no growth and pastel color

[franklypre]

Anthias are cool so long as you don't get the one's that ya gotta feed 3 times a day. I really like that spiderman monti, definately a cool piece. I like the ? above as well because you have definately made a turnaround, now just keep it up.

[daveonbass]

Yeah the "spiderman" is neat cause I don't know if you can see it in the pic but its polys are deep blue, and have half that is a bright blue...so it looks like an electric blue cresent. I assume you are saying you like the purple stick...I'm digging it more...I just don't know if I want to glue it anywhere. I guess I need to decide.

The tank is back to being happy again for sure with colors. Growth is still kind of slow but we are talking about some animals that just grow slow...but I use my red cap as the canary in a coal mine. Now its back to full splendor of proud red....even where the darn thing had gotten so pale and bleached that it had algae.

I need to keep it up still with a few new additions. The fish are going to be one thing...but I need two new bulbs, I want to build a new sump, I'd like to try a different skimmer (but I like what I have), thanks to nextwave I will be building a rapidled.com fixture, I want to get all the frag stuff out of that tank, and the list goes on. All in all its doing well again.


To answer the question as to what helped. Wow, its hard to say. Personally I feel it was a combination. First I had to raise the lights up and shorten the time...this gave the corals time to re-acclimate to the tank. Whole doing that I started feeding a lot more...like 2-3 times a day. Once some corals started to brown out...I then "lowered" the lights slowly allowing the corals to adjust to the higher light with all the brown in them now being able to change to something brighter. Almost like they got a tan and were ready for more light. I have kept the feeding up, and now the lights are about 7" off the water, which is too close for my tastes, but so far is successful. Add to all that a 1/3 water volume water change every 2-3 weeks to help remove more pollution and of course TIME...and now the rank has rebounded from a pale, stagnant mess; to a bright, thriving forest of color.

[franklypre]

To shorten it up sounds like WC and food? Hmmm, who would have thunk it. Just glad it's doing well.

[SputnikNYC]

I think that your sand bed works as a nutrient factory at the moment, i had the same thing with cyano in some areas, after i started siphoning it, it all went away!

[daveonbass]

Originally Posted by franklypre

To shorten it up sounds like WC and food? Hmmm, who would have thunk it. Just glad it's doing well.

Actually to shorten it up I think the biggest factor was the lighting. I played around with tjat more than any other variable. I have done only 2 WC's, and the food has been a simple regular dose.

The food is a big factor...but I'm more than convinced that it was my changing of the light levels that finally led to success. I am 100% sure that had I left the lights alone and still done everything else that I would have many dead corals. By lowering their intensity by raising the whole fixture....and allowing the corals to have a recovery period of almost two months to build up any algae they needed/had lacked, I'm positive that this was huge in saving my tank from a complete bleaching.

Now its easier to see the positive effect of high intensity lighting in conjunction with feeding. Cause now the growth I have is almost as good as it was when I had higher fish loads on the tank.

To sum it up. Lower light intensities/duration, with either more coral feeding or higher fish loads. Followed through with higher light intensity once the corals color and growth recover. Then just maintain regular dosing.

Water changes are useful as well to help export any build up of excess nutrients.

But for me it was light, light, light....

[franklypre]

So to actually shorten that post: You move your light to the correct hieght, started feeding, and did some WC. I tend to think the more we know the more we complicate this hobby with our opinions, and the opinions of others. What's the scoop on Rapid LEDs, I have 2 PAR and they are OK, are you replacing the T5s or just adding to them?

[daveonbass]

Nah I never have liked the look or the results from the PAR "bulbs"...I'm going to use the money to discount an order so that I can build a fixture. I just don't know if I want it for this tank or my smaller tank. I'm thinking the smaller since the ATI is specific for this display tank...and it clearly works (sometimes too well). So I'm thinking of building a good 24 led fixture for my 37g tank and seeing if I can resurrect it finally. The poor nem in there hates the halide. If all goes well and it looks good and I can transfer some frags to it then I may pull the trigger and get a replacement set for the 58g tank...knowing that I always have the ATI to fall back on.

[daveonbass]

As fat as "info" in this hobby, I am a firm believer in never trying to over simplify it. (explanations). Mainly because there is never a simple answer to be had. It's impossible to tell someone...if you just add X and then buy Y then dose Z, then you'll have a perfect tank. It's just not possible. There are any number of factors that effect each tank and how they succeed. It's better to understand why something works, that way someone may be able to better apply that info.

Saying that I raised my lights downs explain how/why it worked...plus its only half of the story. I had to raise them so that later I could lower them again. And why I could finally do that also required explanation. With the simple answer it fails to report on how or why I achieved success in doing it my way. So others can decide if its right for them.

[franklypre]

I firmly believe you are now able to run your lights at the proper height because you now have nutrients available in the system, allowing your coral to use the light they are getting. Looking back over the thread there is one other aspect that may have more to do with it than anything, your SG was 1.029 right? Seems like lowering that had a very positive effect. As far as going LED on the nem tank I am having an old moment, I thought you already had LEDs on it. And this hobby is simpler than we make it most of the time, we just don't have the ability to keep it simple. OCD

[daveonbass]

Agree to disagree.

If it were simple then everyone would have it.

I am aware of the levels in the tank thy had to change...SG, CA, ALK, MAG....all of these are not what they were when I started. They are all lower. However, keep in mind that I had great success with those levels being higher in the past. I was running the system differently back then though, that's why I don't feel that those are the major factors this time.

The LED I had burned up, I don't trust that company much anymore. But its had a MH for at least a month....and I don't trust those anymore either. :P

[franklypre]

Agreed. Gotta be dumb enough to listen and smart enough to follow through. I do know about running levels high, I'm headed back towards blu coral method once again. But even with 1500 mg 12 dKh and over 500 Cal, I still only keep SG at 1.026. Definately not going to agree on not trusting MH, tried and true performer. We used to grow those nems in 55g long with 2 40w flourescent bulbs, and then we found PCs and so on. Lights are lights, WQ/flow are as important if not more so. If your tank isn't doing good, change half the water every 2 weeks and feed it. I going to make that my quote for reefing from now on. What brand was it? I though the a/c adapter just fried.

[daveonbass]

I know that MH work...but they are wasteful. Since they have been replaced with something more efficent I have decided not to use them anymore once I get stuff all up and running. Right now it's just all I have left. technology has proven time and time again...that lights are NOT lights. They are not created equal. To get the right MH to be successful for the properly sized tank they waste a lot of energy (which translates to money) and that's just not needed anymore. I firmly believe that they will all be phased out eventually. we are just seeing the begining of such an event. even the great IceCap company went under already because they did not adapt to the new technology.

My LED "fixture" is fine. I don't want to bash the company on here so I won't name them...but it was just the one power converter that caught fire...so it makes me wonder where they got it from (their supplier). I need to only put it over a smaller tank...it just doesn't have enough light for a 40g tank. once it's fixed I'm gonna put the optics back on (1w LEDs need it) and maybe bulid a smaller tank.

I can't wait to see the SS color up more...so far it looks like it's having a hard time...but it's only the second day and I just don't know for sure where to put it since I don't have a par meter.

On a different note I'm still wanting to see if the kessel brings you success. One of the speakers on sat wouldn't name it, but he did describe an LED pendant that matched the description...and long story short, he said his 150w MH was way beter. So I hope the new ones are better. I really would love to stop wasting all the electricity...and LED seems to be working wonders for all the current coral farmers out there right now...They just end up putting them a lot higher than we have our stuff.

[franklypre]

I just got my light rack up and running and I can honestly say it will be very hard for me to give up my halide. I know they cost but what in this hobby is cheap. There are alot of different ways to do most anything in this hobby and with tech advancing it makes it difficult to keep up with all the new trends. That being said I still run the same light I always have, though I do like the LEDs for accent and extra POP, and still do most everything I have always done. The only advancement I have found that I can't deny is pappone and it's been around for a long time. Besides there are still VHO and PCs for sale at most places so it will be a long time to come before I have to switch from MH. As far as Kessil I think they will be my upgrade, just waiting for the next step up from the 250 or Tuna Blue. But my focus over the next few months is going to be this yard, it's just too nice to let it keep looking like this.

[daveonbass]

Anyone out there have any info on how best to care for a Strawberry Shortcake acro? Mine is super pale with little PE. It's not "dead" but it is not looking good so far. Is this a high light coral?

[daveonbass]

hey frank...here is that one green coral that my g/f just names "carpet" (I don't know why)...it's the green disk that doesn't look like an average sps.



again the one in the center...I wish I knew what it was...if anyone has a name or species for it that would be appreciated.

[franklypre]

That is definately different, tiny tiny little polyps. Sure are some nice frags to still be sitting on the rack.

[daveonbass]

Those frags are either already a colony on a rock in the tank, or have not shown any signs of growth in my tank. I don't want to his something down that is just gonna end up being a dead coral skeleton. BTW the green to the left is a "LE Franks Green Machine". It's a steal at 50 bucks a frag.

[franklypre]

I don't know which green is brighter,that little grassy is pimp. My green machine is even nicer once it branches. I'm definately gonna need to trade the rainbow monti you have for some of what i have as I'm fairly sure they are different. It is about time for some more pics on here.

[daveonbass]

You should see it in person.
The green machine is a different shade, not quite as floresent. But still a great find.

My rainbow and your rainbow are like totally different. Mine is in the far back right of the pic. The front thing is what's left of your red digi. I will try and bring that frag of rainbow next time I come over...I have a Bunch of it growing fast.

[daveonbass]

Double post...

[franklypre]

I looked at yours and looked at mine and was confused, I have a hard time with colors and mine is not as defined as yours. I like the little frag, definatly a good find you should put it up in the ID forum to see if you get a response.

[daveonbass]

Originally Posted by franklypre

I looked at yours and looked at mine and was confused, I have a hard time with colors and mine is not as defined as yours. I like the little frag, definatly a good find you should put it up in the ID forum to see if you get a response.

Confused by which frag...the Green machine, or the rainbow, or the red digi (forest fire)?

the forest fire is just a white base right now, mainly because it practically died off while the tank was crashing and all that was left was a little nub at the back. I turned it toward the light and it seems to be comming back.

The Green Machine is going through an all green phase, where it has no more red polyps. Again it used to have some and looked different but in the higher light that the frag tank has it seems to have gone fully green.

The rainbow has just red polyps on it at the moment and it's out of focus so it's hard to see the blue base. But it's all there...and growing well. It has a lot more color compaired to the two you have, which I still say those currently look like pokerstar.

BTW, I was at Jasons, and he got a cute little flame back angel...like the ones I wanted. But man he has a great looking hawkins. And there's a nice little frag of it that he made for me and I will probably pick it up next time I'm there and in my car. So hopefully this one is big enough and grown out enough to make it in my tank. I'm gonna place it in a low and stable place...and leave it alone. haha

[daveonbass]

hey Frank...I think that the Green disk might be a Psammocora.

and the one I thought was jedi mind trick may be a Montipora caliculata.

these are just hunches.

[franklypre]

I was commenting on the rainbow montis. Mine seem to have yellow polyps on the sides, frag tank needs a new bulb. Definately possible on the psammacora, hard to tell til it starts branching, if. I like the flame angel, they are just to bright to pass up. Let me know if you want to bring him out or go over there together sometime, I'm sure I can help him add to his collection.

[daveonbass]

Yeah its too early to tell. As for the rainbow, it should have yellow at the old growth, and red/orange where there is new growth on the edges. I still think the "yellow" you saw was more like a faded out green, but then again it is different cause that light to me is literally yellow...just yellow...like 6500k yellow. Haha. So with a little blue in the mix it might make that color up more green. And make it look like pokerstar. But only time will tell...maybe we can swap when I bring you my frag of rainbow. If it stays green and blue in my tank then we'll know.

Yeah now that I've seen that little flame back angel of course I want two of them...they are so preciouslooking.