AmateurAlchemist's Final Upgrade... For Now

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AmateurAlchemist

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Great build!
Do you have some more pics from the lamps/top of the tank? Some lateral view?

Thanks!
Do these help? I have them 2-3cm further forward than they probably should be and slightly tilted back, purely due to the location of a beam in the ceiling. In that position it doesn’t create noticeable glare from the eurobrace.

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Do these help? I have them 2-3cm further forward than they probably should be and slightly tilted back, purely due to the location of a beam in the ceiling. In that position it doesn’t create noticeable glare from the eurobrace.

IMG_5979.jpeg
IMG_5980.jpeg
IMG_5981.jpeg
Those are really helpful.
Thank you!
 
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I was worried about my citron clown goby- it used to hang out among corals but has been glued to the top back corner since moving into the 850. Looks like it's getting comfy again!
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I changed powerheads (again…) to 4x Tunze 6075s. The cloud functionality is dogsh… doodoo, so was immediately replaced by 0-10v control via the Profilux. They’re setup to run 2 at any one time, random + permanent opposite, long pulses, flipping between groups four times per day. The corals love them.

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I started getting crazy cyano, so did something I never do and tested phosphates.
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Oopsies…. Nitrates (which I do test) are around 4PPM with nothing beyond the skimmer and a few ml of nopox per day to control them, so I started running Seachem PhosGuard to get them under control.


The red face glitter Goni is back and looking better by the day!
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The biggest lyretail, unsurprisingly, seems to be turning male
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New addition- warpaint scoly
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I've been ramping the Stratons up verrrrry slowly (1% per week) now that the corals have had time to acclimatise, so figured I'd share my schedule.

I run fluorescent > custom more blue version of LPS+ > LPS+ > LPS/SPS+ and back down again, with a long period of fluorescent in the evening. Overall intensity is currently at 30% which provides about 250 PAR at top of rocks, 140 mid-tank, 50 at the sand, at the peak of LPS/SPS+. This was measured with an ITC PARwise, which are known to read a little under.

I plan to ramp up to about 40% overall intensity over the next 5 weeks, assuming no signs of stress in corals.

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I should really take more photos.... let's start with the captive regal angel 6 month update!

April 2025. I'd guess it was about 2cm long and this photo had to be taken from 6ft away. He'd immediately bolt if I got any closer.
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October 2025. He's approximately 6cm long, much more confident and has a glorious blue hue that obviously doesn't show with the orange filter.
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When worlds collide
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Random photo dump of recent additions!

Red glitter Goniopora
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Hologram hammer
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Purple/green Bernardpora
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Dragon soul torch (terrible pic, sorry!)
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Kung Pao montipora
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Incredible Hulk Montipora. Info on this one is scarce. Some suggest it's a digi. Either way, it came in tiny and brown but is slowly recovering.
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Sunset Monitpora
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Not a newbie but this plating monti was obliterated during the last tank move, it's really taken off recently!
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Splatter hammer
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Montipora Confusa
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Superman Montipora
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Rainbow Montipora
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Cyano has largely (naturally) cleared up and everything is really starting to stabilise.

I've started enacting my grand master plan for the tank- more on that soon. This is the closest you're getting to a full tank shot in the mean time 😛

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A few before and afters from start of March to end of September

Amazeballs Goniopora
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Seriatopora
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Blue bubble
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I got hold of an acclimation box, designed and 3D printed a cave, and moved the regal from its nano into the big tank last night.
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After two weeks in an acclimation box, nobody was paying much attention to the Regal Angel, and it was successfully released into genpop. Downside- it's immediately taken a liking to candy canes!
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