Rimless Reef 4.0

[cotofl02]

Thank you!

Whenusing the iPhone, I don’t have any special lens. The phone itself is fairly basic, iPhone 12. I simply edit the color temperature after taking the shot so that it matches as close as possible to what I can see in person. It doesn’t come close to my professional camera, but it’s not too bad, especially when taking video.

I do turn up my lights and all channels to 100% when taking photos. As with all photography, the correct lighting is key!

First off your tank is amazing, every time I look at the photos I pull some sort of inspiration out. I also started using your snow recipe and started carbon dosing. So far so good, thank you for that.
I have a photography question for you. I too have a z6ii and am looking to start taking some tank shots. Do you use any filters? Or are you just adjusting the white balance? Any tips or tricks are appreciated. I look forward to following the progress of this tank. Thanks!!

 

[SunnyX]

First off your tank is amazing, every time I look at the photos I pull some sort of inspiration out. I also started using your snow recipe and started carbon dosing. So far so good, thank you for that.
I have a photography question for you. I too have a z6ii and am looking to start taking some tank shots. Do you use any filters? Or are you just adjusting the white balance? Any tips or tricks are appreciated. I look forward to following the progress of this tank. Thanks!!

Hello and thank you.

Concerning the photography, I use no filters and will white balance in Lightroom or Photoshop. I will then make some other tweaks and adjustments to get it to look in the image as close to in person as possible.

On the Nikon, I have found that a shutter speed of around 200 works best. From time to time I will use a 100MM macro lens but most of the shots are taken with a 24-70MM. White balance is set to auto, ISO to 800 or less, and aperture to f4-8. If using the Macro, I will go all the way down to F2.8.

I will turn off all surrounding lighting in the home and clean the glass. Most of my pictures and videos are taken on Saturdays, a few hours after a water change and Coral Snow treatment. This ensures that my reef looks great for the photo session.

Lighting is extremely important when photographing the reef so I do turn up my LEDs to 100%, all channels. Then, I simply take many shots and choose the best ones from the bunch based on the angle, lighting, and fish location in the image. I’ll typically take 25 photos for every good one that I choose. I try and get shots that exclude equipment or anything else that would make it look unnatural. The only exception here are FTS.

So, if there is a recommendation it’s take lots of pictures and up the lighting. In time, you will get good at taking pictures, there’s just a lot of trial and error reaching that point.

-Sonny

 

[JSR]

Nice!
Till recently, I always thought Aquablue special was a “blue” bulb not a “white” bulb.

Definitely like the full spectrum look.
I currently run

FRONT
XHO blue led
Coral plus
Blue Plus
Coral Plus
6500K
Blue Plus
Coral Plus
XHO blue led

You do have me tempted to get G5 Pros with your custom setting—-so used to seeing the usual Radion blue tanks.

The simplicity of T5s is still special though.

 

[SunnyX]

Nice!
Till recently, I always thought Aquablue special was a “blue” bulb not a “white” bulb.

Definitely like the full spectrum look.
I currently run

FRONT
XHO blue led
Coral plus
Blue Plus
Coral Plus
6500K
Blue Plus
Coral Plus
XHO blue led

You do have me tempted to get G5 Pros with your custom setting—-so used to seeing the usual Radion blue tanks.

The simplicity of T5s is still special though.

If your T5 fixture is running well and there are no issues I wouldn’t bother moving to LED. You won’t see much of a difference moving from T5 to LED. I went to LED because I was out of the hobby for a number of years and was starting up basically from scratch on the lighting equipment. I still have tons of MH gear but in my current setup it’s simply not practical to use it.

I loved using T5s it the biggest downside was the bulb replacement. If you plan on upgrading to a larger setup then it would be warranted to change lighting technology. Until then, save some money and stick with what you got.

-Sonny

 

[DML08]

Just awesome Sunny, just awesome...

 

[njreefkeeper]

Man oh man! Sonny, it’s so good to see you back! I’ve been following your tanks since the old RC days. Always inspiring and a lesson in simplicity.

My own foray into LEDs a few years back did not fair so well. I’ve been hesitant ever since so I’ve stuck with tried and true halides on one tank and t5 on another...so very interested to see your long term progress and always honest reviews and findings.

Welcome back!

 

[SunnyX]

Man oh man! Sonny, it’s so good to see you back! I’ve been following your tanks since the old RC days. Always inspiring and a lesson in simplicity.

My own foray into LEDs a few years back did not fair so well. I’ve been hesitant ever since so I’ve stuck with tried and true halides on one tank and t5 on another...so very interested to see your long term progress and always honest reviews and findings.

Welcome back!

Thank you! I have been running the Radion G5s for two years now with great success. I started with them on a 50gl office tank and then migrated them over to this larger setup. I truly have no complaints with the Radions. They run cool, quiet, and grow/color SPS very well. I have been running diffusers since almost day one so that may have played a role as it helped to eliminate hot spots that LEDs are notorious for. In person, the lighting looks like T5 with a very slight shimmer.

Concerning growth, I have not noticed much if any difference between Radions and MH or T5.

-Sonny

 

[njreefkeeper]

Thank you! I have been running the Radion G5s for two years now with great success. I started with them on a 50gl office tank and then migrated them over to this larger setup. I truly have no complaints with the Radions. They run cool, quiet, and grow/color SPS very well. I have been running diffusers since almost day one so that may have played a role as it helped to eliminate hot spots that LEDs are notorious for. In person, the lighting looks like T5 with a very slight shimmer.

Concerning growth, I have not noticed much if any difference between Radions and MH or T5.

-Sonny

Ugh...now you’re making my wallet twitch.

 

[SunnyX]

Ugh...now you’re making my wallet twitch.

Ha ha! If you’re happy with the MH and T5 then save your money. Really, the only thing these Radions have over MH/T5 is controllability and aesthetics.

If you were starting from scratch I would 100% recommend the Radions over everything else, but if you currently have MH/T5 fixtures it’s hard to justify the upgrade.

But hey, if you can find someone to purchase your fixtures you can find some great deals on used Radion G5’s.

-Sonny

 

[Perry]

Looking great Sonny, looking forward to your next video/picture updates! I am with you on lighting, used t5's since 2005 and just couldn't let go, but switched a few months back to all led, and very happy! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, its super refreshing!!!

 

[SunnyX]

Looking great Sonny, looking forward to your next video/picture updates! I am with you on lighting, used t5's since 2005 and just couldn't let go, but switched a few months back to all led, and very happy! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, its super refreshing!!!

Thank you! Look for new Pictures/Video soon. I am also considering creating some video concerning some of my reefing guides and philosophy.

I did recently bump up my daily daily dosage of Tropic Marin NP-Bacto balance from 2ML to 3ML. I had noticed some diatoms accumulating on my sand bed, hence the reason for the increase in dosage. It appears to have done the trick as the diatoms are gone.

Other than that, things are going well and the corals are growing rapidly. Keeping the ALK in check has been a challenge but I think its finally dialed in, at least for now.

-Sonny

 

[MtnDewMan]

Keeping the ALK in check has been a challenge but I think its finally dialed in, at least for now.

Forgive me if already provided, but what is your target ALK and CA?

 

[SunnyX]

Forgive me if already provided, but what is your target ALK and CA?

Hi! 440 CA and 9-10DKH. I generally won’t test CA unless I am having some serious issues with ALK. Between the two, I focus more on ALK as it generally is a better indicator of growth and what the corals are processing daily. I am also big on keeping a PH at 8.3. The higher my ph, the better growth I have found in my setups.

 

[Zuma]

Kind of of a random question but I wondering if you could provide any details on the overflow/return of you older reef tank shown in the attached pictures? Was this a 8x5x19 acrylic overflow that you siliconed into the tank? I like the look of the corner overflow set up.

Thanks!

 

[SunnyX]

Kind of of a random question but I wondering if you could provide any details on the overflow/return of you older reef tank shown in the attached pictures? Was this a 8x5x19 acrylic overflow that you siliconed into the tank? I like the look of the corner overflow set up.

Thanks!

Hello,

The aquarium was custom built by Miracles in Glass. I don’t recall the actual overflow dimensions but will look through some old pictures and documents and see what I can find on the dimensions.

And yes, a corner or side overflow in in my opinion is much than a center one. A center overflow ruins the flow and aesthetics of a well laid out system.

-Sonny

 

[SunnyX]

Hello all!

I owe you all some images and video. I will try and get some out this week. In the meantime, here is a quick iPhone shot video from this morning. I will bust out the Big camera for the remaining shots and video.

 

[FreshCoastReef]

Thank you! Look for new Pictures/Video soon. I am also considering creating some video concerning some of my reefing guides and philosophy.

I did recently bump up my daily daily dosage of Tropic Marin NP-Bacto balance from 2ML to 3ML. I had noticed some diatoms accumulating on my sand bed, hence the reason for the increase in dosage. It appears to have done the trick as the diatoms are gone.

Other than that, things are going well and the corals are growing rapidly. Keeping the ALK in check has been a challenge but I think its finally dialed in, at least for now.

-Sonny

Videos of your reffing guides would be amazing, I'm sure folks would love and appreciate them, myself included!

 

[SunnyX]

Videos of your reffing guides would be amazing, I'm sure folks would love and appreciate them, myself included!

Well, I can’t promise that it’ll be good, but I will give it my best shot!

 

[cairolip21]

These look incredible! I love the multiple rock pile design! It looks so natural as if snorkeling between mini reefs. Beautiful setup!

 

[Dan Reef]

Hello Sunny!

Amazing tank! I see you use TM Bacto Balance. They recommend to use this product to maintain NO3/PO4 values or Plus NP if they are low. Have you ever switched to NP Plus if you found those values to be too low?

Thanks!