Mikeymikemike's Shallow Reef Iwagumi - SPS Edition: Updated July

[Mikeymikemike]

I've been runninghte maxpsect lights over the past few weeks and things have really grown. I can tell due to the higher demand in KH. Some new corals added here and there. I am thinking of removing some of the torches and replacing with SPS but maybe not yet because they give the tank a lot of movement.

 

Excuse the poor quality photo. I've yet to adjust my photography to the new lights.

[tsouth]

What are you using as a wavemaker? Did you hookup the M1 as a closed loop? All I see are the lily pipes which would be great as I don't want anything too intrusive to take away from the display.

[Mikeymikemike]

I have a jebao rw4 sitting behind the large poci colony. If you are running a closed loop system you can use the vectra or the jebao dc1500/2000 + aqualink with wave modes. if it is not on a closed loop then you will get a little bit of splashing.

 

the rw4 works very well for this size tank. and if you aquascape carefully, it can be placed out of view. I may upgrade to a new powerhead but we will see what is available after interzoo.

[Mikeymikemike]

I finally got my lighting right. Due to the height and nature of the maxspect, the spread is not so even hence there are a lot of shadows.

 

Blue lights + gel filters

 

[Mikeymikemike]

 

New acro colony for my clown goby

[Mikeymikemike]

Today I got some reef colours abcd from my LFS for free. How much should I dose if my tank is 60L of water?

[Mikeymikemike]

Something new

 

[Mikeymikemike]

Quick update

my system is now changing to more SPS, it seems to be the natural way to go in this hobby. I am trying to balance things but I notice I get more algae from over feeding. So far I have 1 patch of algae inside a coral growing on a snail i can't get rid of. I can use it as a phosphate and nitrate indicator at least.

[Mikeymikemike]

I added a red milli and decided to take a picture under 6000K lighting for people to see the difference.

[Reefkid88]

Tank is looking so good. Love the new addition of sps.

[Mikeymikemike]

one for the blue fans

 

[Sharbuckle]

Gorgeous

[Mikeymikemike]

spot the difference.

 

[Pinner Reef]

Is there a reason we haven't nominated this for TOTM yet? If so I can't see it.

[nickkohrn]

Yeah, that tank is pretty impressive. I love the dimensions.

[Mikeymikemike]

Is there a reason we haven't nominated this for TOTM yet? If so I can't see it.

 

I believe the feature tanks here are very good in their own right and all have very complex systems with long term growth. This tank has been running for about 10 months and only uses a canister filter. In the scheme of things it's very simple and young.

 

That being said, it will get a sump soon and so the total water volume will go from 45 litres to about 100 litres including sump

[Pinner Reef]

2 months, you have 2 months before I nominate you. The fact that it's only been running on a canister and the SPS are doing so well is just another testament to your dedication.

 

I set myself a reminder:

[Mikeymikemike]

One thing I have found with the maxspect lights is that they are incredibly hard to capture a cool white light simply because the unit does not have it. Unlike other units with 8k or 10k diodes, this one has 6500k and 3000k which are a little bit yellow. To compensate, they have added in more blues. To the human eye, it may work but there's always a hint of purple or as I put it, "Blurple". If anyone ever gets a chance to view other pictures of the 15k fixture on other tanks, there's always a bit of a purple tint. I'll have to adjust my camera to get things right eventually... but this is going to require a few more tries.

[hinnenkm]

I agree with you about the maxspect, they're good lights and get the job done, but that was one of the things that personally I wasn't too fond of. Regardless, your tank is beautiful and there is definitely something to be said about keeping it simple!

[rickztahone]

One thing I have found with the maxspect lights is that they are incredibly hard to capture a cool white light simply because the unit does not have it. Unlike other units with 8k or 10k diodes, this one has 6500k and 3000k which are a little bit yellow. To compensate, they have added in more blues. To the human eye, it may work but there's always a hint of purple or as I put it, "Blurple". If anyone ever gets a chance to view other pictures of the 15k fixture on other tanks, there's always a bit of a purple tint. I'll have to adjust my camera to get things right eventually... but this is going to require a few more tries.

I've noticed the same as well. However, recently I noticed someone post a shot that was cleaned up rather well without a hint of the "blurple" you refer to. I have a Razor as well and hope that I can adjust my WB in post to clean up the hue.

[Mikeymikemike]

If i could do it again, i would have gone for two hydra 26 maybe or maybe 2 radions. But the costs are a lot higher.

[Mikeymikemike]

Minor update

 

I've changed all my torch area to SPS now. Things are going well but the challenge is keeping levels with a canister filter and no dosing pump. I am dosing three times a day manually. I will probably set up my dosing pump soon in a week before I go on my next vacation.

 

I've started playing with my camera to get rid of the "blurple" and things are looking better!

 

Under 15k lights with 4% white and gel filters

 

[Bowen1022]

Wow looks awesome! Keep up the good work man!

[Mikeymikemike]

Thanks, I just noticed the sand is not level...

[Rehype]

Wow great job..love the sps additions. Are you doing regular water changes?