need ID

[bronco862]

can someone tell me what this is??

i just switched from 4xt5ho's to a 2x150w mh 14k setup.


my candy canes have some kind of mucus, looks like....clear snot. it's happened twice.



is this because of the more powerful lights???? or is something wrong with my tank???

i tested all my param's way after my lights were off, and a few hours after they were on. everything is stable. the pH is a wee bit low (8.1), but it's stable.

calcium 440, no phos, no ammonia, no nitrites, and nitrates spiked at 40-80, but are back down today after a water change yesterday.

 

[kirru]

There trying to get used to the new lights. Try cycling between the two halides if possible. So for a few hours have one turned on while the other is off, then switch and switch and lengthen the time they have between each other so they will eventually overlap and then you can have them on for the full 8 hours. takes a couple weeks

 

[bronco862]

hahaha. yeah. sounds like i'm going to be busy pretending to know what i'm doing.


how are ya liking your lights?! isn't it awesome??? i actually don't notice much of a difference between my 2x150w, and the wavepoint's i sold you. i think mines a bit more blue, but i still feel like the wavepoint is all-around brighter. i shoulda kept them so i could side by side compare to see if i spent my money wisely.

 

[jennm]

bronco862;466102 wrote: nitrates spiked at 40-80, but are back down today after a water change yesterday.

"Back down" to what? It would take a huge water change to get them down below 20... and usually that doesn't happen on one water change.

Jenn

 

[bronco862]

the color was in between the 1st and 2nd color's on an API test so i THINK that's 20. i dont have the kit in front of me jenn. i did.....2 6.5 gallon changes.

 

[kirru]

bronco862;466126 wrote: hahaha. yeah. sounds like i'm going to be busy pretending to know what i'm doing.


how are ya liking your lights?! isn't it awesome??? i actually don't notice much of a difference between my 2x150w, and the wavepoint's i sold you. i think mines a bit more blue, but i still feel like the wavepoint is all-around brighter. i shoulda kept them so i could side by side compare to see if i spent my money wisely.

They are bright so I took out one of the day bulbs and put another actinic sooo i have 3 blues and 1 white it focuses everything downward better. I even took the other fixture off cause this is doing more than i thought.

 

[jennm]

bronco862;466133 wrote: the color was in between the 1st and 2nd color's on an API test so i THINK that's 20. i dont have the kit in front of me jenn. i did.....2 6.5 gallon changes.

I'd question the validity of that test - either the starting value was higher than it should be or the post-water change value is lower than it should be.

I can't see that little of water change making that much of an impact on nitrates. Something is amiss.

It may not be why your coral is ailing (unless the nitrates really were 80... but with API kit I'm doubtful).

I'd get that figured/sorted though.

Jenn

 

[bronco862]

yeah. i seriously think that it's 100% because of those awesome reflectors. i didnt realize just how important they were until i got this new light. the reflectors look like junk on mine. i bet if i had 2 lumenmax reflectors instead of this sunpod i'd see more of a difference between the two, than i did between the wavepoint and sunpod.

 

[bronco862]

okay, i'll check again jenn.

but let's say i test again, and it's low.....and we assume testing error on the test i did BEFORE the water change. what would you think is the problem then??

the lights??

 

[jennm]

This is your thread too, yes?

http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=39508">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=39508</a>

So you put a Phosban reactor on the tank with skanky old media and it clouded your tank (and that might make sense that a nitrate test would spike high)...

THAT could be the cause of your coral being unhappy.

Jenn

 

[bronco862]

yeah i unplugged it immediately. i dont know why i thought that would be okay. wasn't thinking i guess.

it hasn't been on for a full day, and the cloudiness receded though. i'm hoping it's my lights. i guess we will find out

i'll pm you my test results