Top down view of SPS

Dave & Monica · 09/13/2014, 08:22 PM

I was swapping out my halides today and took a moment to snap some pics.

Dartolution · 09/13/2014, 08:47 PM

gorgeous!

kaserpick · 09/13/2014, 10:28 PM

Looks great!

Voodoo Corals · 09/14/2014, 05:37 AM

looks perfect. love that garf bonsai

Houndsbayman · 09/14/2014, 06:34 AM

Very nice, great colors!

What size tank do you have? And how about some full tank pics.

Dave & Monica · 09/14/2014, 09:33 AM

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Houndsbayman

Very nice, great colors!

What size tank do you have? And how about some full tank pics.

72 Gal, here is a shot from about 6 months ago. I need to take more pics, but have really been reorganizing.

cichlidtx · 09/15/2014, 07:37 PM

Beautiful tank. Colors are spot on. Do you have a build thread?

Dapg8gt · 09/15/2014, 07:40 PM

Nice pics thanks for sharing.. What bulbs are you running?

Bpb · 09/15/2014, 09:06 PM

Your tank just served as inspiration for me. Interesting. Powerheads up front. Don't see that often

Dave & Monica · 09/15/2014, 09:09 PM

I don't have a build thread, and am currently working on a web site.

I just switched from pheonix 14ks to XM 20ks. Just a few days but so far I like them a lot.

TankRazr · 09/16/2014, 11:14 AM

Just stumbled across this thread via the link in your post in the PC & TR LS selling thread.

Liking what I see, will be tagging along.

Dapg8gt · 09/16/2014, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave & Monica

I don't have a build thread, and am currently working on a web site.

I just switched from pheonix 14ks to XM 20ks. Just a few days but so far I like them a lot.

Do you think the 20k is better? I personally love the Phoenix bulbs and am venturing into going back to halide from t5 on my DT.

Are the xm's dim like a typical 20k? Thanks for the info and I'm sure we can all agree that more pics are needed..

stryker · 09/16/2014, 12:12 PM

Simply Awesome!

Dave & Monica · 09/16/2014, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dapg8gt

Do you think the 20k is better? I personally love the Phoenix bulbs and am venturing into going back to halide from t5 on my DT.

Are the xm's dim like a typical 20k? Thanks for the info and I'm sure we can all agree that more pics are needed..

To answer your question, they are dimmer BUT, not by a terrible amount, there is a lot more shimmer, and the color pop is really noticeable. Let me explain more. I've always have run Phoenix. From 2006-2009 I have 2 - 150W. 2009-2014 I had 2- 250W. During that time I only tried one other bulb, and that was the Ushio 20K and I personally didn't like them at all. Very purplish, were really dim, and they didn't even last 9 months before I had to replace them (7 months started getting algae, and after replacing the bulbs, no more - of coarse I had low nutrients and all that)

Why change? From looking at other tanks, my yellows and reds are off, I've always read that Phoenix gives that windex look, but I kind of like the blue, and always have supplemented with T5's until 2012, and now with LEDs. I was thinking of going to either 10K but after seeing a lot of tanks with 20K radium's they had it all, cool white with a noticeable blue, yellows, reds, oranges, and of course blue and purple. I know color has a million factors (nutrients, flow, bacteria strains, coral biology, etc) but I think I have addressed most of that and am taking a shot at changing the lighting a bit. One never stops fiddling ehe?

Bulbs need time to burn in so I'm holding off on comments. But initially the first day, I loved the new XMs, these pics were from the first day, and my yellows and reds presented a lot more how I felt they should be. Then day two and three I was seeing purple hue, like I did with the Ushio's (not good), but the last 2 days.... absolutely perfect. Looks like the radium. The pics here are with no supplementation I should add.

Also, I use the select a watt Lumatek electronic ballast and run them at the HQI setting since I have the dual ended fixture (thus just not running SE radiums since they don't make the DE of it since I do like that bulb a lot).

Like I said before, I really like the shimmer of the new XMs and for some reason, I haven't noticed that as much before. So hopefully I get good color, and decent growth. I'm also updating my LEDs a bit, but that is for another time if someone wants to hear me rant on.

Dave & Monica · 09/16/2014, 01:07 PM

Thanks everyone for the comments. I see so many beautiful tanks here I hate posting pics. I'll work on posting some more as there are some I really like, some I don't even know the names of.

rpjaws74 · 09/16/2014, 09:49 PM

looks awesome

AquaGirlAZ · 09/17/2014, 12:08 AM

Wow, those are some great photos

09/13/2014, 08:22 PM	#1
Dave & Monica Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 1,255	Top down view of SPS I was swapping out my halides today and took a moment to snap some pics.

09/13/2014, 10:28 PM	#3
kaserpick Keeping it Simple Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 2,637	Looks great! __________________ Kasey Current Tank Info: None

09/15/2014, 07:40 PM	#8
Dapg8gt Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Pacifica Posts: 3,741	Nice pics thanks for sharing.. What bulbs are you running? __________________ 15 years in the hobby yet still learning every day. 280g radium lit sps flat living in my garage rent free. Current Tank Info: 105g SPS dominant euro braced powered by 4 ecotech pumps and lit by an ATI powermodule controlled by a reef angel =).

09/16/2014, 11:14 AM	#11
TankRazr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Aspen, CO Posts: 116	Just stumbled across this thread via the link in your post in the PC & TR LS selling thread. Liking what I see, will be tagging along. __________________ The Clever signature goes here!

09/16/2014, 12:12 PM	#13
stryker Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,837	Simply Awesome! __________________ Something about the way an acro grows... Current Tank Info: 270g Inwall

09/13/2014, 08:47 PM	#2
Dartolution Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Alabama Posts: 356	gorgeous!

09/14/2014, 05:37 AM	#4
Voodoo Corals Moved On Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: North Carolina Posts: 104	looks perfect. love that garf bonsai

09/14/2014, 06:34 AM	#5
Houndsbayman Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Salisbury, Maryland Posts: 27	Very nice, great colors! What size tank do you have? And how about some full tank pics.

09/15/2014, 07:37 PM	#7
cichlidtx Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 76	Beautiful tank. Colors are spot on. Do you have a build thread?

09/15/2014, 09:06 PM	#9
Bpb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 3,148	Your tank just served as inspiration for me. Interesting. Powerheads up front. Don't see that often

09/15/2014, 09:09 PM	#10
Dave & Monica Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 1,255	I don't have a build thread, and am currently working on a web site. I just switched from pheonix 14ks to XM 20ks. Just a few days but so far I like them a lot.

09/16/2014, 01:07 PM	#15
Dave & Monica Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 1,255	Thanks everyone for the comments. I see so many beautiful tanks here I hate posting pics. I'll work on posting some more as there are some I really like, some I don't even know the names of.

09/16/2014, 09:49 PM	#16
rpjaws74 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 1,340	looks awesome __________________ rpjaws Current Tank Info: 500 glln system/ Reef

09/17/2014, 12:08 AM	#17
AquaGirlAZ Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 4	Wow, those are some great photos