My 9 year old 12g AquaPod
- Nano Build
- Thread starter jonbar1
- Start date
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Very inspiring nano. You talk a lot of the esv salt and its consistency. Just curious if you have reason to believe (through testing) other brands may not be as consistent. I don't test much when making new water, just match temp and salinity.
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OP
OP
Been a while and an update is overdue...
The MH lighting was replaced with a DiY LED light I made from aluminum U channels and an old arm to a JBJ Viper. It consists of 6 XT-E Royal Blues, 2 410nm Violets, and 1 XP-G Cool White. I also added a GFO reactor last year to work on my longstanding phosphate issues.
I also switched from ESV salt to HW Marinemix Reefer, again to fight phosphates as I've had suspicions of ESV salt being one of many contributers.
I bounce around hobbies a lot and became a father last year, but I'll try to keep updating in the years to come.
The MH lighting was replaced with a DiY LED light I made from aluminum U channels and an old arm to a JBJ Viper. It consists of 6 XT-E Royal Blues, 2 410nm Violets, and 1 XP-G Cool White. I also added a GFO reactor last year to work on my longstanding phosphate issues.
I also switched from ESV salt to HW Marinemix Reefer, again to fight phosphates as I've had suspicions of ESV salt being one of many contributers.
I bounce around hobbies a lot and became a father last year, but I'll try to keep updating in the years to come.
zoasaholic
Well-Known Member
Every nice looking tank there
I have switch to HW salt a few weeks ago too
I have switch to HW salt a few weeks ago too
OP
OP
Thanks, I've been using HW Reefer for about a year and have no complaints so far. I just make sure not to use the heater while mixing so nothing precipitates onto the mixing tub.
Looks like I missed a meme contest, but here's one I thought of at work:
Looks like I missed a meme contest, but here's one I thought of at work:
Last edited:
OP
OP
I wasn't very actively photographing the tank in between updates, but there is much more at play than just the lighting.
In the earlier photos where the acans are puffy, I was feeding a mix of Cyclop-Eeze and frozen Mysis to nearly every polyp around 3 times a week. Even with nearly total weekly waterchanges, I couldn't keep up with excess nutrients. Caulerpa, GHA, and bubble algae went nuts and eventually I got tired of the manual removal every week that made a waterchange take over an hour. As the photos show, the LPS showed their appreciation by puffing up. I should have taken a pre-waterchange photo to show my conundrum.
Finally my hatred of nuissance algae won out and I installed a GFO reactor, turned the back chamber into a refugium, and switched salts to HW MarineMix Reefer. I also cut coral feedings to once a week maximum, usually every other week, using MUCH less food. This is when the puffiness went down a lot.
After running like this for about a year, I switched the MH to LED.
I didn't expect 4 RB, 2 Violet, and 1 CW at 700mah to be much brighter than a 70W MH bulb with 4 RB LEDs...but the corals definitely noticed. For the first 2-3 months the Acans got much lighter colored and were nearly on the verge of bleaching but this was quickly followed by an intensification of coloration that has lasted since. Now that algae won't grow in the refugium, I am slowly feeding more and more often to make the LPS happier.
So would I switch back? After the pigment intensification the corals showed from the LEDs, no way. Photos don't really capture it, but the corals were dull under MH for lack of a better word. Now they have that sheen to their colors like the reflective tape on street signs. If I wanted more puffiness, I could add a dimmer to the LEDs but it still wouldn't be like the puffiness from tons of feeding.
In the earlier photos where the acans are puffy, I was feeding a mix of Cyclop-Eeze and frozen Mysis to nearly every polyp around 3 times a week. Even with nearly total weekly waterchanges, I couldn't keep up with excess nutrients. Caulerpa, GHA, and bubble algae went nuts and eventually I got tired of the manual removal every week that made a waterchange take over an hour. As the photos show, the LPS showed their appreciation by puffing up. I should have taken a pre-waterchange photo to show my conundrum.
Finally my hatred of nuissance algae won out and I installed a GFO reactor, turned the back chamber into a refugium, and switched salts to HW MarineMix Reefer. I also cut coral feedings to once a week maximum, usually every other week, using MUCH less food. This is when the puffiness went down a lot.
After running like this for about a year, I switched the MH to LED.
I didn't expect 4 RB, 2 Violet, and 1 CW at 700mah to be much brighter than a 70W MH bulb with 4 RB LEDs...but the corals definitely noticed. For the first 2-3 months the Acans got much lighter colored and were nearly on the verge of bleaching but this was quickly followed by an intensification of coloration that has lasted since. Now that algae won't grow in the refugium, I am slowly feeding more and more often to make the LPS happier.
So would I switch back? After the pigment intensification the corals showed from the LEDs, no way. Photos don't really capture it, but the corals were dull under MH for lack of a better word. Now they have that sheen to their colors like the reflective tape on street signs. If I wanted more puffiness, I could add a dimmer to the LEDs but it still wouldn't be like the puffiness from tons of feeding.
This tank is incredible Jon well done,it's not everyday that you see a decade old system still up and running much less at such a small volume of water.If you read this could you post an update?That meme is spot on too lol.
Would love to see if this one was still up and running.
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