The Garden -- Rakies shallow SPS cube

[Hemmdog]

How did you upgrade the ballasts?

 

[therman]

Look great! You definitely got some real gems in that pack

Second batch of SPS showed up today. Here's some quick pics of them in the tank.

They're all healthy and colorful, ordered these from @therman

Next order of business... getting the bonsai structure in the mail so I can place some corals.

 

[Rakie]

How heavy is the structure? Is there any concern tht high flow will make it move

Len

It's polyurethane, so not very heavy but it won't float around or anything. It shouldn't be an issue at all.

How did you upgrade the ballasts?

Opened it up and put in Phillips ballasts ,which my friend recommended as the best T5 ballasts available right now -- After putting them in, the different was immediate in my corals. After putting in just one of them and turning on the fixture it was obvious the upgraded ballast was putting out much more light so we did the other side too.

Look great! You definitely got some real gems in that pack

Thank you much! I'll be able to send you a BC Soda Popinski in a bit as well.

 

[Fudsey]

How many watts is that ballast? 1 ballast 2 bulbs?

 

[NY_Caveman]

therman has excellent pieces and mine were packaged expertly. Yours look very sweet.

 

[Rakie]

How many watts is that ballast? 1 ballast 2 bulbs?

Same wattage just better product. Having tried these I feel confident that these would improve ATI fixtures

 

[Hemmdog]

Same wattage just better product. Having tried these I feel confident that these would improve ATI fixtures

How difficult was it to swap them out? I’m not super handy.

 

[reefwreak]

I guess I have to check the actual thread to see the downs that come with all of the ups that you generously send via text. So you are only human, and your frags only acropora, like the rest of us get after all! Sorry to hear about the losses, but I'm sure you'll get beautiful replacements.

I can't wait to see the new structure up and running. It'll be a unique display, that's for sure. Now you just need to fast forward time to see how things grow in. And you need a pad lock on your display tank so you stop fragging everything the minute it grows

 

[NY_Caveman]

How are all the new frags doing @Rakie ?

 

[Fudsey]

You get the stand yet?

 

[Rakie]

How difficult was it to swap them out? I’m not super handy.

It was easy enough that I could have done it, but my friend did because I too am not handy. I'm more... Breaky

 

[Rakie]

I guess I have to check the actual thread to see the downs that come with all of the ups that you generously send via text. So you are only human, and your frags only acropora, like the rest of us get after all! Sorry to hear about the losses, but I'm sure you'll get beautiful replacements.

I can't wait to see the new structure up and running. It'll be a unique display, that's for sure. Now you just need to fast forward time to see how things grow in. And you need a pad lock on your display tank so you stop fragging everything the minute it grows

Well one of them essentially died from shipping and the other two died on the ride home. I don't normally transport outside of a cooler but I didn't think about it that day and two very high end frags paid the price from that pesky sun.

Otherwise structure tomorrow!

 

[Rakie]

How are all the new frags doing @Rakie ?

All fine so far, nothing unusual going on! Planning for tomorrow.

So for the structure I must...
- clean structure thoroughly
- prepare a large water change, in case I;
- remove sand as it's got lots of bubble algae.. may not do this
- make pvc tubes for gobies

Getting it in the tank I will...
- move all corals to frag tank
- move out rockwork
- do a head count of fish and inverts
- put in bonsai structure
- place goby tubes under structure

The goby tubes will be 1/2" and 3/4" black PVC tubes with basic little single frag mound covers to allow them in and out and it looks slightly .ore natural

 

[Hemmdog]

All fine so far, nothing unusual going on! Planning for tomorrow.

So for the structure I must...
- clean structure thoroughly
- prepare a large water change, in case I;
- remove sand as it's got lots of bubble algae.. may not do this
- make pvc tubes for gobies

Getting it in the tank I will...
- move all corals to frag tank
- move out rockwork
- do a head count of fish and inverts
- put in bonsai structure
- place goby tubes under structure

The goby tubes will be 1/2" and 3/4" black PVC tubes with basic little single frag mound covers to allow them in and out and it looks slightly .ore natural

Are you doing BB? That’s why goby tubes?

 

[ReeferBean]

Let’s see it!

 

[NY_Caveman]

Agreed! Let us see the majesty.

 

[drawman]

Keeping it suspenseful

 

[Daniel@R2R]

All fine so far, nothing unusual going on! Planning for tomorrow.

So for the structure I must...
- clean structure thoroughly
- prepare a large water change, in case I;
- remove sand as it's got lots of bubble algae.. may not do this
- make pvc tubes for gobies

Getting it in the tank I will...
- move all corals to frag tank
- move out rockwork
- do a head count of fish and inverts
- put in bonsai structure
- place goby tubes under structure

The goby tubes will be 1/2" and 3/4" black PVC tubes with basic little single frag mound covers to allow them in and out and it looks slightly .ore natural

Sounds like fun! I'll check in to see how this is looking!

 

[Rakie]

Well it finally showed up, it looks good to me and they look more natural under water than you'd think.

Mine if course isn't in tank yet.. it will be, got a lot if work to do with it first though!

I may go bare bottom because the sand has bubble algae in it. It shouldn't be too hard to put in but we'll see how that ends up!

 

[Rakie]

Also, post 2000 apparently. The year when MH roamed our rooms, people didn't know what alk was or why to dose it, and ulns was the only way.