starter cycle

[becon776]

hey guys, had new build up since christmas. had lights at minimum but no coralline growth yet. no corals but would like to get a few testers in soon.

lookin for a schedule that would encourage coralline and kind of set stage for coral addition in a month. ay same time dint want to blow out my entire tank with algae.

tank- reefer 450 (22" height)
lights - 50" photon v2

 

[Reef Breeders]

Hi!

The default program is a good place to start. We also have a few recommendations for different types of corals in our FAQ: www.reefbreeders.com/faq

Coraline algae generally comes with time, as you add more frags and liverock to seed the tank coraline will start multiplying. I say add a few corals, then start upping the light intensity past 30% to acclimate them to the light.

 

[becon776]

thanks... so i should just follow the softy schedule for now? or toned down a little less?

 

[Fishfinder]

How high are your lights mounted?

 

[becon776]

~12" from water line

 

[Fishfinder]

I would go about 50% blue and 15% white. Then adjust the color to your liking from there.

 

[becon776]

i ended up starting with the "softy" schedule from the dropbox. max is 40 on 3,5,6 and 15 on 4. was mh/t5 guys for over a decade so was on/off.

i figured id stay kind low bc even at the 15% thqt ive beej running for a month still got sime algae. eventually a triton mixed reef but till fuge is running on all cyclinders im reluctant as dont want the crazy algae in display.

 

[becon776]

tank is a hot mess.... tons of cyanno. numbers:
sg-~ 1.0245
PO4- 0
Ca - 413
alk - 144ppm ~8 DKH

fuge is kickin and chaeto is cranking but some green algae is mixed in
main light cycle for rb v2 50 is

1@15% 2@15 3@50 4@30 5@50 6@50

Its a red sea 450. my favorite rare torch died on me. wondering if i am burning stuff or not enough. just added chemiclean today

 

[SeaDweller]

tank is a hot mess.... tons of cyanno. numbers:
sg-~ 1.0245
PO4- 0
Ca - 413
alk - 144ppm ~8 DKH

fuge is kickin and chaeto is cranking but some green algae is mixed in
main light cycle for rb v2 50 is

1@15% 2@15 3@50 4@30 5@50 6@50

Its a red sea 450. my favorite rare torch died on me. wondering if i am burning stuff or not enough. just added chemiclean today

I have 4 48s over my 240, and my whites are no more than 20%, at max intensity. I run a slightly modified Coral Labs AB+ schedule; my blues/violets peak at 85% for 8 hours and RG peak at 22, whites 20.

Are you used to a whiter spectrum that you got with MH, is that why you run so much white channels? The unit is super strong.

This is my current schedule, it won’t encourage coralline unless you already have some in the tank, I suppose.