FarmerTy

I'm not going to speak for the world but I agree it depends on application. I used to change my water every week with my nanocube (12-gallon), every 2 weeks with my 65-gallon, and then moved to monthly with my 125-gallon. In the last 8 months, I have done one water change. The difference now though is I dose calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and sometimes iodine. I don't dose a single thing that I don't have a test kit for. The other reason I don't do water changes anymore is because I do solid carbon dosing with biopellets in a reactor. It keeps my nitrates and phosphates low and I plumb the output hose directly into the skimmer (IME is pivotal, otherwise you'll get a cyano bloom). So, for me and my application, I feel water changes are unnecessary with the dosing and the biopellets. I use it only to remove the physical accumulation of "crud" in my sump and the 2 times a year I do that, the hope is it replenishes the trace elements that I do not dose or monitor as well, I have a mixed reef tank, with more of an emphasis on SPS and zoas, though my SPS colonies are all small right now since they were all little frags I've collected over the year (thank you fellow reefers). Fish population-wise, I have a large desjardini sailfin tang (6"), blue hippo tang (5"), yellow tang (4"), lawnmower blenny, clownfish, midas blenny, and 3 chromis. I feed every day flakes and seaweed, and 2 days a week they get the good frozen mix. I hope the info helps. Good luck! -Ty

Ahhh, thanks guys and thanks Prof for the link.

So I would need to modify the sockets to fit the larger 250-watt bulb? Just trying to figure out if I just need to go ahead and buy a new pendant or if my existing one will work. Thanks for everyone's input so far. -Ty

I have a 150-watt HQI setup. Can I just swap out the ballast and bulb for 250-watt and use the same existing setup? I googled it but haven't found anything definitive. Thanks! -Ty

I'll take the Coralvue ballast. Pm'ed. -Ty

Pham, Does the light fixture come with ballasts for the VHOs and metal halides? 3 ballasts? If so, what brand. Thanks! -Ty

If that's purple valida, I'll take it. Pm'ed.

That's encouraging news Don, thanks for your input. I know you have a great selection of SPS so your input is invaluable.

I'm going to follow this topic. I'm curious myself. I'm mainly interested in input from SPS keepers, as that is where we'll see a majority of the difference. I'm sure LEDs can maintain LPS and softies just fine. I know Tim (wizard) is running his own experiment at his place.

+1 on the worth it's weight in gold part. Higher upstart but lower costs down the line. Plus it saves your back and the frequent trips to pick up water, where more often than not you're tempted to buy more stuff!

Yeah, I have an 8" desjardini sailfin tang in with the 5" blue and 4" yellow. That guy is huge and I almost feel like 125 is going to be too small when all of them get full grown.

Yeah, I have a blue and yellow in a 125-gallon and they still barely tolerate each other. I'm sure you know but the blue will get to a max size of up to 1'. Just stating just in case you weren't planning to upgrade tank size in the future. But as most of us that are hooked on this hobby know, you always go up in tank size... it's as impossible as trying to avoid getting old. :-) -Ty

+1 on the no lights. I wouldn't even add anything for 2 months at least, except for maybe a piece of shrimp to jump start your bacteria in your tank. If you could get somebody's water from their water change and put it in your tank, plus some sand from their sandbed, it would jump start this process a bit and make it run quicker. I know it's no fun to wait but this hobby is one of patience and slow changes. My 2 cents for what it's worth.

How many lbs of liverock do you have total?

Have two brand new pumps, $15 bucks a pop, just looking to get what I paid for them. Thanks. -Ty

After seeing his tank in person, the pics do no justice. It's a great tank.

+1 Two bulbs.

Yeah, they def fluoresce in actinics so they got something else to them. My lunars def don't do that. They're pretty sweet. -Ty

Yeah, does look like a morph on 2nd look. The mouths are green, though the rest look on par with the lunar eclipse.

I'll take the 2 fighting conchs. Pm'ed.

They look like my lunar eclipse palys. I'll try to post a pic sometime this weekend of them. Those are sweet!

Scratch that, I've spent enough this month.

I'll take the 30k lokani or the red stag. Whichever you think is cooler. How much of a discount I get for you taking my reflectors? :-) -Ty

Go figure, I get my two Tom's aqualifters and bulk sized portions of the Ca, Alk, and Mg solution from BRS, and then I come across a cheap calcium reactor. The reactor needs a little love before I set it up but I think in about a month, I'm going to be posting the items above for sale and just running the Ca reactor. I'm still doing my research on Ca reactors, but that should cover me for Ca, alk, and Mg levels, right? -Ty

double post