Daniel

Thanks for setting this up, Mark. Btw, the razors worked amazing well.

Sweet. Yay for Group Orders.

Looks like it's only $8.25 for 2 or 3 bulbs. PM me a price w/ shipping for the following: (1) x 54W-48IN ATI Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent Bulb (2) x 54W -48IN 12000K ATI Aquablue Special T5 HO Fluorescent Bulb

Would it be cost prohibitive to get 1 or 2 T5 bulbs?

Is the center lamp the 1000w? My point, of course, is that coral placement is the more important consideration than simply higher wattage (and higher PAR) lamps. At some point, given excess light, coral growth rates will be negatively affected. Growth rates may be excellent under a variety of different lamps (T5s, MH, etc), assuming proper placement of corals AND proper water conditions. Considering the upfront cost of an LED system, you're paying more and possibly getting less. All the comparisons I've seen show LED fixtures slightly trailing 20k kelvin, off-brand 250w lamps (Low PAR)-- in other words, they don't seem to hold their ground in real-world comparisons. Of course, with proper coral placement and stable water parameters, you can probably have a very healthy reef with LEDs... but a comparable T5 fixture will cost less, produce more light, give you a good variety of color options, give you excellent growth, produce minimal heat, and fit well with your canopy. Or a MH fixture... which will cost less than T5s or MHs up front, give you the best results in terms of coral growth, but produce a lot of heat (especially considering the shorter canopy). Yes, I am gunning for you to try T5s

Those are cool, but expensive. LEDs probably are big part of the hobby's future. Personally, I've seen a lot of great T5 tanks lately, including my own, so I would personally recommend going that route. But I agree with Mike on the MHs-- 250w lamps are all that you need, even at 30" depth. 400w are only necessary, from what I've seen, in SPS-only tanks where there are light-demanding corals placed very deep. However, many hobbyists wish to keep an array of corals-- thus proper placement is the more important factor. As for Vivid's use of 400w and 1000w lamps, it is very likely that they keep these lamps far from the surface of the water. This allows them to maximize light coverage, while minimizing the numbers of MH fixtures.

Well, I've settled on a skimmer rated several times my tank's size. I'm happy and my corals are happy. I tend to disagree with Mike on a larger skimmer not being able to pull out more skimmate over a given period of time. A smaller skimmer (a smaller pump) will most likely remove less than a larger skimmer (with a larger pump), up to some maximum-- I'm sure there will be diminishing returns with larger skimmers.

That's a great price on the Palau Nepthea. John, good luck with the move and the rest of the sale!

I was having chronically low pH. Always between 7.9-8.1. My Mg was a little low, plus water changes, problem solved. Do you run a refugium? It might help if you had some macroalgae on a reverse photocycle.

PM Sent.

What is your Mg (magnesium)?

Keep an eye out for AEFW. Many people find that their tanks suddenly have AEFW (much worse than red bugs) after getting rid of red bugs. Make sure you QT all corals before putting them into your display.

I made the same mistake, except mine is less obvious, ~1.5-2" off.

I haven't tried it, but I believe it would pulse in sync (or exactly opposite?) to the Wavebox.

Well, I haven't been on the forums much lately, but I just saw Russ' response. I'll take a closer look when I am home, but what does the flow restrictor look like? To be honest, I didn't even know I had one. I have one of the BRS models, but I'm not sure which model off the top of my head-- do they all include a flow restrictor? This makes me laugh. I bought a $110 booster pump and a $50 extra RO membrane kit. If my issues could have been solved with a simple restrictor adjustment, I think I'll kick myself. lol