The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread

[Wolfgang]

Diddnt you have to put your black tang in the time out container to allow another fist to become acclimated?

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Diddnt you have to put your black tang in the time out container to allow another fist to become acclimated?

I may have had to perhaps once. Don't recall. Certainly not more than that. Then agsin, he was much smaller the last time I added any fish, which is years now.
He is actually one of the most peaceful tangs I ever recall. I only have two in the tank with the other being a very large Red Sea Blonde Naso.

99% of the time, the new one did the time in the container.
Seems to have always worked well with a rare exception.

I was hoping you would chime in, Carlos. I remember that procedure from somewhere earlier in this thread.

[Blueface]

Also, what always goes a long way is to also shuffle some rocks around if possible.
Difficult to do with well established reefs but if possible, what it does is confuse the current inhabitants and they spend their quality time finding a new home rather than bothering the new inhabitant.
This clearly works much better with non reef tanks with bleached corals as my tank as easier to shift things around.

[Wolfgang]

I feel the need to add some more fishies to my 90 now

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Take it slow. Reefs are like race cars the faster you go the harder you crash.

Awesome analogy!!

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

I feel the need to add some more fishies to my 90 now

Just like condoms for sex, Quarantine is a must if adding new fish.
What a freaking analogy.

I just traded some rhodactis and other frags for a frogspawn. Bought a few more hermit crabs and snails while I was there. I saw a candy coral called kryptonite that was extremely bright fluorescent green. My tank is too full right now.
I think the frogspawn will be able to fight back the rhodactis. This will be easier than trying to kill it.

[Wolfgang]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Just like condoms for sex, Quarantine is a must if adding new fish.
What a freaking analogy.

Very nice!

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

I just traded some rhodactis and other frags for a frogspawn. Bought a few more hermit crabs and snails while I was there. I saw a candy coral called kryptonite that was extremely bright fluorescent green. My tank is too full right now.
I think the frogspawn will be able to fight back the rhodactis. This will be easier than trying to kill it.

Sounds like a green nepthea (sp?) in the picture the polyps are closed.

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Very nice!



Sounds like a green nepthea (sp?) in the picture the polyps are closed.

Same color but it was large polyp. Looked just like candy coral.

[shilala]

Another $50.00 down the reef chute.
I broke a canopy the other day. I went to the pet store here and picked one up, it's too short so I have to take it back. I found the exact replacement at Foster & Smith.
Why I don't just shop there in the first place, I'll never know. I absolutely love that outfit.
I was gonna get new t5 bulbs too, but I don't know if I'm ready for them yet. If the critters are any indication of whether they're okay or not, they're great. The ends of the tubes look good, too.
I think I just changed them when I moved here because I had an extra brand new set.

Brings me to a question...
Where can I get t5 bulbs on the cheap, or do I just order them from Foster and Smith? I have this light. It's the 48" model. Everyone tells me these lights last 8 months, but Foster Smith says 18 months to two years. What should I think?

[shilala]

My fixture is actually a 432 watt 8 lamp fixture, but it's the same one shown in the link I put up there. Not sure why it's different, I got it quite a few years ago.
I just looked at the tubes, they definately need replaced. I am not excited about paying $170.00 for lightbulbs. Really. *barf*

[Wolfgang]

Unfortunately thats what I pay for bulbs too. Hopefully somone will have a better source. I m stuck using 6 54 watt t5's

[OLS]

I am not sure there IS a cheap lamp place that I would trust to actually sell what they claim to be selling.
While it has no crushing effect on the corals per se, it will encourage algal growth which no one wants.
So Foster and Smith are telling you about the "lifetime' of the lamp, you want to stay focused on the actual
spectral-accuracy life of the lamp. Which is about half of the actual life of the lamp. If it was just for room light,
who would care? But of course it's not. And of course, you KNOW this, I am just reminding you. How was
that last algae outbreak, lol. You KNOW reef-keeping is ridiculously expensive. Pouring perfectly good salty water
down the drain, lamps, replacement corals and fish for all the ones we kill. It's hell,

Sadly it's just about time for me to have to change out lamps, too. I save them though, in case I ever need to
grow weed.

Originally Posted by OLS

I am not sure there IS a cheap lamp place that I would trust to actually sell what they claim to be selling.
While it has no crushing effect on the corals per se, it will encourage algal growth which no one wants.
So Foster and Smith are telling you about the "lifetime' of the lamp, you want to stay focused on the actual
spectral-accuracy life of the lamp. Which is about half of the actual life of the lamp. If it was just for room light,
who would care? But of course it's not. And of course, you KNOW this, I am just reminding you. How was
that last algae outbreak, lol. You KNOW reef-keeping is ridiculously expensive. Pouring perfectly good salty water
down the drain, lamps, replacement corals and fish for all the ones we kill. It's hell,

Sadly it's just about time for me to have to change out lamps, too. I save them though, in case I ever need to
grow weed.

What he said!

Time for new lamps here too. I haven't found a better place than Drs. Foster & Smith yet.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by OLS

I am not sure there IS a cheap lamp place that I would trust to actually sell what they claim to be selling.
While it has no crushing effect on the corals per se, it will encourage algal growth which no one wants.
So Foster and Smith are telling you about the "lifetime' of the lamp, you want to stay focused on the actual
spectral-accuracy life of the lamp. Which is about half of the actual life of the lamp. If it was just for room light,
who would care? But of course it's not. And of course, you KNOW this, I am just reminding you. How was
that last algae outbreak, lol. You KNOW reef-keeping is ridiculously expensive. Pouring perfectly good salty water
down the drain, lamps, replacement corals and fish for all the ones we kill. It's hell,

Sadly it's just about time for me to have to change out lamps, too. I save them though, in case I ever need to
grow weed.

"The average life of T-5 tubes is 2 years, with the blue/actinic spectrum lamps lasting up to 18 months. 12000°K." are Dr Foster and Smith's words.
Your "spectral accuracy" comment is what I was looking for, Brad.

I guess I just kind of doubt the half-life idea. I tipped back my light to find a couple lamps with crusties floating around, and one actinic dead. Others looked new. Maybe I replaced half of them?
My doubt comes from:
1.) Dr. Foster and Smith are real straight shooters. If the lights were half good in half the time, they'd say so.
2.) Reef Keepers are even more painfully anal than cigar keepers, and Lord knows we have tons of rules we follow about ten steps past reasonably necessary.
3.) My corals are doing great, and are growing out of control.
4.) The corals I bought from other folks have totally changed from listless and colorless to colorful and full in no time.

My brown hair problem is all but solved. It was my fault. I had unhooked my ro/di unit and let it sit around for a couple months. That wrecks the membrane. It's even in my literature, I just never read it.
All I needed to do is fix my water, and that fixed the problem.

If my lights are 8x54w. that's be 432 watts or 4.8 w/gal. if my lights are at half the efficacy at half the life (let's say 8 months to a year), I'd probably be looking at 2.4 watts/gal, although I'm sure they don't curve down evenly.
Heck, it'd be worth wasting the money on one of those luminometers or whatever they call light measuring devices for the tank. You'd pay for it in no time with bulbs.

Based on my poorly informed argument, and knowing you've likely read volumes of painful tests and tech specs on this stuff, and knowing you're not gonna accept any suggestion that costs lots of money without a fight, how'd you get okay with the "bulbs are shot in half the time they say so" thing, Brad?
Know that this is a big leap for me. Normally I'd not believe anyone without doing the due diligence, but I know you're just as mental as I am, so I find it hard to believe you've accepted this without a fight. I can be okay with that.

[shilala]

I suppose another questions is "what brand are you t-5er's using?"
I continue to use Current, which was SlimPaq, which is now TrueLumen.

Bulbs are right here if you guys wanna shop.
Mark, you and I are using the same bulbs. My fixtures uses 8 54w t5's.

I just ordered two 400w 14K HIDs and two 65w actinic CFs for $160.

I read somewhere on the webz where someone measured the spectrum over the life of an HID and found it stayed pretty constant for a while and then shifted quickly long before the intensity dropped significantly. I have no recollection of anything like that for CFs or T5s but you can see the ends blacken on them so you know something is changing.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

I just ordered two 400w 14K HIDs and two 65w actinic CFs for $160.

I read somewhere on the webz where someone measured the spectrum over the life of an HID and found it stayed pretty constant for a while and then shifted quickly long before the intensity dropped significantly. I have no recollection of anything like that for CFs or T5s but you can see the ends blacken on them so you know something is changing.

See, mine aren't blackened at all, and I've never let them get that far. I don't even know if t5's will blacken on the ends.

My CFs take about a year to blacken. I have T5s on the freshwater tank but don't pay attention to them.