FTS. I've ripped most of the macros out. They were all riddled with aiptasias and dinoflagellates. You can see the heinous UV setup. Also note the ultra-ghetto clothes-pinned bag of phosphate media, for extra style points.
The shoal grass is in great shape. If only it was taller… The yellowish 'ground cover' is the black grasilaria, that doesn't do so well in bright light.
A near bucketful of assorted macros. About half of it is chaeto. I've been trying to eradicate it for three years. After letting it go for a couple months, it became the dominate plant in the tank! The hardest plant to let go is the nemastoma. It did well for me and I had a lot of it. Clean slate!
It's a little sad to have to rip out the macros. I've got to be sure that nothing unwanted survives the changeover. I saved a few tufted joint algae for now. We'll see if I chance keeping it. Probably not.
It's also kind of exciting to get things moving!
Before I drain it, I still need to putz with the light. Even with bending the reflector in to limit the light spread, I still have a little too much. I'm thinking I may fashion some extensions out of sheet metal to further customize it. It's know it sounds odd to limit the spread of a singe bulb over a 180, but with the new, higher position, it's necessary.
See you on the other side…