Need help with direction to go

[Harleys and tanks]

Good Day all,

I know this topic has been beat to death but I need some help with how I should proceed. I have read many discussions on here and other sites but everyones situation and tank set up are different so I just wanted to get a good opinion based on my tank and my needs. I have a 40 Breeder.

So the basics of the issue I have is that the light I have doesn't have a deep royal blue or UV spectrum which is making growing corals hard (even seems like hammers and frogspawn are slowly shrinking) and the colours aren't popping.

I have the Fluval Reef 4.0 which when I first got the tank running and a few things going put in the tank it looked great and had enough PAR to start a Kenya Tree and GSP, also making the fish glow a bit. I then added a Bright Green BTA and it popped a little and looked cool. Since then I added 2 Hammers and Frogspawn which seems to have slowly been shrinking and won't expand as much any more, then recently I got a Rainbow BTA which looked amazing at the store but doesn't pop the same for me along with a Slime Ball SPS. My issue is that I believe I can get enough PAR because I cannot have the blues and violets at any more than 75% and the white I run at max 5%, anything above this and the Zoas want to close half way through the day and the nems run from the light etc. BUT I believe the Spectrum is not there because the whites wash everything out even at 2-3% which leads me to believe that I don't have the spectrums in order to grow my corals properly or give them the proper light to colour up and glow nicely. The light will basically give me PAR to keep them living. Maybe I am wrong on this theory.. hence my question here, but then if that's the case where am I going wrong?

I am trying to decide whether I either run the fluval AND something or just a new light all together....
- Nicrew 150 for the blue and UV spectrum along with fluval reef 4.0
- Orphek OR4 as main with the fluval for full spectrum
- AI blade (which one?) and Fluval for full spectrum
- Nicrew by itself?
- AI Hyrda or something on its own
- Or give me a suggestion

I want full spectrum for daytime so I can see the tank clearly and not so windex like but at night I want it to turn towards the blue and UV spectrum then to moonlight so when I am home I can see the pop of everything.

Thanks for any help guys... I am on somewhat of a budget but also understand I don't want to do this twice more lol.

 

[JTP424]

I'm a fan of the AI products.
What about just two AI Prime 16s?
Plenty of used around the marketplace on here for around 150-160 a pop. (Although not sure about Canada)

 

[TX_REEF]

Good Day all,

I know this topic has been beat to death but I need some help with how I should proceed. I have read many discussions on here and other sites but everyones situation and tank set up are different so I just wanted to get a good opinion based on my tank and my needs. I have a 40 Breeder.

So the basics of the issue I have is that the light I have doesn't have a deep royal blue or UV spectrum which is making growing corals hard (even seems like hammers and frogspawn are slowly shrinking) and the colours aren't popping.

I have the Fluval Reef 4.0 which when I first got the tank running and a few things going put in the tank it looked great and had enough PAR to start a Kenya Tree and GSP, also making the fish glow a bit. I then added a Bright Green BTA and it popped a little and looked cool. Since then I added 2 Hammers and Frogspawn which seems to have slowly been shrinking and won't expand as much any more, then recently I got a Rainbow BTA which looked amazing at the store but doesn't pop the same for me along with a Slime Ball SPS. My issue is that I believe I can get enough PAR because I cannot have the blues and violets at any more than 75% and the white I run at max 5%, anything above this and the Zoas want to close half way through the day and the nems run from the light etc. BUT I believe the Spectrum is not there because the whites wash everything out even at 2-3% which leads me to believe that I don't have the spectrums in order to grow my corals properly or give them the proper light to colour up and glow nicely. The light will basically give me PAR to keep them living. Maybe I am wrong on this theory.. hence my question here, but then if that's the case where am I going wrong?

I am trying to decide whether I either run the fluval AND something or just a new light all together....
- Nicrew 150 for the blue and UV spectrum along with fluval reef 4.0
- Orphek OR4 as main with the fluval for full spectrum
- AI blade (which one?) and Fluval for full spectrum
- Nicrew by itself?
- AI Hyrda or something on its own
- Or give me a suggestion

I want full spectrum for daytime so I can see the tank clearly and not so windex like but at night I want it to turn towards the blue and UV spectrum then to moonlight so when I am home I can see the pop of everything.

Thanks for any help guys... I am on somewhat of a budget but also understand I don't want to do this twice more lol.

you are correct that the fluval reef 4.0, being only 22 watts, is likely not sufficient for a 40 gallon mixed reef.

If it were me, I'd consider:

2x kessil a160: superior shimmer and coral color development - https://amzn.to/3M2by6O

1x noopsyche k7: best bang for your buck, period - https://noopsychereeflight.com/products/k7-pro-iii-full-set-aquarium-led-coral-light

However, corals slowly shrinking probably does not indicate a lighting issue, and a majority of the corals (and nem) you mentioned do fine with PAR at 100 or less - so I suspect there is more likely an issue with your water chemistry. can you run us through all your parameters, as well as anything that may have changed recently?

 

[Harleys and tanks]

you are correct that the fluval reef 4.0, being only 22 watts, is likely not sufficient for a 40 gallon mixed reef.

If it were me, I'd consider:

2x kessil a160: superior shimmer and coral color development - https://amzn.to/3M2by6O

1x noopsyche k7: best bang for your buck, period - https://noopsychereeflight.com/products/k7-pro-iii-full-set-aquarium-led-coral-light

However, corals slowly shrinking probably does not indicate a lighting issue, and a majority of the corals (and nem) you mentioned do fine with PAR at 100 or less - so I suspect there is more likely an issue with your water chemistry. can you run us through all your parameters, as well as anything that may have changed recently?

Sure, Only think I know of being low is PH and Cal being a bit high right now...

Sal - 1.026
PH - 7.8
Alk - 5 dkh
Mag - 1380
Cal - 490-500
Nitrate - 3-4ppm
Phos - .2

These have been my numbers for 6 months or so steady and do water changes weekly. Nothing dying, it's just that nothing is flourishing or growing and the Hammer and Frogspawn don't inflate the same anymore.

Thanks

 

[TX_REEF]

Sure, Only think I know of being low is PH and Cal being a bit high right now...

Sal - 1.026
PH - 7.8
Alk - 5 dkh
Mag - 1380
Cal - 490-500
Nitrate - 3-4ppm
Phos - .2

These have been my numbers for 6 months or so steady and do water changes weekly. Nothing dying, it's just that nothing is flourishing or growing and the Hammer and Frogspawn don't inflate the same anymore.

Thanks

I would aim to get your PH and Alk up, they are quite low. Ph you want at ~8.2, and Alk you want at least 7. You should start working on those immediately. In fact, when my corals are looking a bit unhappy, it's usually because alk has slipped.

How about flow in your tank?

 

[Harleys and tanks]

you are correct that the fluval reef 4.0, being only 22 watts, is likely not sufficient for a 40 gallon mixed reef.

If it were me, I'd consider:

2x kessil a160: superior shimmer and coral color development - https://amzn.to/3M2by6O

1x noopsyche k7: best bang for your buck, period - https://noopsychereeflight.com/products/k7-pro-iii-full-set-aquarium-led-coral-light

However, corals slowly shrinking probably does not indicate a lighting issue, and a majority of the corals (and nem) you mentioned do fine with PAR at 100 or less - so I suspect there is more likely an issue with your water chemistry. can you run us through all your parameters, as well as anything that may have changed recently?

Yeah the Kessils look nice but $390 each....

I have been looking at the Noopsyche k7 as well for an option, perks of it from what I see is that it has the 90 degree lenses already (nicrews don't) which give higher par and the spectrum looks better on it as well. The Nicrew would be $349 + $69 for controller or the Noopsyche is $339 but just won't arrive till next week.

Thanks for the help

 

[TX_REEF]

Yeah the Kessils look nice but $390 each....

I have been looking at the Noopsyche k7 as well for an option, perks of it from what I see is that it has the 90 degree lenses already (nicrews don't) which give higher par and the spectrum looks better on it as well. The Nicrew would be $349 + $69 for controller or the Noopsyche is $339 but just won't arrive till next week.

Thanks for the help

I'd use noopsyche over nicrew personally, just my opinion.

More urgent is correcting your PH and Alk, that's more than likely what's impacting your coral health.

 

[Kooma]

A pair of used xr15 would be perfect and good for futureproofing

 

[Harleys and tanks]

I'd use noopsyche over nicrew personally, just my opinion.

More urgent is correcting your PH and Alk, that's more than likely what's impacting your coral health.

Ok noopsyche it is I think!

PH i completely agree... unfortunately it's a symptom of being in a tight space with 3 people breathing so the c02 is high. I open the door as much as I can but in the canadian winter @ -20 without windchill it gets very cold very fast inside. So until I can open that up it stays down... then the rest of the year it is in the 8.1-8.2 range all year cuz we have windows and doors open.

Alk is in mg/l my bad.... so I think the conversion is up around 11 or 12... So if I try and do anything to the PH it will raise my alk and then I just have really high alk but PH still won't get up there because of the c02 indoors.