Beginning that 175g and am inheriting some candy cane, frogspawn, gsp, ricordea and some hairy mushrooms. My wife loves lps, so I am figuring at least a hammer, a brain, and some duncans for my daughter. I am a monti nut, which I have successfully supported by using kalkwasser as a buffer in my top off. I would like to add some additional lps and move into acros. All of this is a ways off, I know better than to rush. I do however know that if you work a plan with a tank, you have a better shot of accomplishing what you desire. What kinds of additions will I need to get acros going? Are there lower demand acros? I will be running high output led lighting (diy) and circulation will be done by a pair of gyre pumps. That said is that level of flow going to create issues with my long polyps? Eventually, I know I will need to have automated buffering. Dosing pumps or a CA Reactor and why? Last question, zeovit additives, yes, no, maybe, depends and why? Thanks in advance gang. Can't wait to meet you all here in a few weeks.
Sps require strong light, strong flow, and stable water parameters. All acros are very sensitive to these 3 things. But just in my experience darker colored ones seem to be more hardy, green slimer for example would be a good one IMO.
Agree with Bo, slimers are a very hardy acro. I've found Bonsai acros to be pretty tough too. Tricolor valida's are another that seem to be pretty tough. Pocilliporas are hardy too but some of them have a tendency to be somewhat invasive (don't ask how I know). You can use placement to help you have enough flow for SPS and still keep some lower flow species. Find a place behind a rock or an eddy area for the lower flow corals. That is certainly one of the challenges in trying to keep a true mixed reef but it's a load of fun.
Lighting and flow, I don't see as a problem. I figure top shelf placement of the more demanding sps. Flow is a key so the gyres will be set near top of tank or one at top one a few inches lower on the other side. I figure alternating the two will create sufficient flow to handle all the high flow stuff. I believe the placement of the Duncan will be in an indention in the rock as that will cut the light and the flow. I will be joining the club at the next meeting and look forward to getting frags to start, just want to have a good home for them.
Hiya, I have duncan's, frog spawn, a trumpet and green pearl. I run a Tunzi with T-5's. No issues with flow, but they are all sheltered so they're not blasted.
I have quite a bit of Acro's, and Monti's along with some Hammer's and Frog Spawn in one of my tanks. Placement is key. John
Zeovit? No, it's copper to bleach out acros to give them a pastel coloration. The only products required for a thriving reef are 2 part. Provided you perform intermittent water changes.
So your advice would be dosing pumps and a 2 part like B-Ionic over a CA Reactor? This is a big concern of mine. For whatever reason, I am a bit skiddish about a CA Reactor. Anyone have experience with a Sulfur Denitrator. They were just coming around when I got out of the hobby 8 years ago. Do they do a decent job buffering as well as denitrating?
No experience but what I read said they were solely for denitrification and in fact make alkalinity drop. I've toyed with the idea of a calcium reactor but 2 part is so stinking easy with dosing pumps/controllers I can't see me going to the trouble. Interested to see if someone knows more about the denitrators. Where did you hear about them buffering?
When they first came out, there was some hype about them adding calcium and a buffer as a byproduct of the chemistry. It makes some sense in that the denitrification process in the sulfur media produces an acidic solution (H2SO4, I believe) which passes through an aragonite media that produces a more ph balanced effluent. Thus, calcium and buffer returning to the tank. I have also heard that there is an alkalinity drop which makes sense if the initial byproduct is a diluted sulfuric acid. The more I read though, the more I am liking more biological solutions like the media stone to enhance my denitrification.
The sulfur denitrification reactor is 100% unnessesary. I used to go to a guys house who had one. Not worth the effort! Media had to be turned daily. I have personally not used a calcium reactor. My thoughts based on reading people's post; large tanks, tanks over 220 or so will likely burn through large amts of two part once coral mature so Ca+ reactor beneficial. Smaller tanks, under 220ish are easily maintained with dosing pumps and two part. That's not a rule just my opinion from several years reading people's experience. Check out bioball reactor if you like the idea of a reactor for nutrient assistance. Lots of people running them and they work. Again, 100% unnessessary, but gadgets and gizmos are just fun!
Thanks Silent. This is the kind of response I need and am looking for. I have no interest in a bio ball reactor. If the sulfur reactor could be my buffer, it might be worth it. Really didn't want to invest in a CA+ reactor. A couple of dosing pumps on the other hand, that sounds manageable. Thanks again.
Not sure how well it buffers. Will you still have to add calcium? A tank that size you'll likely need a dosing pump for alkalinity anyway. For simplicity, dosing pumps are probably the way to go. The guy I'm talking about, having the reactor, still dosed calcium. I'm not sure your going to get everything you want from the denitrifier. Perhaps his was too small for his tank? Honestly, I've not read a tank thread in years that uses a SDR. Seems if they were efficient more people would use them. It would be cool to see how one works for you.
