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Unread 12/12/2018, 06:32 PM   #1
WVfishguy
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Observations

Nothing profound here, I just want to share some observations.

Forced to retire from my service business (health), and tired of taking care of customer’s African cichlid and FOWLR tanks, I set up a 90 gal. reef in February 2018 for myself.

Lighting was two 175 halides on each side and a 250 watt DE pendant in the middle. 75 gallon sump. Two Mag 9.5 as return pumps, fuge, filter socks, good skimmer, lots of turnover. Sounds like Angel Falls but it’s in the basement so I don’t care, and there is a LOT of O2.

I did plenty of water changes and saw tremendous growth of Montipora, good but moderate growth with Cyphastrea and some other SPS corals. A hen’s egg-sized Derasa clam is now grapefruit size.

Also saw rapid growth of various softies like zoas, xenia, Anthelia, and green star polyps. I love these particular softies. But I keep these on separate rocks to make them easier to thin out. I also have several large gorgonians.

Observations:
• You can almost watch red Montipora grow.
Ditto for a Derasa clam. I set up the tank to have a clam as a center piece, but I didn’t realize they grew so fast.
• A couple months ago, Montipora growth stopped, and Cyphastrea began to die. What the heck?
• I tested the calcium of my make-up water, Instant Ocean. Calc tested at 280 - 300 (!) Mag at 1450, dkH 10, pH 8.2. Tank, which was 400 and above, was down to 330. I was reducing the calcium with every water change. All four bags in the box tested low.
• Noticed halides were going out at the same time calcium was low. One would shut off several times a day. The center halide quit working altogether.
• Needless to say, all corals suffered. Tank went from rapid growth to death and or no growth. Surprisingly the Derasa was okay.
• Brought up calcium, slowly, with Turbo Calcium.
• New IO salts now tests at 440 to 460 calcium.
• Replaced halides with two Kessil 360Ws and two 65 watt power compacts (I have a bunch laying around).
• Display tests at 460. I know that’s high, and I don’t care, as everything is now growing again. The outer edges of the red montiporas are rapidly growing outward, but the centers are still dead-looking. I trimmed the outer, living parts, fragged them. Looks better than big, dead centers.
• Cyphastrea growing again, faster than ever.
• Soft corals not as affected by low calcium. But they look much better with the Kessils.
• Sorry - halides are stupid. I’ll never buy another. Ten times the electricity, hot as hell, and can't be adjusted. Cinder blocks. Yuck!
• Final observation: the 90 display is very old aquarium, at least 20 years old. Viewing from the top, all corals and especially the Derasa are much more colorful than viewing through the glass. Looking from the top and through the glass are two very different scenes: The glass screens out the bright, bold colors you see from the top, and is drab in comparison. I was not aware glass would do this, and I now know why people spend extra on more expensive glass.


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Unread 12/13/2018, 06:43 PM   #2
outssider
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most sps look better from the top than they do from the side. It really has nothing to do with the glass. Have you ever noticed that all web sites selling sps coral take pictures looking down at the coral...….


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Current Tank Info: 75 Gal. Mixed reef mostly sps
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Unread 12/13/2018, 09:05 PM   #3
IveGotSunshine
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Thank you for the info. I have a 220 and I need to upgrade my lights to get the growth I want (Chinese blackboxes- do okay but not awesome) and I was planning on Kessils but good to have "real" feedback = )


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Unread 12/14/2018, 12:04 AM   #4
WVfishguy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by outssider View Post
most sps look better from the top than they do from the side. It really has nothing to do with the glass. Have you ever noticed that all web sites selling sps coral take pictures looking down at the coral...….
The reason corals are shown with a top view on web sites is because coral grow-out tanks are generally low, flat, square boxes. Not the case here.

The most noticeable difference is with the Derasa clam. It's amazing. Seen without glass, it's much more vibrant.

This is a 90, a tall tank, and the angle is not much different from the top front glass to the top with no glass. It really is the glass. This is why people pay big bucks for low iron glass like Starfire.


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Unread 12/14/2018, 01:44 AM   #5
eutimio
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WVfishguy View Post
The reason corals are shown with a top view on web sites is because coral grow-out tanks are generally low, flat, square boxes. Not the case here.

The most noticeable difference is with the Derasa clam. It's amazing. Seen without glass, it's much more vibrant.

This is a 90, a tall tank, and the angle is not much different from the top front glass to the top with no glass. It really is the glass. This is why people pay big bucks for low iron glass like Starfire.
I have a blue maxima clam that’s reached maximum size (well for an aquarium anyway ) at about 6.5”.
It is super nice and blue from the top and kinda brownish blue looking from the front.
I have low iron glass, but it’s got something to do with the pigment on the mantle. The light has to hit it from the top.
So what I did was mount the clam on a rock that was movable and prop it from the back with a few smaller rocks then pour sand around it.
Now the mantle is angled towards the front of the tank...much more blue visible, but still not what I’m seeing from the top.


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Unread 12/14/2018, 02:17 AM   #6
WVfishguy
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Originally Posted by eutimio View Post
I have a blue maxima clam that’s reached maximum size (well for an aquarium anyway ) at about 6.5”.
Why do you say your clam will grow no larger? My Derasa is larger than that.


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Unread 12/14/2018, 02:22 AM   #7
eutimio
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WVfishguy View Post
Why do you say your clam will grow no larger? My Derasa is larger than that.
Maximas and Croceas only grow around 6” in aquariums. There are exceptions but I don’t think I’ve read about or seen a larger than 7” maxima or crocea.

Your Derasa will grow much larger though. Same with Squamosa and Gigas.


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Unread 12/14/2018, 05:43 AM   #8
homer1475
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I guess the 20" maxima they used to have in a LFS was an oddity then? I often see large clams(maxima, derasa) at the LFS's show tanks I have visited around the state.



My squammy is around 10". Bought it a couple years back when it was the size of a golf ball.



I will second how corals look through glass as opposed to no glass. I never really noticed a huge difference(never really looked at the tank top down), until my new tank came and it has starfire glass. The difference between normal glass and low iron starfire is night and day. Everything just looks more bright and vivid, and colors don't look washed out. it really is a noticeable difference.


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