6 Month Montage Video



Water Test Results - AWT 12.23.13

Note: Sample taken immediately prior to water change.

FTS 12.26.13



SPS Video - 12.23.13



Radion Pro - Intensity/Color Schedule

As mentioned previously, with ever evolving LED technology I have yet to read any articles or recommendations that have sold me on the correct spectrums or intensities especially when discussing the Radion Pro specifically.  With that being said I continue to run my own trial periods on various settings watching the reactions of my corals closely.  Below is the latest schedule change made where I decided to bring all colors to 100% with the exception of Cool White.  The peak overall intensity of the fixture is 50% for 3.5 hours out of the day.

Other specifics to my aquarium: Radion height over water line ~8.00", Tank Depth 20"



Advanced Aquarist Feature: Imitating Natural Light...

Imitating Natural Light

New Corals



Shrimp both carrying a cluster of eggs.

FTS 12.05.13 - 6 Months



Water Test Results 11.15.13 - AWT



New Radion Schedule

Aside from maybe better polyp extension the colors haven't perked up much from the use of Selcon.  I made a change (below) to the lighting schedule and frequencies closer to what a 20K Metal Halide might look like.  The schedule starts with a morning simulation of low intensity deep blues and peaks around 3:30 into full spectrum. 

 



New Addition - Chocolate Percula Pair



Selcon as Coral Food??

As my aquarium enters the fourth month in operation, overall I am very pleased.  Water quality is excellent along with the health of all the animals with zero loss.  The only thing that is troubling me is the lack of coloration in my corals that otherwise show great polyp extension and growth.  Fish books, magazines, and blogs have differing opinions on what is required to achieve good coloration in SPS corals.  These factors include high water quality, quality consistency, accurate lighting spectrum and food.  The last item seems to be where there is some controversy with opinions such as feeding your corals is either not required, fish poops is enough, and direct feeding is necessary to keep your animals healthy.  I am convinced that I have met all of these requirements except intentional feeding of my SPS corals.

In previous tanks I have used Selcon as a food additive and direct feeding measure for filter feeding invertebrates with what appeared to be successful results.  It was hard to say whether or not Selcon was the main factor in that success or a coincidence since the fish population was much higher in those larger tanks.  Since I do not wish to add additional fish to my small tank at risk of higher nutrients I have decided to test and potential prove Selcon can be used successfully to target feed SPS corals.

Trial Coral #1 - 10.21.13

 Trial Coral #2 - 10.21.13





Water Test Results



Almost 4 Months

I just mailed new water samples into AquariumWaterTesting.Com this afternoon for a check up.  Water parameter results and photos coming soon...



New Additions - 2 Months



Radion Pro Intensity

In hindsight I really did this backwards starting the Radions off peaking at 100% for a couple hours near mid day and slowly reducing them towards the night.  With only about 60% of my corals responding positively to that intensity I made a dramatic decrease off the bat down to 65%.  With a positive reaction from those who appeared to be showing slight bleaching over a week's period I made another decrease to 50%.  Still showing a greater positive reaction over another week from less intensity I made the latest decrease to 40%.

The day cycle begins at 9am and peaks at 12:30 at the 14K setting (40% intensity).  This runs for a 5 hour period until 5:30pm where they slowly decrease until 9pm as they enter into a 3 hour lunar period.  Results pending...



FTS 07.16.13



LifeReef Calcium Reactor

Taking it to the next level...the demand isn't quite there yet, but I am looking forward to installing this LifeReef Calcium Reactor in the near future.



Water Tests Results

The results came back from the samples I sent to the lab at AquariumWaterTesting.com.  Everything looks good except for the Silica and Copper of which I have no idea where it (Cu) is coming from.  I wasn't planning to use activated carbon but did add a bag to the overflow along with Blackwell Aquatics (Phos Extrax).  Hoping this will gobble up the Copper and reduce the Silica.  To this point nothing has been dosed into the aquarium so the results are solely based on the salt mix blend I have been using (Instant Ocean Reef Crystals).



SWF Delivery 06.21.13

Several new additions will be arriving this afternoon.  To date water changes have totaled 70% of the total system volume.  After the new specimens are added I will be increasing changes to 12% of the system volume daily for at least the next 4 days.  Due to the smaller size of my system I believe this will be required to minimize any potential stress of the increased bio-load.  PH has continued to remain at a steady range of 8.21 to 8.31 and samples were also sent out to aquariumwatertesting.com for a full 13 parameter analysis of everything from Alkalinity to Strontium.



SPS Additions +3



Aquarium Details

Aquarium: Custom LifeReef Acrylic
Size/Volume: 24 X 24 X 20 - 33 Gallons (Display), ~5 Gallons (Rear Sump)
Lighting: Ecotech Radion XR30w Pro, supported by Custom LifeReef bracket
Filtration: LifeReef SVS2-24 Protein Skimmer (MagDrive 9.5 Pump)
Circulation: Ecotech Vortech MP10w, MagDrive 5 return pump
ATO: LifeReef Float Switch, Aquamedic 150 dosing pump via 7 gallon resovoir
Parameters: 1.0255 Density, 8.20-8.29 PH, 80.5-82.0 F Temperature
Water Changes: 1 Gallon Daily Changes (Instant Ocean Reef Crystals)