My 55g 2.0

Forgive my ignorance in advance please. I try to read as many of the forums as I can one to admire the beauty of what so many have achieved but also to learn. When you folks talk about a controller are you referring to something like an apex controller or am I totally mistaken? Sorry to intrude on your thread md.
Scott

 

I was talking about an apex type controller. But i think i like the Reef Angel, which is very similar.

 

okay.. I thought that's what you were talking about but wanted to make sure I was on the same page.
thnx md.

 

If you do go with the Reef Angel I'd like to compare notes with you from time to time to see how the two compare. I have a lot of upgrading to do on the Apex but everything is $$ and I'm always weighing what I'm willing to do manually (which is a lot) vs adding critters (which I want more of).

I imagine everyone's in the same position.

 

I know I am.

 

LEDs came in this morning. Now the fun begins

 

After only 14 hours of putting things together, taking them apart, adjusting things, putting them together again, and more adjusting of drivers. I think I finally have the lights all worked out. Had an issue with one of the chips not being soldered which i made short work of repairing and also had an issue which took me some time to figure out if something was wrong or if i just didn't have enough light, my blue channel at 30% washed out the tank like windex, which i am not a fan, and with the white channel turned all the way to 100% was not giving me enough light. So after tinkering with the driver some more, I am sure that if the white channel were not back down to 30% my corals would be not happy with all that light all at once.

Current parameters...
Salinity 1.025
Alk 9.9 dKH
Cal 430 mg/L
Mag 1425 mg/L
NO3 0~1 mg/L
PO4 0 mg/L
pH 8.5
Temp 78

Will do a WC in a bit and hopefully get some pictures up at that point.

 

I am awful at remembering to take pictures and even worse about adding them on here.

So here is what my LEDs look like,

And then complete in the hood,

Here is an FTS with the old lights from a few months back

Here is FTS from today with the LEDs, almost the same and the leds are at 30%,

Left side,

Center

Right side

a couple new frags,




Not sure why they are so small.

My frags that I have had, other than the 2 i lost with all the problems, are starting to have some polyp extension again, so i am pretty excited about that and hopeful that these new ones will do well.

 

I really like the look of the LED's md. nice work - new frags are looking great!

 

I am very pleased with the outcome. I definitely think there is enough light and am only at 30%. Also my t5s were retrofit into my canopy before and attached to the lid, so when the top was open the lights would give me a tan. So that is no longer the case. I can keep the lights on the tank and target feed, adjust corals, and other maintenance without the lid trying to fall on me.