FarmerTy Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Negative haven't switched yet. My plan was to keep some ads up online but haven't expected any takers. I was gonna go ahead and use up these brand new radiums so they don't go to waste, but have an interested local just starting up in the hobby. So I may sell the halides in the next few weeks at some point. Kinda have to do that before I can hang the LEDs...my boss isn't aware I purchased them so it'll be an easier explanation if I sell the existing lights first. I may not have mentioned I bought the LEDs lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I hear ya. My boss walked in one day, looked up when I had the canopy open, and then just walked away. She's like, I don't even want to know! I had her fooled for a good long time since I matched the spectrum so well. My lighting switch passed the wife test! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Lol awesome. That's kind of what I'm hoping to do. Hoping it actually goes unnoticed. I've accumulated so much stuff though she doesn't ask anymore usually. But my wife hates spending money so this hobby demands some discretion. All good though. She had a few friends over last night, and funny thing is her friends usually spend about 75% of their time looking at both tanks asking questions and she's gotten good at answering. I usually hang back and just let them observe and avoid running up and nerding out. Last night she said "if he dies I'm gonna have to hire a fish boy or something because I have no idea what all is going on with these other tanks under the stand with all the hoses and pipes and blinking lights and gas/air tanks" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Is a fish boy anything like a cabana boy? If that's the case, I'd be more worried if I was you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 (edited) Tough to worry when you're dead! Now if she hires a fish boy next week....We will have to have a talk...IF I'm alive Edited July 31, 2015 by Bpb 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12_egg_omelette Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Tough to worry when you're dead! Now if she hires a fish boy next week....We will have to have a talk...IF I'm aliveCameron? Blah haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Pretty sure he no longer exists Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 Sadly yesterday my metal halides have moved on to a new reefers tank. I hope he enjoys them as much as I did. The new LEDs went up today. They fit perfectly in my canopy and actually have fantastic coverage. I notice no increase in shading or shadowing and I have been able to tune the color to be nearly identical to my radiums, just a lot dimmer. I'm starting very low at about 20% intensity per channel and will focus on increasing the whites as the weeks pass. I definitely prefer the overall look when the whites are turned up. I also sold the large bowling ball sized rock that contained about 150 Zoas, an aiptasia or two, and my big but ailing toadstool. Hopefully the new owner is able to nurse it back to health. Now I have a big empty spot on the left side and a very angry clownfish. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiddyORION Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 !!! What are the ODDS! I'm Hamata-Honzo off Terraforums! that's freaking crazy how coincidences like this work out... man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Hey there! I had a feeling you may be on here! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 GiddyORION. So after doing some searching, I couldnt seem to find a website for a southern located carnivorous plant dealer. Since it's not against the rules here, can you post me a link to the site you were referring to? I'm wanting to really get this bog going but it seems like a funky time of year to go ordering a bunch of plants, being that its so hot and they'll be going dormant soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Little update on the tank. No new livestock yet. I may be getting some ricordea soon though and possibly a bubble tip anemone. I've had Sherman rose bubbles in the past and found them too large and too frequent of splitters. I swore off anemones with this new tank but really considering trying one again since seeing Tys Colorado Ganja-Inferno anemone lol. It really does look nice and my clown has become listless without a home. Lighting change has been going fine. I'm probably jumping up to higher intensities much faster than most folks do, but I don't see any negative reactions from anything so I figure I'll stay the course. I'm at about 60% white and 50% blue now on the ocean revive panels and bumped up my bml strip to 55% as well. In experimenting I cranked everything to 100% to have a look and really liked the brightness and color, but I don't want to toast the fixtures with that kind of power so I don't know that I'll go a whole lot brighter than they are now. I really want to get as long of life as I can from these. With all the water chemistry talk with a couple of our new members on our college station forum I figured i would test my tank since its been a while. I have kept track of alk fairly regularly but that's it. It has been a good long while (seems like months maybe) that I've tested anything else. Numbers not too surprising. Here they are: Alk: 8.0 dKH Ca: 475 ppm Mg: 1480 ppm NO3: 0.25 ppm PO4: 0.06 ppm This is the first time I've actually gotten an NO3 reading this year. It's always undetectable. PO4 is up as well from past tests. Knowing that the presence of algae in a tank will cause heavy testing interference, i take those numbers with a grain of salt. I have no cyano to speak of, but plenty of red turf algae in the display and sump, and loads of chaeto and grape Caulerpa as well. If I am actually getting those readings NO3 and PO4, I suspect the true numbers are much much higher. Looking back, my most successful stretch in the hobby was about a 1 year period I was dosing full strength kalkwasser, used t5ho lighting, ran biopellets, gfo, and carbon, with no refugium, and no water changes. While I don't intend to ever return to t5ho lighting, I am leaning toward kind of heading back down the path I previously was on to perhaps try to imitate those results. I will be rinsing some carbon and installing a gfo reactor again this week and seeing how those two things treat me. The past 1.5 years this tank has been ultra simple and low maintenance. No chemical filters or reactors of any kind, and I even was skimmer less for a while. Just water changes, good light, and feeding. It has given me better colors all around than I ever had before, and really explosive growth from Zoanthids and Lps corals, but generally still struggling with acropora and I have so much algae, it is simply indicative that despite my tests, I may have some serious inorganic, and probably organic content buildup in the water. Is that causing my problems? Who knows. I still think it's likely pest related, but being that locally we all trade corals constantly and I'm the only one with the issue, maybe not. Time will tell Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 You should see that anemone in person! It's crazy! Glad you're going with the tried and true method for your tank. I'm all about finding what worked best with your system and it seemed like you had a pretty good recipe before. I'm glad you are having success with SPS again. They are a love/hate relationship but truly rewarding when things go your way. I see you've gone with a more blue look to your lighting. How are you liking those Revive fixtures? Are you having a pretty seamless transition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 To be honest I am really liking them. I was such a nay sayer for so long and even after two weeks, nothing has slowed down or lost any color at all. The picture looks very blue but I'm trying to keep the color as close to the radiums as i can. For future pictures I'll likely just turn the blues down/off to get good images. I love the iphone6, but the camera does this thing where it automatically adds a boat load of saturation to images and it is super blue sensitive. The above pic was just a quick shot of the lights as they were. Hopefully I can keep Acros again one of these days lol. This hobby really isn't the same without them Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Yeah, I have mine currently tuned to a 14k Radium and really like the color spectrum. After 4 months in with these fixtures, I'm pleasantly surprised. I think the only thing I'll do is still add a T5 or a BML strip on the front of my tank to help blend the light better and light spots which aren't receiving as much par. I'll probably remove the 90 degree optics from the red and green LEDs as well as I can see somewhat of a spotting effect from them if I look closely, but that's just me being picky. Once I remove the optics, the LEDs will be at a native 120 degree optic which will distribute the light better. I was advised to cut a piece of acrylic to replace the removed optic for splash control and I just might do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Found my photo setting. White/color channel only at 100%. Buildmyled and blue channel both off. I love the look of it just fear it would be too low of par and growth inhibiting. I read that thread about removing the optics and putting in acrylic to shield from moisture. Interested to see how it goes Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 My current setting of 80% white/ 20% blue in my DT allows me to photograph without having to play with settings. I have to do that in my sump though as I'm running 60% blue/20% white down there. I crank the white up to 100% to shoot down there. The picture looks great! I think you nailed it. Part of me thinks I might not even put the acrylic sheet in there. It's not like these units are sealed so who am I kidding thinking moisture doesn't get into the fixture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 Well. I don't even have a calcium reactor, and my fancy dual stage regulator is now spoken for on my planted tank, but I came across a deal on a Cole Parmer Masterflex continuous duty peristaltic pump, ideal for running a calcium reactor. Too good of a deal to pass up. It'll sit in my equipment catalogue for a rainy day, or I may end up selling it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Whatever that thing does it looks intense. Your tank is lookin good, glad everything is doing the transition well! What makes your rocks so red in that pic? Is that a camera setting or do they have algae or something on them? They look cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) It's red turf algae. Pretty benign and the foxface and urchin love to munch on it, but probably means my po4 is too high despite my test results. The pump is a medical/lab grade continuous duty peristaltic pump designed to run 24/7 and they typically have very long life. They're capable of tremendous amounts of pressure as opposed to hobby grade pumps and used to PULL effluent from a calcium reactor. They have adjustable speed are are ultra stable. Usually very expensive, as in way out of my budget. Got a great deal on this one. Thanks for the compliments. I'll try and take some more pics soon. Tank is getting boring. It's been forever since I've got any new coral. Months Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited September 2, 2015 by Bpb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Some of the ASD loot. Mostly Hawaiian people eater morphs, but I couldn't tell you what their trade names are. There are several dozen people eater varieties and more added all the time. What's in a name really? I especially hope these rainbow Acans survive. I've had pitiful luck with them in the past. But...change a major variable like lighting and they may change my results Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Forgot one....and an FTS. I have never used kalk paste to kill pests before so I decided to give it a go. I was able to really do a number on some yellow colony polyps that just won't go away. I think I killed most of them but there are a few stragglers I'll get later this week. That stuff works surprisingly well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Those acan in the 3rd pic look sweet! Hope they do good for ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Thank you sir. They were super cheap too. I've always taken care to not hit acans with too much light or flow. Always on the sand bed. Try to feed several times a week with reef chili and cyclopeeze. Hope this time they take off. I know acan echinata can be wicked aggressive but I'd be ok with this one forming a large colony with those kinds of colors Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Keep the new stuff coming. I swore off anemones after struggling to control the location and splitting of my Sherman rose. Broke that promise. Thanks to a local reefer here in CS who ordered one too many, I've got a lovely rainbow bubble tip. Never expected to own one of these as they're usually a little pricey. Hope it can hold up to my clownfish's aggressive lovin'. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Great looking color on that thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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