- Joined
- Nov 5, 2019
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- 265
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So without any intent of ever adding sps to my 3 month old tank I aquascaped how I thought looked nice, not planning on coral placement well. Tank is a 38 gallon, 36x18x12 i believe. Two kessil a160we 6 1/2 above water. My highest point of rockwork is at the weakest point of lighting (i believe)
I have had a test purple monti digitata at the highest peak but unfortunately I its really in a spot where the lighting overlaps, not under direct beam. It has always been basically a brown color since arriving. I have gone from 40% intensity to 55% intensity at 30% color over the last 3 weeks. I might be imagining things but i think I can see a purple "hue" to it. Almost a violet iridescence to it but faint. It has full polyp extension and has begun to encrust the frag almost onto the live rock.
Heres my question, I just ordered a pink birdsnest and green birdsnest frag, rainbow encrusting monti and both orange and blue/purple edge cap monti frags from boom corals. I have the monti cap locations in green, birdsnest in red and rainbow monti in orange marked on the photo. Also marked the light overlap. I cant decide whether to add a third 160 and do as illustrated in blue (moving the two outbound and adding a third at a wierd angle to bypass the tank support brace and highlight the center where the sps will go).
I dont like this idea much because 1, it will cost 260 bucks and 2 it will just look kind of stupid. Plus im worried about in advertantly frying another nearby coral because of too much over lap.
Second option is to keep ramping up lighting on the controller. I run a 3 hour ramp up, 4 hour max power, 2 hour ramp down. 55% max power 30% color. I just dont want to tick off my other lps and softies. I have zoas, mushrooms, a blue Cespitularia, cloves, gsp, gorg, acan , hammer and a torch in the sand bed that is loving life. They are all doing great and dont want to irritate them trying to color up sps. Sorry for the long rant, im very unsure which way to go here.
I have had a test purple monti digitata at the highest peak but unfortunately I its really in a spot where the lighting overlaps, not under direct beam. It has always been basically a brown color since arriving. I have gone from 40% intensity to 55% intensity at 30% color over the last 3 weeks. I might be imagining things but i think I can see a purple "hue" to it. Almost a violet iridescence to it but faint. It has full polyp extension and has begun to encrust the frag almost onto the live rock.
Heres my question, I just ordered a pink birdsnest and green birdsnest frag, rainbow encrusting monti and both orange and blue/purple edge cap monti frags from boom corals. I have the monti cap locations in green, birdsnest in red and rainbow monti in orange marked on the photo. Also marked the light overlap. I cant decide whether to add a third 160 and do as illustrated in blue (moving the two outbound and adding a third at a wierd angle to bypass the tank support brace and highlight the center where the sps will go).
I dont like this idea much because 1, it will cost 260 bucks and 2 it will just look kind of stupid. Plus im worried about in advertantly frying another nearby coral because of too much over lap.
Second option is to keep ramping up lighting on the controller. I run a 3 hour ramp up, 4 hour max power, 2 hour ramp down. 55% max power 30% color. I just dont want to tick off my other lps and softies. I have zoas, mushrooms, a blue Cespitularia, cloves, gsp, gorg, acan , hammer and a torch in the sand bed that is loving life. They are all doing great and dont want to irritate them trying to color up sps. Sorry for the long rant, im very unsure which way to go here.