has browned out and its loosing some green up top now. That and the brown mystery are the only corals that don't look great.

[Alex B]

Going to check out a local reefer today that has some frags for sale. Someone stop me! I feel like I've been working for the tank the last few weeks!

[evo_2679]

Alex - sweet tank !! Love how clean everything is on this tank !!!

[Alex B]

Alex - sweet tank !! Love how clean everything is on this tank !!!

Thank you! I like the build and challenge of a clean tank almost as much as the livestock part of it.

 

In other news. I just saw my acan eat a hermit. I didn't even know I had hermits in my tank? I got 2 or 3 in my reef cleaners order, but I had vanished them all to the sump. Acan must have been hungry. Tried to get a pic, but it was a tough shot.

[Arkayology]

Cool. I hope it does. I haven't moved it since mounting it. It actually has encrusted a little bit. I see no polyp extension during the day or night so it's wieird to see it encrusting. Hopefully it bounces back. Base has browned out and its loosing some green up top now. That and the brown mystery are the only corals that don't look great.

Ya, the encrusted growth that mine put out first was brown. It is turning a nice green now.

[AJ_Tsin]

My SSC frag took a while to do anything. it is finally encrusting and coloured up nicely. Polyps still aren't reaching out like crazy but they are finally out.

I think these are just super slow to adapt when moved.

Keep things stable and the water clean, don't touch it and it should be fine, the fact that it started to RTN and didn't totally means its probably pretty hardy and will be fine...

[Alex B]

My SSC frag took a while to do anything. it is finally encrusting and coloured up nicely. Polyps still aren't reaching out like crazy but they are finally out.

I think these are just super slow to adapt when moved.

Keep things stable and the water clean, don't touch it and it should be fine, the fact that it started to RTN and didn't totally means its probably pretty hardy and will be fine...

 

Thanks man! The last couple days it looks to be on the up and up. For about a week when I feed the fish, they let out super long feeding strings. Like over a inch! Today I came home and the SSC actually has some polyps out! Nothing crazy, but for the first time I can see some polyps. Now I'm all excited lol

[AJ_Tsin]

I don't really feed my SPS directly. I add ZeoVit Pohls Xtra and CV in front of my return pump in the sump, but thats it. That may change as things get more mature in my reef but I find feeding the fish good food regularity does the trick.

[Alex B]

Yea I don't feed my corals either. They have this reaction whenever I feed the fish frozen, which is about 3 times a week. My tank has been super stable and clean. I honestly feel like my tank is too clean. I mean I barely even got a diatom bloom when it cycled. I clean my glass 2 times a week but that's about it. No film on my rocks, or sand. No film on the glass. My nitrates and phosphates are dead 0.

[opaquelace]

I get that every once in a while when I feed the tank with the Rod's Original. It's a great feeding response. And it looks awesome lol.

[Alex B]

7 new pickups today.

 

Wwc grafted monti cap(red and green, with red strips in the green)

Tyree Mystic monti

Canibus acro

Vivids rainbow acro

Ponape bird nest(was a freebie)

Wwc yellow tip Acro

A unnamed acro that is a crazy crazy green

And a freebie green monti. Not sure of name. Looks awesome.

 

Pics soon

[D Z]

you should look at the Avast Marine Top-down porthole. Ohh and that reminds me, you had asked to let you know how I like the Avast ATO. So far, it is working flawlessly. I would definitely recommend it. The only issue I have with it is it sticks out of the rear chamber farther than I would like for my AIO. In a sump, though, it would be perfect.