Feel like quitting 2 years almost no growth please help sps dominate

[lakai]

So if I have 4 blue plus , would you take 1 or 2 bulbs out for a “whiter /coral plus” more powerful bulb ? Am I too blue heavy , I know the blue plus has white , but what about a more heavier lifting bulb ?

I'm definitely not the one to ask. I'm using to two blue plus and two actinic and have my radions heavy on the white during the photoperiod and noticed my faded acros get their color back and seeing new frags start to encrust.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

I'm definitely not the one to ask. I'm using to two blue plus and two actinic and have my radions heavy on the white during the photoperiod and noticed my faded acros get their color back and seeing new frags start to encrust.

Heavy white as in how much for how long ?

 

[homer1475]

if you like the blue look, but are looking for a little more white. Try the purple plus bulb.

It's still blue, but just a bit whiter. I wouldn't go to a straight up coral+ unless you want a lot more white.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

if you like the blue look, but are looking for a little more white. Try the purple plus bulb.

It's still blue, but just a bit whiter. I wouldn't go to a straight up coral+ unless you want a lot more white.

I like the look of “what 4 bulb T5 is going to grow them the fastest “at this point ,

 

[Ryan Mansa]

I personally love bright crisp looking tanks , the problem is when I joined the hobby the rage was aquatic life with radions and ab+ and all that rage , it seemed like 4 blue plus and radions was a good choice , in the middle of the day it’s a beautiful color hue nice bright white ish but more blue , but I’m at the point where I don’t care , I know I can turn my acros vivid colors with my configuration now , how about we shift to maximize growth and I’ll just come back to this later ? If big E can do a 4 bulb with 50 50 coral to blue + , I was just wondering if maybe you guys think I should try 1 or two different tubes , unless everyone thinks the blue plus provides what I need ( im not a T5 expert ) hey guys I’m open to anything , I do understand I have made the 2 changes and will wait 30-50 days but for now there’s no reason to not let off the gas and don’t brainstorm new ideas , because when the 30-50 days are up we need a new plan

 

[lakai]

Heavy white as in how much for how long ?

Here is how I'm looking at it and I'm still experimenting. Radion AB+ is trying to mimic T5 blueplus bulbs so why not just use blueplus bulbs for T5 and use the radions to give that punch of white during the photoperiod which mine is at 7 hours. I'm using the SPS PHX14 settings during that time.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

Here is how I'm looking at it and I'm still experimenting. Radion AB+ is trying to mimic T5 blueplus bulbs so why not just use blueplus bulbs for T5 and use the radions to give that punch of white during the photoperiod which mine is at 7 hours. I'm using the SPS PHX14 settings during that time.

My settings are similar red and green at 24 and intensity is 100 percent , that is going for 7 hours mid day , it was 8 but lowered to 7 ( JDA) said try 6-7 , I cut a hour , but he also said let the T5s do the work that’s why I’m wondering if I have 4 blue plus , and the radions set to mimic a blue plus , maybe I have too much and was wondering if I should do a 1 or 2 tube change

 

[Ryan Mansa]

Just broke that out haha , it was 400 K

 

[lakai]

I have them at 60% and moving up to 100% is the goal. It might be too much par for my frags right now and they seem happy at the moment. I recently raised all the lights to 18" from 12" and trying not to make too many changes too quick. The SPS PHX14 is supposed to mimic metal halides.

 

[TeotheCoral]

Beautiful set up of the corals.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

Beautiful set up of the corals.

Thank you my goal was to alternate shapes and types and colors and when they all mushed together I thought it would like pretty radical my plan might not be a working at the moment though !

 

[homer1475]

I've run every combination of T5 bulb you can think of, never had an issue with growth. I personally feel with T5 bulbs you can't have a wrong combination when your trying to get more growth. Bulb combination is more of whats pleasing to our eyes.

Also consider this....

Bulb placement will reflect whats seen to our eyes also. Meaning a blue+ in front will look more blue then placing a coral+ in the front position, but still give the same spectrum and par as placing the coral+ in the back.

Considering your using a hybrid fixture, I would leave your T5's as is, and let the LED give you that more white look.

 

[X-37B]

I run 4b+ 4c+ no leds.
I like the whiter look the c+ gives.
If I ran a hybrid I would use leds to achieve the blue I wanted and run 2b+ 2c+. The T 5s should be used to achieve the whiter look to balance the blue imo.
Pickup a couple of c+ and go for the look you want. Start with one and go from their is what I would do.
I would however wait until your month is up with the current change before doing anything else.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

I run 4b+ 4c+ no leds.
I like the whiter look the c+ gives.
If I ran a hybrid I would use leds to achieve the blue I wanted and run 2b+ 2c+. The T 5s should be used to achieve the whiter look to balance the blue imo.
Pickup a couple of c+ and go for the look you want. Start with one and go from their is what I would do.
I would however wait until your month is up with the current change before doing anything else.

I agree I will order 2 coral + and have them “on ice” till day 50 -60

 

[nereefpat]

All on the tank has been stable for 2 years at 8.4 to 8.7 Ish always what would making it less do ?

What it would do is get you closer to seawater parameters.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

What it would do is get you closer to seawater parameters.

So the Dana riddles proven experiment of high alk more growth should I go away from that and let’s say I meet you in the middle at 8 ? These are all good plans guys because I will be religiously changing things in 60 days I’ve waited 2 years on the same setup keep the ideas coming because in two months we are loading the parts cannon and firing more stuff at the tank

 

[homer1475]

High alk is fine, if you have the high nutrients to match it.

What you end up finding is with high ALK and low nutrients is burnt tips, or laying down skeleton without skin growing in to match the skeleton.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

High alk is fine, if you have the high nutrients to match it.

What you end up finding is with high ALK and low nutrients is burnt tips, or laying down skeleton without skin growing in to match the skeleton.

In your opinion a alk of 8.4-8.8 you don’t think po4 of .05-.10 and no3 for 15-20 doesn’t qualify ? What would be your nutrient level on my chems of cal 450 alk 8.4-8.8 mag 1400 ?

 

[nereefpat]

So the Dana riddles proven experiment of high alk more growth should I go away from that and let’s say I meet you in the middle at 8 ? These are all good plans guys because I will be religiously changing things in 60 days I’ve waited 2 years on the same setup keep the ideas coming because in two months we are loading the parts cannon and firing more stuff at the tank

I'm not necessarily telling you to lower your alk. I just saw that your question about possibly lowering alk and what would that do hadn't been answered.

 

[jda]

Day 2 , thanks for everyone helping once again this is crazy help I’m blown away...

This is because of you. Most people ask for help and then discount or turn away the people who are not already onboard with what they are doing. These other people are called ********. Some posters want help and then are upset in the manner that people try and help them. You have mostly been very receptive and this is why you get so much help.

Most of the folks on this board want to help, but not everybody is help-able. ...and the stupid board polices say that we have to be nice and not let them know that they are hurting themselves like they are some crazy helicopter or snow plow mom of a grade-school child... so I will just point out the good people since I cannot point out the bad ones.

This is WAY jumping the gun, but once you get some of these to grow, then there is fine tuning to be done. However, this is not the time. The N needs to come down below 10 since you are surely growth limiting some of your acropora at 20 - others will surely not care, so this is not your issue right now since nearly nothing is growing. Alk and calcium down a bit. Again, do not do any of this now, but there are some acropora that will do a lot better with different values, so if you want them all to thrive, then you have to fine tune to the trickier ones since the easier ones will not care either way.

Edit - FWIW, that snow-plow mom's robot replaced ask holes with the ********.