Coral Coloration

[FutureInterest]

You could try just using your current black box and replacing some of the LEDs with other ones like more blues and adding UV. That's the cheapest way to go and you'll ensure you're getting the spectrum you want. I picked up a 8 foot tank and have been debating on its lighting... I may forgo radions and just go with blackboxes and change the leds to what I want. As I don't use the greens/whites/reds on my radions anyways. I'll need some soldering help though as I'm a bit of a noob at it but the videos online seem pretty straight forward.

 

[AquariumSchmo]

You could try just using your current black box and replacing some of the LEDs with other ones like more blues and adding UV. That's the cheapest way to go and you'll ensure you're getting the spectrum you want. I picked up a 8 foot tank and have been debating on its lighting... I may forgo radions and just go with blackboxes and change the leds to what I want. As I don't use the greens/whites/reds on my radions anyways. I'll need some soldering help though as I'm a bit of a noob at it but the videos online seem pretty straight forward.

I have never soldered either. At the moment, I'm leaning towards one of the new 18" SB Reef Lights. It has UV and they moved some of the blues to the white channel so people can run each channel closer in percentage. It is only $45 more than I paid for the Mars Aqua. I found out yesterday that they also sell a retro fit kit for black boxes for $60 (not sure if that requires soldering).

Is the 8 foot tank going downstairs and are you going to transfer everything from your current display upstairs down to it, or is that going to be a second display? If you need any help moving stuff, let me know.

 

[Steve Burton]

I've got a Weller soldering station if either of you would like to use it.

 

[FutureInterest]

Actually, I would like to borrow it if possible. Pm sent.

Casey, the tank will go downstairs on the opposite side of the wall as the frag tank room. It'll get plumbed together. Tired of taking care of two tanks.

 

[snowmansnow]

Any way to show a pic of the corals?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[snowmansnow]

Whenever you see one of these Ultralow Nutrient Systems, know that it is a delicate dance the aquarist performs-

View attachment 3411

This is true

I had this issue a few years ago w washed colors, and now attribute it to very low NO3


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tryagianki]

Actually, I would like to borrow it if possible. Pm sent.

Casey, the tank will go downstairs on the opposite side of the wall as the frag tank room. It'll get plumbed together. Tired of taking care of two tanks.

if you need help with soldering tiny connections or have any soldering questions shoot me a pm!

 

[Adam]

Yea, to be successful you need to know where your numbers are for the big 3 along with NO3 & PO4. You can get lucky just guessing but with Acro's it's another story.
With only one fish & one shrimp in there and a fuge running your nutrients are probably too low. Yes there are many very great tanks running ULN but zero NO3 & PO4 isn't good either. Short of adding another fish or two you could cut the hours on the fuge light and target feed the corals a little more.

My preferred tests are:
Alk: Hanna with Red Sea Pro as a backup.
Cal: Hanna with Red Sea Pro as a backup.
Mag: Salifert with Red Sea Pro as a backup.
NO3: Red Sea Pro (Shoot for 3-10)
PO4: Hanna ULR (Shoot for .03-.05, lower is better)

If something doesn't look right I test again, if it still doesn't look right I go to a backup test to confirm. If there's no backup I take a sample in to a store to see how their API test looks.

Trace is a guessing game without IPC testing, which I do once a quarter. I dose at 1/2 to 2/3rds the recommended rate using Brightwell Coral color & Replenish alternating between the two. Live Aquaria Salt lacks Bromine, so I add ATI's product for that. I know it would be hard to justify getting an ICP test for nano tanks but after you're tried a few things and you don't see any results getting one done could prove to be useful down the road.

Once you get used to seeing how the corals react to a given set of parameters you'll have an idea what's happening as you see it.

With the light's I agree with Dave 100%. I have an SB Reef sBox 16" over my coral QT that is not in use right now. I you'd like to borrow it for a couple weeks I'd be happy to loan it to you. It's just a glorified black box in the same footprint as the Mars but it has 395 UV and 420 Violet.

 

[Adam]

I can also help you replace diodes on the Mars if you go that route.

 

[schwaggs]

You could try just using your current black box and replacing some of the LEDs with other ones like more blues and adding UV. That's the cheapest way to go and you'll ensure you're getting the spectrum you want. I picked up a 8 foot tank and have been debating on its lighting... I may forgo radions and just go with blackboxes and change the leds to what I want. As I don't use the greens/whites/reds on my radions anyways. I'll need some soldering help though as I'm a bit of a noob at it but the videos online seem pretty straight forward.

Jin or @AquariumSchmo,
If you want someone to solder the LEDs in for you, I'd be happy to do it for you.

Do you know what UV LEDs to use in the Black Box? You need to pick the correct UV LEDs that can perform properly at the drive current of the LED you are replacing. Not sure what drive current the black box LEDs use.

Also, I'm about to mod my black box to allow control by my Apex. Basically you eliminate the potentiometers on the top of the box and wire in the 0-10V control from the apex. If you want this type mod, I'd be happy to add that mod too. Let me know as I would need to order some extra parts.

 

[FutureInterest]

Jin or @AquariumSchmo,
If you want someone to solder the LEDs in for you, I'd be happy to do it for you.

Do you know what UV LEDs to use in the Black Box? You need to pick the correct UV LEDs that can perform properly at the drive current of the LED you are replacing. Not sure what drive current the black box LEDs use.

Also, I'm about to mod my black box to allow control by my Apex. Basically you eliminate the potentiometers on the top of the box and wire in the 0-10V control from the apex. If you want this type mod, I'd be happy to add that mod too. Let me know as I would need to order some extra parts.

Yes that would be amazing.

 

[AquariumSchmo]

Guys, thanks for the offer to help solder. I weighed all the options, but in the end decided to buy a 18" SB Reef Light. They seem to hit the right spectrum, and it fit my budget.

 

[schwaggs]

Yes that would be amazing.

No problem! Just PM me when you have the parts and we can setup a time to get together, catch up, melt some solder and mod some lights!

 

[brent311]

That's very possible, I only have one fish; a six-line wrasse. I feed just enough for it and the peppermint shrimp, and a few coral foods twice a week. My skimmer is small, but I have a lot of chateo which is probably sucking up the nitrates. Maybe I can cut the water changes back to every other week; need to find out what my levels are first.

Casey, I know this is an old post but I was going through and trying to post some and be more active on the forums...I told Justin I would.
About a year ago, most of my corals looked fairly drab, And my zoas were shrinking. What seem to make the difference for my tank was a few things, first I made sure to check my alkalinity every week and my calcium and magnesium about every other week and make small adjustments to my dose of 2 part. Kept Alk about 7.5-8. Kept salinity at 1.025 and temperature at about 78 to 79. But the thing that made the most difference is, I only turn my skimmer on for one hour per day. I do this through my Apex, and my auto top off turns off when the skimmer is on so not to throw off water levels. Basically, my corals were starving. After this, I noticed a big difference in what my corals looked like.
Another thing, with the black boxes I keep my whites to the lowest setting that turns on, and the blues do most of the work. I started my blues at about 60% and I’ve gradually over months got to about 80 to 85%. Any higher, and sometimes they’ll start to burn under center of the light. My lights are on For 9 hours. Chaeto lit in sump on 9 hours reverse of the main lights. I do have a 180 gallon so if your tank is more shallow then they probably can’t take that much light.
I think UV can help but the main difference is probably pretty subtle, and the right amount of nutrients/water parameters stability plays a bigger part.