Scott's 55 gallon reef build

[scottayy]

I ordered new salifert test kits as mine were about a year and a half old.

pH 8.1
calcium 490!
dkh 11.9

These are in the upper ranges of the acceptable values, but I think it should be ok (it can only go down, right?).

Also I got a digital thermometer finally. Tank is at 81.0. Should I run a fan?

[Sniperhank]

Id do something to get the temp down.

[scottayy]

I might put the fan on it but that was the high point. It's at 80.1 right now. I have been reading up on it and apparently reefs in the wild can go as high as 92. But, this isn't the wild. If it creeps higher than 81, I will put the fan on it.

[scottayy]

Alright, added the fan because the temp went up to 81.9 today. I'll see how good that does it. If it doesn't do much good I'll buy a chiller (but really don't want to!).

I put the temperature probe right before the return pump in the sump. Since that's the water that's going directly into the display it's a good place to put the probe, right?

[Ibrahim]

Originally Posted by scottayy

Alright, added the fan because the temp went up to 81.9 today. I'll see how good that does it. If it doesn't do much good I'll buy a chiller (but really don't want to!).

I put the temperature probe right before the return pump in the sump. Since that's the water that's going directly into the display it's a good place to put the probe, right?

No need to. Get a lasko 4900 utility fan and aim it over your sump in your stand. You might need two but I'm sure 1 will bring it down a couple degrees.

[scottayy]

I have this fan:
Sunlight Supply Air King 6 inch Clip on Fan

I put it in my canopy between the led lights. It puts out a powerful air stream. I'll check temps tomorrow to see how it does during the light time. But so far it has dropped the temp from 81.9 to 80.6.

I could put it above the sump, but it would have to go above the fuge section which is where my heaters are. With about 300gph flow I think it would make the heaters turn on too often.

[scottayy]

Temp down to 79.0 That is a 2.9 degree difference. I'm happy with that! Now have to get a bigger top off container.

[scottayy]

temp 77.7 (hey, not bad! down from 81.9)
sg 1.026
ca 485
dkh 11.8
ph 8.1

Things are a little high but still in the ranges. Everything is looking better. More open and full. I see some browning on the frogspawn and octo/spawn thingy.. they may be getting their zooxanthealeiaela algae back! I moved a few things around, most noticeably the thing finger leather which expanded again after I moved it closer to the pump. My branching hammer looks more like a hammer (but still completely bleached). Kenya tree was moved and is looking good.

The only thing bothering me is my duncans aren't open today. hmm.

I did a water change last night and today the water is cloudy. I'm guessing it's calcium carbonate precipitate? I did dose a few times the past week.

[scottayy]

Well I'm getting very disappointed in the bleachings. For now, I have moved everything that is bleaching to the sand bed. I would like to have a par meter so I could determine just how much par my led lights are putting off. They're 10 inches above the water line right now, tank is 19 inches deep. So that's 29 inches. Should I raise them higher?

I also might contstruct some screens out of pvc and fiberglass mesh to put over them. Will they gradually adapt to intense lighting?

[Jlsardina]

My LEDs are 8 inches off my tank and the tank is 29 inches. I have ecoray 60D's

[Jlsardina]

Originally Posted by scottayy

Well I'm getting very disappointed in the bleachings. For now, I have moved everything that is bleaching to the sand bed. I would like to have a par meter so I could determine just how much par my led lights are putting off. They're 10 inches above the water line right now, tank is 19 inches deep. So that's 29 inches. Should I raise them higher?

I also might contstruct some screens out of pvc and fiberglass mesh to put over them. Will they gradually adapt to intense lighting?

They will adapt eventually. Just takes time.

[scottayy]

Okay, I'll move my lights up 2 more inches and still have them at the bottom shileded by a screen. That should help some, right?

[Jlsardina]

I don't see why not

[Buffy]

I seem to have a bleaching problem also. I wouldn't move everything to the sandbed though. I would move some down and some up depending where you had put them. The reason I say this is because I read that not enough light also causes bleaching. I have a cinnamon palys and it's bleaching. I moved it down and it got worse, moved it back to same level just different spot and his color is coming back. The difference.....He has a little light diffusion from the rock, I set him just under a rock. My rock kinda looks like two oo. On the left o, I put him at the bottom and the top of the o (rock) is bout 6 inches from him. I had moved him to the top too and he kept bleaching. Maybe just coincidence but it's working. Just IMO, its a thought to think about. Hope they get better. My acorpora (sp) bleaching, I broke it into 5 frags (placed in various parts of tank) and they all bleached no matter their location and have not come back. :-(

[scottayy]

It is most definitely, unquestionably, undeniably, too much light. lol

[carey]

I'm having some difficulties as well with too much light using those taotronics led panels. I have half baked a cephastrea, even though it was on the sand bed under an overhang kinda. Now some of my acans on my sandbed are starting to burn up an I have no idea where to put them. :-( I moved the one to my biocube for now to see if that will help it out. The other is still in the tank but further under some rocks on the sandbed.

Can you make a shaded area for the corals, not directly covered but maybe diffuse the light some?

I know, not very helpful, lol, but it's the best I got. Just wanted you to know you're not alone in the bleaching/too much light dept.

[scottayy]

That's good. I think what I'm going to do is screen corals on the sand bed. Then remove the screen. Then move up as far as possible. See if they can get acclimated that way and adjust to the light.

If not I may end up permanently keeping a layer of window screen under the lights. How high are yours above your tank carey? I couldn't get higher than 11 inches in my canopy.

Sooooooooo glad to know I'm not alone!

[scottayy]

I made this little dohickey (lol) for shading a coral or two at a time. 4" pvc cut and some window screen. (ignore my boxes of fish stuff in the background)



Hope it helps

[Bearchumjs]

Quickly get that to a marketing person and start making money on it! That's a cool doohickey!

[scottayy]

hahaha

It serves it's purpose I guess. Not as big as I thought.. only got one coral under it comfortably (I just don't feel right putting two corals within four inches of another one).

I'm still deciding if I want a permanent layer of window screen between the lights and the tank. How long should I give my corals to respond after I moved my lights up two inches?

In other news, my plate coral is coming around nicely! Lots of color creeping up the edges, inflating often, and tentacles out a lot. I shaded him under a rock and have been spot feeding chunks of silversides two times per week.

But, as predicted in this thread, the YWG sifted a pile of sand onto him today. So I guess I'll have to watch for that. I just pushed it off with the stream from a turkey baster.