Euphyllia and biocube 32

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi, so I have a biocube 32 that is almost 5 years old. I am just now getting comfortable with testing water parameters and caring for coral so in the last year I have built our zoa, frogspawn, hammer, and torch gardens (all in their own respective areas with no contact to one another). recently I have been noticing that when mu blue light turns on, my corals tend to be super full and have great pe but then recede and I have no clue why. My parameters are dKH: 8.9; Ca: 430; pH: 8.2-8.4 (API); NO3: 10 ppm (API); Salinity: 1.026; Phos: 0.14. I run my lights for 6hrs blue, 4 whites, 8 hrs blue, and no light for 6 hours. Can anyone shed some advice on this problem?
 

MaxTremors

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Messages
3,625
Reaction score
6,213
Location
Boise
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi, so I have a biocube 32 that is almost 5 years old. I am just now getting comfortable with testing water parameters and caring for coral so in the last year I have built our zoa, frogspawn, hammer, and torch gardens (all in their own respective areas with no contact to one another). recently I have been noticing that when mu blue light turns on, my corals tend to be super full and have great pe but then recede and I have no clue why. My parameters are dKH: 8.9; Ca: 430; pH: 8.2-8.4 (API); NO3: 10 ppm (API); Salinity: 1.026; Phos: 0.14. I run my lights for 6hrs blue, 4 whites, 8 hrs blue, and no light for 6 hours. Can anyone shed some advice on this problem?
I think your problem is your lighting schedule. I would run them with a total photo period of 12 hours, and then 12 off. Have the blues on for the full 12 hours (you can ramp them up and down if your lights allow you to), and then run the white lights for 6-8 hours in the middle of that (at the same time as the blues). Your corals are likely stressed by the weird schedule and changing spectrum back and forth, as well as only having 6 hours of darkness/nighttime.
 
OP
OP
Codeblack88

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think your problem is your lighting schedule. I would run them with a total photo period of 12 hours, and then 12 off. Have the blues on for the full 12 hours (you can ramp them up and down if your lights allow you to), and then run the white lights for 6-8 hours in the middle of that (at the same time as the blues). Your corals are likely stressed by the weird schedule and changing spectrum back and forth, as well as only having 6 hours of darkness/nighttime.
To my knowledge the bio cube forces u to have the lighting like that. theres 3 control sections one for morning blues then whites then blues again. so like I can make my whites stay on for longer but cant control the position they are in. i could make the dark time longer though
 

MaxTremors

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Messages
3,625
Reaction score
6,213
Location
Boise
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
To my knowledge the bio cube forces u to have the lighting like that. theres 3 control sections one for morning blues then whites then blues again. so like I can make my whites stay on for longer but cant control the position they are in. i could make the dark time longer though
99% sure you can set the blues and whites on different timers and have them run at the same time.

Edit: Here’s the manual, you can set different timers for both channel 1 (daylight) and channel 2 (blues) and they can run simultaneously. Also channel 2 has a ramp up/ramp down feature, which I would recommend you use. So for example if you used the schedule from my previous comment, you’d set channel 2 at say 8am to 7:30 pm, and it would ramp up for a half hour starting at 8am and ramp down for a half hour starting at 7:30pm. Then you’d set channel 1 to run from 10am to 6pm. That way they’d be on for a total of 12 hours and ramp up and down from the 8 hour full intensity period (when both channels are running).

 
OP
OP
Codeblack88

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
99% sure you can set the blues and whites on different timers and have them run at the same time.

Edit: Here’s the manual, you can set different timers for both channel 1 (daylight) and channel 2 (blues) and they can run simultaneously. Also channel 2 has a ramp up/ramp down feature, which I would recommend you use. So for example if you used the schedule from my previous comment, you’d set channel 2 at say 8am to 7:30 pm, and it would ramp up for a half hour starting at 8am and ramp down for a half hour starting at 7:30pm. Then you’d set channel 1 to run from 10am to 6pm. That way they’d be on for a total of 12 hours and ramp up and down from the 8 hour full intensity period (when both channels are running).

so i took what you told me and edited to the times I am home and able to view the tank
LC1 = 11 am - 9 pm
LC2 = 10 am - 9:30 pm
LC3 = 8 am - 12:30 am

thoughts?

thank you for all your help btw
 
Last edited:

Maxcmo

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
Messages
216
Reaction score
241
Location
Miami
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok, what would you sugest channel 3 be for the moonrise/moonset cycle?

thank you for all your help btw
I run channel 1 from 12pm to 6pm. Channel 2 from 12pm to 8pm and Channel 3 from 10am to 10 pm. Are you having any issues with Algae? Would love to see a pic of the tank. I have been running one for a year and I am about to jump to a bigger tank but it has been a challenge keeping this biocube 32 the way I am hoping the big tank will run with all the new fancy equipment but I have enjoyed working on it.
 
OP
OP
Codeblack88

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I run channel 1 from 12pm to 6pm. Channel 2 from 12pm to 8pm and Channel 3 from 10am to 10 pm. Are you having any issues with Algae? Would love to see a pic of the tank. I have been running one for a year and I am about to jump to a bigger tank but it has been a challenge keeping this biocube 32 the way I am hoping the big tank will run with all the new fancy equipment but I have enjoyed working on it.
this is what I think imma try
LC1 = 11 am - 9 pm
LC2 = 10 am - 9:30 pm
LC3 = 8 am - 12:30 am

Heres the tank from a few weeks ago, missing a few of the frogs/hammers/ and this is pre torch garden but as u can see i have next to no algae (aside from film)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2924.JPG
    IMG_2924.JPG
    374.1 KB · Views: 129

Oldsman

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
455
Reaction score
626
Location
New York
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You can change ch 3 to come on much later, those are your moon glow lights . Mine wake up around 6 pm until 11 pm when everything goes dark . The other channels look good for timing .
 
OP
OP
Codeblack88

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You can change ch 3 to come on much later, those are your moon glow lights . Mine wake up around 6 pm until 11 pm when everything goes dark . The other channels look good for timing.

Hm okay... Maybe ill push them back
 
OP
OP
Codeblack88

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
A little update, all the corals are still very closed. Even more than before. Is there anything else that could be causing this
 
OP
OP
Codeblack88

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What’s your mag? Post a tank shot of it currently if you can. Did you change the light schedule? If so they might just be reacclimating
If the mag was an issue wouldn't they be ticked under the whites? And they were fine until the whites turned on with the most PE ive seen in a while, but as soon as the blues hit they got super small (sorry for the blue, yet to get a filter)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3086.JPG
    IMG_3086.JPG
    162.5 KB · Views: 88

saltybees

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 2, 2021
Messages
516
Reaction score
796
Location
lake country
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m not sure how magnesium is relative to how they react to white light, just curious if maybe they’re becoming unhappy due to it being too low potentially if the tanks 5 years old and if you haven’t watched it there’s possibility of it dropping, just asking since you didn’t post what it is.

Is the blue light that comes on when the polyps shrink supposed to be the night light? I’m not really familiar with the bio cube lighting sorry, maybe they’re just shrinking in response to it being “night time” in the tank.

is there any flesh recession along the skeletons of the euphyllias? Do the zoas close up when the blue lights come on?
 
OP
OP
Codeblack88

Codeblack88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
51
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m not sure how magnesium is relative to how they react to white light, just curious if maybe they’re becoming unhappy due to it being too low potentially if the tanks 5 years old and if you haven’t watched it there’s possibility of it dropping, just asking since you didn’t post what it is.
So I decided to do a water change to be 100% it wasnt water chem. 10 min after the change, everything reopened. so i was wrong to think it was the lighting. But the thing i don't understand is under the whites everything is fine, im not sure what was/is happening when the LEDS transition from whites to blues that would affect something that a water change could fix.
Is the blue light that comes on when the polyps shrink supposed to be the night light? I’m not really familiar with the bio cube lighting sorry, maybe they’re just shrinking in response to it being “night time” in the tank.
I believe it is but I havent had this issue before. It should be no different then running any other blue spectrum
is there any flesh recession along the skeletons of the euphyllias? Do the zoas close up when the blue lights come on?
No and partially
 

saltybees

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 2, 2021
Messages
516
Reaction score
796
Location
lake country
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not sure, sounds like you fixed it for the most part with a water change, maybe look into getting a more programmable light like an ai prime in the future, I was running stock lights on a fluval evo for a while and when I upgraded it was a game changer.
 

CavalierReef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
439
Reaction score
777
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think your problem is your lighting schedule. I would run them with a total photo period of 12 hours, and then 12 off. Have the blues on for the full 12 hours (you can ramp them up and down if your lights allow you to), and then run the white lights for 6-8 hours in the middle of that (at the same time as the blues). Your corals are likely stressed by the weird schedule and changing spectrum back and forth, as well as only having 6 hours of darkness/nighttime.
That's exactly what I do and am having success with Eupyhillia species. In fact I just ordered a blue LED strip to supplement the current lights. Mine look better during various stages of blue light ramp up and down as well. Th e bright white of the tank are a bit much unless toned down with some blue (at least to my eye).
 

MaxTremors

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Messages
3,625
Reaction score
6,213
Location
Boise
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That's exactly what I do and am having success with Eupyhillia species. In fact I just ordered a blue LED strip to supplement the current lights. Mine look better during various stages of blue light ramp up and down as well. Th e bright white of the tank are a bit much unless toned down with some blue (at least to my eye).
It’s unfortunate that you can’t adjust the intensity of the white and blue channels on the biocube. I have the Nanocube and you can set different timers with different intensities for each channel. That (along with the dual returns) is what sold me on the Nanocube vs the Biocube. The lights in the Nanocube are a little more powerful than the Biocube (I think it’s 27watts vs 40 watts, though that doesn’t tell the full story of how powerful an LED light is), but even at around 60% total power I’ve burnt a few corals, I think a lot of people underestimate how powerful the lighting is in both of these tanks.
 

CavalierReef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
439
Reaction score
777
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It’s unfortunate that you can’t adjust the intensity of the white and blue channels on the biocube. I have the Nanocube and you can set different timers with different intensities for each channel. That (along with the dual returns) is what sold me on the Nanocube vs the Biocube. The lights in the Nanocube are a little more powerful than the Biocube (I think it’s 27watts vs 40 watts, though that doesn’t tell the full story of how powerful an LED light is), but even at around 60% total power I’ve burnt a few corals, I think a lot of people underestimate how powerful the lighting is in both of these tanks.
I could not agree with you more. I would love to regulate the intensity not just the timing of my lights. My stock lights, unlike what many have stated, will support some SPS. I have a thriving Birdsnest and even some plating montipora in my tank for over a year. I lost a chalice that was growing but its demise had nothing to do with light. My pistol shrimp kept burying it.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top