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00W's AIO Smorgasbord

Aquarium Profile and Equipment

What type of saltwater aquarium is this?
Mixed Reef
Total Water Volume
115
When did you start this tank?
Jun 16, 2015
What is your aquarium made of?
Glass
Aquarium Length (inches)
48
Aquarium Width (inches)
18
Aquarium Height (inches)
24
Aquarium Overflow/Drain
Drain Style (durso, herbie, etc)
Aquarium Sump
YES
Sump Water Volume
20
Aquarium Stand
Wood
Aquarium Controller
NO
Protein Skimmer
NO
Protein Skimmer Make and Model
Lifereef vs3-24
Aquarium Reactors
  1. None
Return Pump
Eheim compaction 3000
What types of equipment are you using for water flow and circulation?
  1. Powerhead
  2. Wavemaker
Water Flow and Circulation Equipment List
Jebao OW 20 x2, OW10, Jebao 1300, 2 sicce small WaveMaker.
Aquarium Lighting
  1. T5 Fluorescent
  2. Natural Sunlight
Lighting Equipment List
Odyssea T5 HO fixture
Lighting PAR and Goals
Low
Dosing Equipment Detail
None
Auto Top Off or ATO
NO
Aquarium Heating and Cooling
  1. I am using a heater or heaters
Water Temperature
77
Heating and Cooling Equipment Detail
Eheim 300w with ink bird controller

Aquarium Water Chemistry and Parameters

pH Level
8.3
Specific Gravity
1.027
Nitrate or NO3
19
Phosphate or PO4
1.12
Calcium
440
Alkalinity
7
Magnesium
1300
Salt Brand
Red sea blue bucket
Trace Element Dosing
Kent essential elements

Aquarium Natural and Mechanical Filtration

Substrate
Bare Bottom (BB)
Substrate Level
No Substrate
Live Rock
75
Live Rock Type
Unknown
Nutrient Export
  1. Protein Skimmer
  2. Filter Sock
Water Changes
YES
Water Change Details
10% every Monday

Aquarium Tank Inhabitants (fish, coral, invert etc.)

Fish List
  1. Angelfish
  2. Clownfish
  3. Surgeonfish Tang
  4. Other Predatory
Total Fish
4
Coral List
  1. Zoanthids
  2. Soft Coral
  3. Mushroom Coral
  4. Other
Total Corals
6
Invert List
  1. Anemone
  2. Snails
  3. None
Total Inverts
0
Livestock Detail
Have a trigger which is not listed.
Livestock Quarantine
  1. No Quarantine

Aquarium Nutrition (fish, coral, invert etc. feeding)

Fish Feeding Frequency
Multiple Daily Feedings
Coral Feeding Frequency
Do Not Feed Coral Directly
Fish and Coral Feeding
  1. Flake
  2. Pellet
  3. Frozen
  4. Algae Strips
  5. Other
Auto Feeder
NO

Additional Aquarium Information

What do you think are the keys to your success in reefing?
Patience
Good morning John! Beautiful as always!
Thanks Kevin. Good to see you this morning buddy. Im intrigued by what you have going on with your chalice! Very interesting
 
Not a bit.
Been 5 weeks.
I do have some beautiful big aiptasia.
I wonder if having a bare-bottom tank has something to do with it. When I found Berghia mating they were in the sand pretty far from the rocks.

I'm sorry they aren't working out, by now you should see a marked reduction in Aiptasia if they were doing their job.

I don't remember all of your fish but possibly predation when they were in the open.
 
I wonder if having a bare-bottom tank has something to do with it. When I found Berghia mating they were in the sand pretty far from the rocks.

I'm sorry they aren't working out, by now you should see a marked reduction in Aiptasia if they were doing their job.

I don't remember all of your fish but possibly predation when they were in the open.
+1, I also think that predation played a big role in the berghias not doing their job.
 
I mean your right. However I am personally tired of the Kessils getting in the way when I come to clean. There effective coverage range is 15x15, reefLED 90s effective range is 25x25. Two of them gives 50x50 will will exceed the tank by two inches.
Camden,

Your current A160s are very good lights but they are meant for smaller tanks or as a point source for a small area in a larger tank.

Two ReefLED 90s will cover 50x25 but still more than enough. The issue you still may have is that the ReefLED 90s are point sources like AI Primes, and Kessels. All point source lights are much brighter at their centers than their edges so you will want to position your most light-needy corals toward the centers of the lights. The nice thing is that you can add light bars later if you need them to supplement the ReefLEDs.

One of the big advantages of T5s (and the T12s from the old days) is even coverage that no point source can emulate. That is why supplemental bars are becoming so popular. They give almost the same coverage as a fluorescent tube. Those, especially paired with a metal halide gave almost idiot-proof coverage.

I have three AI Prime 16HDs and two AI Blade Grows over my 48x30x16 tank. If I went with all Primes I would have needed between six and eight for the same coverage. Panel LED lights kind of split the difference by spreading out the LEDs but they can only spread them so far before you start getting miniature point lights instead of wide coverage. LEDs got a bad rap in the early part of the century because they didn't really work very well and they were very expensive. Today's LED lights are vastly better and are beginning to rival the old MH-T5 setups both in performance and price but they aren't quite there yet. However they excel in controllability and convenience. For my tanks they are a no-brainer because cooling can be a major issue with Metal Halides over a tank in the desert in the summertime.
 
Last edited:
Camden,

Your current A160s are very good lights but they are meant for smaller tanks or as a point source for a small area in a larger tank.

Two ReefLED 90s will cover 50x25 but still more than enough. The issue you still may have is that the ReefLED 90s are point sources like AI Primes, and Kessels. All point source lights are much brighter at their centers than their edges so you will want to position your most light-needy corals toward the centers of the lights. The nice thing is that you can add light bars later if you need them to supplement the ReefLEDs.

One of the big advantages of T5s (and the T12s from the old days) is even coverage that no point source can emulate. That is why supplemental bars are becoming so popular. They give almost the same coverage as a fluorescent tube. Those, especially paired with a metal halide gave almost idiot-proof coverage.

I have three AI Prime 16HDs and two AI Blade Grows over my 48x30x16 tank. If I went with all Primes I would have needed between six and eight for the same coverage. Panel LED lights kind of split the difference by spreading out the LEDs but they can only spread them so far before you start getting miniature point lights instead of wide coverage. LEDs got a bad rap in the early part of the century because they didn't really work very well and they were very expensive. Today's LED lights are vastly better and are beginning to rival the old MH-T5 setups both in performance and price but they aren't quite there yet. However they excel in controllability and convenance. For my tanks they are a no-brainer because cooling can be a major issue with Metal Halides over a tank in the desert in the summertime.
stephen colbert GIF
 
When did you go to Montery Bay? Its the top aquarium I wanna visit.
That's where I grew up.
I've had that cup longer than you've been alive.
 
I wonder if having a bare-bottom tank has something to do with it. When I found Berghia mating they were in the sand pretty far from the rocks.

I'm sorry they aren't working out, by now you should see a marked reduction in Aiptasia if they were doing their job.

I don't remember all of your fish but possibly predation when they were in the open.
Hi Tom!
It's really hard to tell.
As far as predation, I've got a coral beauty, yellow tang and picasso trigger.
Trigger sleeps all night and he'd be the only predator.
The tank was grossing me out so I changed 20 gallons, moved a few rocks around because they fell over, changed the bottom of the tank flow a bit.
I noticed a lot of debris floating on top which is really unusual for this tank due to extremely heavy surface agitation and flow.
Looks almost like dead aiptasia, like when I used to kill it manually.
Some of the rocks are really being hammered with flow and I've got a lot coming off/out of them.
Also noticed a few rocks with no aiptasia in spots, which is strange since every rock is literally covered.
I may not be seeing that much improvement yet since I have so many.
I also don't have any on the bottom acrylic, which I had tons before.
I think they are still in there I'm just being a baby and want them gone.
 
Hi Tom!
It's really hard to tell.
As far as predation, I've got a coral beauty, yellow tang and picasso trigger.
Trigger sleeps all night and he'd be the only predator.
The tank was grossing me out so I changed 20 gallons, moved a few rocks around because they fell over, changed the bottom of the tank flow a bit.
I noticed a lot of debris floating on top which is really unusual for this tank due to extremely heavy surface agitation and flow.
Looks almost like dead aiptasia, like when I used to kill it manually.
Some of the rocks are really being hammered with flow and I've got a lot coming off/out of them.
Also noticed a few rocks with no aiptasia in spots, which is strange since every rock is literally covered.
I may not be seeing that much improvement yet since I have so many.
I also don't have any on the bottom acrylic, which I had tons before.
I think they are still in there I'm just being a baby and want them gone.
Hi Joel,

It sounds like they are there and working. They don't fare well in heavy flow so they will avoid the heavy flow areas but it sounds like they are getting the young ones and the ones they can reach without getting blasted across the tank.

I have a few Aiptasia on my return Loc-Line the nudis can't reach that I need to manually remove and I'm sure I will start seeing them on my gyres again any day now but my rocks are clean. I don't see any Aiptasia on them so I don't fret over the ones on the return and pumps too much. They are just automatic feeders for the nudis.

Good luck. The Trigger likely wouldn't bother with a Berghia as they are rarely out during the day. The only fish in there that might taste a Berghia is the Coral Beauty and then only if it was very hungry so I doubt predation BUT they get blown around pretty easily so be sure there are a couple of spots they can hang on to.
 
Last edited:
Hi Joel,

It sounds like they are there and working. They don't fare well in heavy flow so they will avoid the heavy flow areas but it sounds like they are getting the young ones and the ones they can reach without getting blasted across the tank.

I have a few Aiptasia on my return Loc-Line the nudis can't reach that I need to manually remove and I'm sure I will start seeing them on my gyres again any day now but my rocks are clean. I don't see any Aiptasia on them so I don't fret over the ones on the return and pumps too much. They are just automatic feeders for the nudis.

Good luck. The Trigger likely wouldn't bother with a Berghia as they are rarely out during the day. The only fish in there that might taste a Berghia is the Coral Beauty and then only if it was very hungry so I doubt predation BUT they get blown around pretty easily so be sure there are a couple of spots they hang on to.
Thanks Tom!
Should I stop the high flow for a bit?
I've got some badly covered rocks for them to lunch on.
And yes, doubtful trigger would bother them much, especially since he sleeps very well.
 
Hi Joel,

It sounds like they are there and working. They don't fare well in heavy flow so they will avoid the heavy flow areas but it sounds like they are getting the young ones and the ones they can reach without getting blasted across the tank.

I have a few Aiptasia on my return Loc-Line the nudis can't reach that I need to manually remove and I'm sure I will start seeing them on my gyres again any day now but my rocks are clean. I don't see any Aiptasia on them so I don't fret over the ones on the return and pumps too much. They are just automatic feeders for the nudis.

Good luck. The Trigger likely wouldn't bother with a Berghia as they are rarely out during the day. The only fish in there that might taste a Berghia is the Coral Beauty and then only if it was very hungry so I doubt predation BUT they get blown around pretty easily so be sure there are a couple of spots they can hang on to.
Was actually thinking of killing all flow just on one side for a bit, especially since surface jebao is literally covered in Aiptasia.
I'm still wondering if that isn't how they get transported around the tank, free ride through the water...
 
Thanks Tom!
Should I stop the high flow for a bit?
I've got some badly covered rocks for them to lunch on.
And yes, doubtful trigger would bother them much, especially since he sleeps very well.
That's what I would do, Joel! You may be surprised. Just make sure that your corals will do fine with lower flow!
 
That's where I grew up.
I've had that cup longer than you've been alive.
I want one! Is this image as good as it is in real life?
1747683869108.jpeg
 

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WHEN NUISANCE ALGAE OR CYANO FIRST APPEARS, WHAT DO YOU DO FIRST?

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