Copepod invasion.

I wouldnt say that I "NEED" MH. I would say that I have settled with MH as my primary light source due to a lot of research into current lighting. With LED still emerging and so expensive I cannot go this route right now, however it will be my final solution in the end. LED has the potential to destroy all other light models.

MH right now is currently the best production of natural full spectrum lighting. Dollar for Dollar the MH is cheaper for me than a T5 solution that would produce the same PAR value in the full spectrum range. Ill be using my existing 2x54W that I got back up and running for actnic supplementation (was originally 4x54, but i only bought one replacement ballast for now.

in the end I will have 8watts/gallon of full spectrum MH and T5 Actnic (will be using AquaBlue+ as they have the best marketed PAR output for actnic in T5)

My other option was to build a retro 6x54W SLR setup which was going to cost me more than the MH setup. So I went for MH based on various factors. The biggest was cost, second to that was PAR outputs, and third was laziness. I can buy two LumenMax Elite HQI 250W pendants, two Lumatek 250 W Electronic ballasts, and two bulbs for ~$600. A decent RETRO SLR setup with the same output wattage (not necessarily the same PAR value) would be around the same price and the buildout for the canopy would be more involved. Also with the MH its cheaper for me to replace those two bulbs than 6 T5.

So it was a tough decision but I am going with MH. Too many people have phenominal success with MH. Between 3reef and other sites I have visited when researching my lighting plus real life experiences with seeing MH versus T5 it came down to MH. One of my LFS uses 6xT5 for their small frag tank for the SPS they keep in there whereas the other larger frag tank and rest of the store is on single or dual MH and yielding better growth.

T5 and MH are very close in comparison in many ways and im sure there are plenty of arguments to push the decision either way. Cant beat the PAR output of a MH though (not yet anyways as far as I have seen beside crazy LED lighting)

 

Thanks for the input guys.

@ bje: That is the article I read about vodka dosing. I was following it to the "tee" and my nitrates went from 20 to currently 5 ppm. My chaeto grew considerably as well as my 4 mangroves started to sprout, so I'm not sure if they're supplementing each other in fighting the nitrate, or if it's a single one of them.
My water has gotten so much clearer after I started dosing though, that it's really appealing to me.
The fact that benneficial bacteria might not be thriving in the fuge's DSB scares me greatly though... I just can't seem to understand how long this maturing process takes... meaning, I started with live sand there, and then I've been dosing bacteria on a weekly basis (just in case). Wouldn't that help?

Also, check on Reef central as there are hundreds of posts regarding LED's with the different opinions. My conclusion was that so far, LED's can't match up to MH or even T5's with a certain amount of money. Let's say, with 400 bucks you buy a decent T5 or MH setup, but you can't get LED's do what T5's or MH's would do for that same money.

I'm starting to realize my little T5 at 216 watts is around 3 watts per gallon if including sump... but I'm not sure I should include the sump since this one has it's own light for macro, etc. Without the sump, it would be almost 4 watts per gallon (taking off the rock volume, etc) I'm afraid I'll have to research MH's as well. Just don't want to spend so much money on the tank anymore if my corals and livestock will do fine with what I have... but I understand it may not be sufficient.

@ JKK: Thank you for that information. I was unaware about the oxygen issue at night.. I do have a fuge with a DSB, a lot of chaeto and 4 mangroves. My skimmer is rated for 200 gallons and my tank's net volume is 70 gallons (including sump/fuge and skimmer). I also have an open top tank (with eggcrate lids) and what I perceive as good water flow. The surface is clear and extremely agitated. I learned this the hard way since I oxygen deprived my poor fishes in my very beginning.
Also, there's currently no white slime, but I read about it. I like it that my water has cleared up so much since I started using vodka. It used to have a yellow/green tint to it, but now it's as clear as air and I like that a lot.

I don't have any reactors. Should I run carbon? I read running a phos reactor isn't a good thing when dosing vodka. Thanks again for your input.

@ Sarrixx: From the user manual of my lighting (which is not even one of the best ones out there, but was within budget at the time):

Wavepoint High Outpot T5 Fluorescent 4 Lamp Lighting system:

xtruded (whatever that means) aluminum fixture.
14x Light amplifying paradynamic reflector
2 54 Watts Sun wave super daylight 12k HO T5 lamps
2 54 Watts Super blue actinic 460 HO T5 Lamps
Electronic balasts.

I just have no idea what all that means though.

Any thoughts/suggestions about my lighting setup?

 

Dont mean to hijack the thread here, but I'm not sure if that would be adequate for Acros (you'd probably have to confirm with someone who is a lot more knowledgable and experienced) but they require a stronger light source, as opposed to other SPS corals like Montipora, Turbinaria, Mycedium etc.

I am getting a similar light system to yours. The one I'm getting comes stock with 4 54w 10000k daylight bulbs. I will be replacing 2 with some actinics too. And I'm under the impression that with those lights I will not be able to keep Acroporas. Doesn't really bother me because the only SPS I really want are plating corals really

But, hopefully someone on here can confirm or deny this information. I'm only a noob and I am still learning!

 

With the 4x54W T5 in a 70g tank, you have moderate lighting, but not great. You could probably have acros, but only toward the top of the tank. However, if you had, for example, a TEK T5 fixture with 6x54W T5, it would be more than adequated to keep anything you wanted in the tank.

MH lights are great, but best suited for deeper tanks (ie. more than 20 inches high), as T5 lights have more trouble penetrating deeper into salt water. For a standard 70g tank that isn't very deep, I'm not sure that the hassle with the extra heat and electrical bills is worth it for MH. Personally I use 8x54W T5 on my 90g tank, and I've got lots of happy acros (in addition to other SPS and LPS).

Oh, and regarding your question about filtration, I feel it is ALWAYS a good idea to have some carbon running in your tank. I would pick up a cheap phosban reactor and put it in your sump with some carbon in it. It will help keep the undesirable chemicals down. I use that, and also another phosban reactor full of GFO (even though I vodka dose) - I want to be certain that phosphate levels stay near zero.

HTH

 

As far as hijacking the thread, no worries. I see this as a conversation and as such, different sub-subjects may come up and they all help me better understand my new hobby! So, again, no worries my friend!

You're right. I was afraid my light wouldn't be enough. The problem is that my budget is extremely tight since getting laid off last december. It would be nice to win the DIY video contest here, but I don't have any other major project builds, so it sucks. JJK just confirmed your fears about my lighting and I think I'll have to upgrade at some point. I hope the acros will hold for now until I can.

Thank you, brother! I've been really wondering about my light. I just recently hung them about 8" above the water surface because it was heating my water up too quickly and stressing my fish.

I will research on pricing for the light system you mentioned or similar. I hope they're not too expensive.

As far as the carbon and phos reactor, could I just run a media bag in the sump with each one of them? I'm in a tight position with money and if this will be a good alternative I feel it would be cheaper. What do you think?

Oh! By the way, my tank is 55 gallons only (48x12x21) the 70 gallons is my net water volume including the sump.

I have re-placed all my Acros at the very top of the tank. I really hope they hold until I can buy a better system.

Thanks again for your input guys! This is helping me a lot.

- Mag.

 

By the way guys, what's your experience with Vodka Dosing? All I've noticed is that my nitrates went dramatically down and my water lost the yellow/greenish tint and cleared up. The difference is very noticeable.

 

As JJK said, they should do ok in the top of the tank. I would say just leave them there, observe them, keep your parameters in top notch and see what happens. If they do well, you may not have to worry about getting new lights for a while

As for vodka dosing, never had any experience with it because it always sounded a bit risky to me. But if it works for you and improves your tank then go for it! Just be careful!

 

Will do! Al my params are pretty good right now. I'm going to do WC tonight or tomorrow and that will make things even better.

Getting back on subject, I believe JJK was 100% spot on when he said the copepod invasion was one of the maturing stages. The number of cope-pods in the DT's glass have dramatically dropped, but I still have them in great numbers in the fuge. This is pretty good.

I believe that I have plenty of copepods in the DT as well. I have a rainsford's goby that's too small to filter my reef sand through his gales, so having copepods around is definitely a good thing for him. I see him picking on the glass all the time and I can only assume he's getting his belly full since he shows no signs of anything going wrong

 

I think I have copepods
Any other methods to view copepods in the tank


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Honestly, the way I found them first were on the rocks. Coming in and out of tiny holes. But then when their population exploded, they were everywhere. It was very easy to see them, since wherever you look, you'll see these little creatures crawling around. Sometimes if you can see them in the glass, they will hop like fleas. This was very amusing when my snails were climbing the glass to eat, you would see a good number of copepods jumping this way to get away from the snail.

I don't know what other way you can see them. If you don't know what they look like, though. Here's a google image search on Copepods copepods pictures - Google Search