My Shallow Reef - Page 6

hbrochs · 01/07/2019, 06:05 AM

Just some morning actinic shots.

The tank seems pretty happy right now with Alk 7.8 Ca 450 NO3 10

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hbrochs · 01/08/2019, 06:39 AM

Crazy thing happened last night. I was giving my volleyball size Stylophora a trim and the whole colony popped off the base rock. I was unable to get it resituated so I carried the whole colony down to my Frag tank in the basement.
I was bummed out at first but now I’m looking at all this fresh real estate to plant. Not sure if I’ll Frag it up or see if someone is interested in the whole colony. So happy my wife was there to help me.

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Portland · 01/09/2019, 06:18 AM

Thank you for taking the time to create this thread really enjoying it

Jim

hbrochs · 01/09/2019, 09:30 AM

Thank you for saying that, it was good timing cause I was just thinking about stopping the thread. I get so few comments that I feel like I'm talking to myself sometimes, lol.

Howard

landy · 01/10/2019, 08:05 PM

Howard,

Have been subscribed to this thread since the kalk reactor.

don't quit now!

while I'm here; how has it been performing?

landy

hbrochs · 01/10/2019, 08:14 PM

Hey Landy!

The Kalkreactor that you built me is the single nicest low maintenance piece of reef equipment that I own. I have it hooked up to a Litermeter lll, and it works flawlessly. It keeps my pH up, takes care of almost all of my top off needs, and takes care of Alk and Ca.
I just have to refill it with Kalk powder about every 3 months.

Thank You!!

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deepblue68 · 01/12/2019, 07:19 AM

very nice tank keep us updated !

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choss · 01/14/2019, 01:10 PM

I always enjoy your thread although I like seeing your tank live better. I'm curious to see how you fill the new open space in your tank.

hbrochs · 02/02/2019, 07:19 AM

For all three of you that follow my thread, LoL

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deepblue68 · 02/02/2019, 08:02 AM

beautiful! nice pictures

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choss · 02/04/2019, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hbrochs

For all three of you that follow my thread, LoL

Howard things are looking good. Now that two of us have responded we just need the third. Seriously though the tank is looking all time best and that is saying a lot. I am curious though - have you noticed any changes positive or negative since switching over from T5 to LED?

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deepblue68 · 02/04/2019, 08:29 AM

I think the cars are amazing really pop!

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hbrochs · 02/05/2019, 09:52 AM

"noticed any changes positive or negative since switching over from T5 to LED?"

Good question. I had a ballast out on my ATI dimmable sunpower for maybe 8 months. So it was running four bulbs instead of six for a long time. I read that Adam from Battlecorals used the Photon V2 on some of his frag tanks with great results. I like the slim profile of the V2 and the fact that the diodes are spaced out all over the unit, not all clustered together (like radion). I really like the actininc pop when its ramping up in the morning and fading in the evening. I've been super cautious ramping up the intensity of the V2. I feel like if the light is not intense enough, I might get slower growth or less intense colors but too strong and I'll kill some corals. So I'm up to like 35% intensity for four or five hours in the middle of the day. I'm going away for two weeks, so I don't want to mess with anything before I go. When I get back I'd like to slowly up the intensity to see what happens to growth and color. For now its hard for me to say that t5 or led is better than the other. I do like the remote control for the V2.

Now, if I only had a reefing buddy that would stop by my house a couple of times while I'm away...

hbrochs · 02/09/2019, 02:43 PM

I grew this Montipora Lantana from a one inch frag, and it’s just getting too big. This is actually an old photo, it measures 17” left to right. I’ve hacked away at it many times but I finally decided that I’d try to bust the whole colony loose. My local fish store agreed to give me store credit. I found a plastic container that would hold it. I got my hands under it and rocked it back and forth until the stalk broke loose. I’ve included some pics and you can see the white frags that it grew over.

I just dialed down my dosing pump about 20% on Alk and Ca. Going to check closely the next few days to see how the consumption changes. Looking forward to this new real estate that I just gained.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hbrochs · 03/03/2019, 06:48 AM

The Sunkist Bounce is stinging or shading my acan. I don’t know if mushrooms sting? I’m going to have to separate these two.

Green slimer is “Motorcycle Crash Day Acro”. This thing can survive anything!

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Orsamax · 03/05/2019, 11:32 AM

Incredible tank and you are a very good photographer of your corals. I think that all but the best online retailers could learn a thing or two from you on this point. Great work. Keep the photos coming.

aikenreefkeeper · 03/06/2019, 06:18 AM

Those are some nice corals. I just found your thread and will be following along. Would you post a full tank shot?

hbrochs · 04/04/2019, 06:35 AM

It’s tough to get a decent full tank shot on a long shallow tank so I took a left and right shot.

The glass was not so clean at the moment so these are the greatest shots. The tank has been pretty stable and happy the last few months, so I tested a bunch of parameters. I typically just test Alk frequently. I was surprised that NO3 was 2-3 when it was 15-20 a few months ago. I did put a bunch of Siporax in the sump around four months ago. I think it finally kicked in after several months. I follow BigE’s thread and he said something that left an impression on me. He tests when the tank looks great. I like that philosophy. I knew my nitrates we’re climbing but I don’t like carbon dosing because it always seems to give me cyano. So I added a bunch of Siporax and waited.

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aikenreefkeeper · 04/05/2019, 05:42 PM

Your tank look really good. Keep up the pictures.......hopefully my tank will look that good some day.

cdhappy · 04/05/2019, 06:25 PM

I love seeing so much SPS in a small tank. Looks healthy! Keep up the good stuff!

hbrochs · 04/21/2019, 08:12 PM

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Arringar · 04/21/2019, 09:13 PM

Such a stunning tank. Well done!

aikenreefkeeper · 04/22/2019, 05:05 AM

Nice Photos.

hbrochs · 04/24/2019, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arringar

Such a stunning tank. Well done!

Thanks, much appreciated!

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hbrochs · 04/27/2019, 11:33 AM

Battlecorals Cemetary Party

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01/07/2019, 06:05 AM	#126
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	Just some morning actinic shots. The tank seems pretty happy right now with Alk 7.8 Ca 450 NO3 10 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

01/08/2019, 06:39 AM	#127
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	Crazy thing happened last night. I was giving my volleyball size Stylophora a trim and the whole colony popped off the base rock. I was unable to get it resituated so I carried the whole colony down to my Frag tank in the basement. I was bummed out at first but now I’m looking at all this fresh real estate to plant. Not sure if I’ll Frag it up or see if someone is interested in the whole colony. So happy my wife was there to help me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

01/09/2019, 09:30 AM	#129
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	Thanks Jim Thank you for saying that, it was good timing cause I was just thinking about stopping the thread. I get so few comments that I feel like I'm talking to myself sometimes, lol. Howard __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

01/10/2019, 08:14 PM	#131
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	Hey Landy! The Kalkreactor that you built me is the single nicest low maintenance piece of reef equipment that I own. I have it hooked up to a Litermeter lll, and it works flawlessly. It keeps my pH up, takes care of almost all of my top off needs, and takes care of Alk and Ca. I just have to refill it with Kalk powder about every 3 months. Thank You!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

01/14/2019, 01:10 PM	#133
choss Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Scarsdale NY Posts: 526	I always enjoy your thread although I like seeing your tank live better. I'm curious to see how you fill the new open space in your tank. __________________ ________ Reef Savvy 96 Gallon Rimless Tank - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2643140 Current Tank Info: Reef Savvy 96

01/09/2019, 06:18 AM	#128
Portland Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 7	Thank you for taking the time to create this thread really enjoying it Jim

01/10/2019, 08:05 PM	#130
landy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: PHX Posts: 637	Howard, Have been subscribed to this thread since the kalk reactor. don't quit now! while I'm here; how has it been performing? landy

01/12/2019, 07:19 AM	#132
deepblue68 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: wanaque,n.j. Posts: 819 Blog Entries: 1	very nice tank keep us updated ! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

02/02/2019, 07:19 AM	#134
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	For all three of you that follow my thread, LoL Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

02/02/2019, 08:02 AM	#135
deepblue68 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: wanaque,n.j. Posts: 819 Blog Entries: 1	beautiful! nice pictures Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

02/04/2019, 08:29 AM	#137
deepblue68 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: wanaque,n.j. Posts: 819 Blog Entries: 1	I think the cars are amazing really pop! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

02/05/2019, 09:52 AM	#138
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	Switch to LED "noticed any changes positive or negative since switching over from T5 to LED?" Good question. I had a ballast out on my ATI dimmable sunpower for maybe 8 months. So it was running four bulbs instead of six for a long time. I read that Adam from Battlecorals used the Photon V2 on some of his frag tanks with great results. I like the slim profile of the V2 and the fact that the diodes are spaced out all over the unit, not all clustered together (like radion). I really like the actininc pop when its ramping up in the morning and fading in the evening. I've been super cautious ramping up the intensity of the V2. I feel like if the light is not intense enough, I might get slower growth or less intense colors but too strong and I'll kill some corals. So I'm up to like 35% intensity for four or five hours in the middle of the day. I'm going away for two weeks, so I don't want to mess with anything before I go. When I get back I'd like to slowly up the intensity to see what happens to growth and color. For now its hard for me to say that t5 or led is better than the other. I do like the remote control for the V2. Now, if I only had a reefing buddy that would stop by my house a couple of times while I'm away... __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

02/09/2019, 02:43 PM	#139
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	I grew this Montipora Lantana from a one inch frag, and it’s just getting too big. This is actually an old photo, it measures 17” left to right. I’ve hacked away at it many times but I finally decided that I’d try to bust the whole colony loose. My local fish store agreed to give me store credit. I found a plastic container that would hold it. I got my hands under it and rocked it back and forth until the stalk broke loose. I’ve included some pics and you can see the white frags that it grew over. I just dialed down my dosing pump about 20% on Alk and Ca. Going to check closely the next few days to see how the consumption changes. Looking forward to this new real estate that I just gained. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

03/03/2019, 06:48 AM	#140
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	The Sunkist Bounce is stinging or shading my acan. I don’t know if mushrooms sting? I’m going to have to separate these two. Green slimer is “Motorcycle Crash Day Acro”. This thing can survive anything! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

03/05/2019, 11:32 AM	#141
Orsamax Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2019 Posts: 60	Incredible tank and you are a very good photographer of your corals. I think that all but the best online retailers could learn a thing or two from you on this point. Great work. Keep the photos coming.

03/06/2019, 06:18 AM	#142
aikenreefkeeper Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 121	Those are some nice corals. I just found your thread and will be following along. Would you post a full tank shot?

04/04/2019, 06:35 AM	#143
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	It’s tough to get a decent full tank shot on a long shallow tank so I took a left and right shot. The glass was not so clean at the moment so these are the greatest shots. The tank has been pretty stable and happy the last few months, so I tested a bunch of parameters. I typically just test Alk frequently. I was surprised that NO3 was 2-3 when it was 15-20 a few months ago. I did put a bunch of Siporax in the sump around four months ago. I think it finally kicked in after several months. I follow BigE’s thread and he said something that left an impression on me. He tests when the tank looks great. I like that philosophy. I knew my nitrates we’re climbing but I don’t like carbon dosing because it always seems to give me cyano. So I added a bunch of Siporax and waited. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

04/05/2019, 05:42 PM	#144
aikenreefkeeper Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 121	Your tank look really good. Keep up the pictures.......hopefully my tank will look that good some day.

04/05/2019, 06:25 PM	#145
cdhappy Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 27	I love seeing so much SPS in a small tank. Looks healthy! Keep up the good stuff!

04/21/2019, 08:12 PM	#146
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

04/21/2019, 09:13 PM	#147
Arringar Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 169	Such a stunning tank. Well done!

04/22/2019, 05:05 AM	#148
aikenreefkeeper Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 121	Nice Photos.

04/27/2019, 11:33 AM	#150
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	Battlecorals Cemetary Party Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80