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Mike M.

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Posts posted by Mike M.

    The Great Mr. Saltwater Tank LED Experiment

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    I'm glad to see Hydro's experiment finally getting done also. I would have liked to have seen what Hydro wanted to do beside having the tanks plumbed together and have the same (advertised) wattage and same color temp used for both the LED and MH. I didn't catch the wattage of the AI unit your using, I'm guessing 60 or 90 watts? Do you have a lumen rating for it and for the MH fixtures? You didn't mention using a amp meter or est. cost of fixtures and electricity so I'm guessing that's in a future installment so we can get an idea of the $ to PAR to Watt ratios? I am very curious to see how things go since PAR is a composite mteric of the total light available for photosynthesis and florescent pigments are excited by only one or very few wavelengths. I suspect there may be some big differences with some corals as I doubt the fixtures will be spectrally identical but I am anxious to see.

    You can certainly agrue/discuss cost vs. wattage all you want, this deal is about color and growth. LED are WAY more expensive per effective PPFD/PAR than MH or T5. That is not what this thread or project is about. It is about comparing "gold standard" MH lighting to new LED technology. Spectrum-Not similar. Apples and oranges, but it always has been. You can screw a 65k, 10k,14k,20k lamp in a MH fixture...whatever you like. With the LED, you can up the blue or white or run them all full blast. So, this is not part of our interest in running the shoot out. I'd very much like to keep the comments about cost of fixtures or long term operational cost in another string. It seems that most all discussions end up in the muck over which is less expensive. Let's just put it out there right now...LED IS NOT COST COMPETITIVE WITH REGARD TO FIXTURE COST. NOT NOW, CERTAINLY NOT IN THE NEAR FUTURE. LED'S ARE NOT FOR THE COST CONSCIOUS.

    I am off my soap box now thank you.

    Mike

    The Great Mr. Saltwater Tank LED Experiment

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    It sounds pretty good besides the self-aggrandizing headline, although I give the benefit of the doubt that it was supposed to say The Mr. Saltwater Great LED Experiment. :D

    My only concern is the substantial number of variables between the tests- e.g. different size tanks, different flow rates and patterns, different heights, different light reflections... I think all the variables will make it hard to determine whether any difference in results is caused by the light or one of the other variables. I would really like to see two exact tanks set up side by side sharing the same water to give a test that isolates the variables to only the lighting difference.

    I am pretty sure that it is not possible to address all the variables and create control groups for all the issue you raise above. That being said, both tanks are 24" tall and will be run on the same sump, chiller, skimmer, feeding. That's as close to controlling the variables as I have seen anyone do on any site yet. Yes, 6105s and an MP60 in the main display will provide more in tank flow than the two 6055's in Fat Jack. Yes, the lights are at different heights and have different reflectors. Last I heard, Lumenbrights are not available to house an AI LED fixture and AI optics are not available for metal halide lighting. That said, the height of the fixture dictates spread AND par and the lights in both setups are positioned to get light to the bottom of the tanks evenly (24" square area). They are set to manufacture specs with regard to height. If you would buy me another 60 gallon, I'll set it up in the mix with a halide to meet your objection to the 120 and 60 gallon tank issue.

    My guess is the results would be similar if not the same regardless.

    Guys and gals, this is not a scientific double blind study with controls. It is a side by side shoot off. We will not be measuring chlorophyll or zooanthellae density via centrification to see which lighting setup produces greater cell or functional density over the course of the upcoming months. Quite the contrary, we are gonna take photos every six weeks and see what is looks like side by side. If the differences are dramatic, it might make a good case for one system or the other. My bet is that it won't be a tremendous difference. I truly believe that we are going to see that both systems work and that if you like LED you will feel confident that if will grow SPS and if you like old school lighting....well at least we'll know that they haven't come up with something better in LED technology.

    This "experiment" is supposed to be fun. Any science minded person can poke holes in the variables and methods till the cows come home. Trust me, I know. I have done laboratory research in undergraduate. This is in no way a "proper" study. It is going to be interesting and fun for Mark and I as the pieces develop.

    I am hoping to get frags going in the tank this weekend and show off my custom PVC frag rack. I built it from scratch and its a pretty cool bit of homemade tinker toys!

    I have had it.......

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    Buying fish for a reef tank is like buying a lotto ticket or playing bingo...not every ticket or card is a winner. I find fish to be more frustrating than SPS as far as new additions are concerned. Just thought I would take an opportunity to vent my frustration with the same thing...

    Drip rate on Ca Rx

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    I have had the same problem and its why I took my CaRx offline and put two part back online this past weekend. Best advice for getting it to run consistently was to set the drip rate a an almost steady stream of drops and using ARM media, set your pH control for 6.7-6.8. Burns more CO2, but having the effluent valve open that wide prevents the vessel from vapor locking which is what is occurring. Your pump is fine until the CO2 pressurizes the reactor. CO then vaporlocks it when you have the valve open to a slow drip. Open that sucker up and let it breathe!

    SPS Frag Buffet and some Candy Canes

    in Livestock

    Posted

    You and Jared were a hoot and welcome back anytime!

    Hey everybody,

    I still have ONE of the Candy Canes, Validia, Emerald Acro, and Tommy Knockers PRostrata. I'd really like to move them out and if somebody wanted all four pieces, I'd make a pretty good package deal for them. Just PM me and pitch an offer for the package. I am traveling Friday/Saturday, but can host a pickup tomorrow night or Sunday.

    Mike

    Hidden SPS Vendor

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    I found the fella that I bought the Tommy Knockers from about three years ago and placed an order with Tom back in January. Tom owns Aquaholics Inc and is a really nice vendor. I have ordered from him twice now and had a good experience both times. His search engine optimization isn't up to snuff so I know you have not likely found his site so I wanted to post one man's thumbs up here so that you all could see his cool stock. You can find him at aquaholicsinc.com

    So anyways, the photos of frags are literally right out of the shipping box. We had a problem with FedEx due to the weather and they got a little beat up. Tom was more than willing to reship if they were mush when I opened the box, but as you can see, they still hold a little color. They are really nice sized frags and Tom threw in the 300000 Leagues Lokani as a "gift with purchase" which I thought was cool. Many vendors will throw in a freebie, but usually it is some ridiculous piece that you probably don't want. Tom threw in a VERY COOL FRAG for FREE!

    I started working with him in January to frag and mount my order and let it heal in his system until the weather stabilized and I was back in town to receive the order. He updated me periodically as the frags cooked in his tank to let me know how it was going and then called me when he shipped to let me know about the package. His communication was great.

    So see if you can find his aquaholicsinc.com site and give it some consideration. The photos below show clips from his site and the frags I received.

    Mike

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    DSC_4866-1.jpg

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    SnowConeandRedDawn.jpg

    enigma2.jpg

    SPS Frag Buffet and some Candy Canes

    in Livestock

    Posted

    Emerald Acro-0 available $20 each

    This has become an extremely beautiful specimen in my tank. Not green, not blue. Dense, hardy and fast growing. It has not shown suseptibility to alk swings in my tank. Hardy piece.

    emeraldacrocolony.jpg

    EmeraldAcroFrag.jpg

    Candy Cane Colonies -10-12 heads each $25 a piece(you get what is on the frag plug for $25)

    0 available

    candycanecolonies.jpg

    candycanecolony.jpg

    SPS Frag Buffet and some Candy Canes

    in Livestock

    Posted

    I have a few pieces that I mounted a little over two weeks ago after reworking my live rock. I have some limited times on Friday afternoon, but plan on being pretty available Saturday for pickups. I will update the quantities available as often as possible to keep things simple.

    Quick list:

    Pink Millie

    Pink Jade

    Validia

    Monti Cap

    Bottle Brush

    Yellow Millie

    Candy Canes

    Best regards,

    Mike

    Aquatek Purple Validia "Mini Colonies" $20 each

    0 available

    Hardy and extremely fast growing SPS

    ValidiaFrags.jpg

    validiacolony.jpg

    Hanna Checkers

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    I want to stir the pot...why do we need an alkalinity test meter? This question has burned in my mind after seeing them come to market.

    The drop titration test, extremely repeatable and adequately accurate for our purposes is one of the easiest and quickest tests. What true benefit does an alkalinity checker actually give to ones husbandry?

    With regard to the poster's original query, I would recommend the phosphate checker. USe a titration test for alk and forget a pH test. If your alk is right, you pH will follow.

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