[From The Archive] Mr. Saltwater Tank TV Friday AM Quick Tip #44: I’m Out of Line, Now What?
Reef tank chemistry can be a roller coaster ride up and down the parameter charts. Here’s what to do if you find yourself far out of line.
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Looks like an old video but great tip Mark!
Don’t you miss having all them beautiful corals. You haven’t recovered from led fever. One day you will realize that mh was you you best growth ,I know you get percs for saying other wise but facts are facts show a before and after picture .maybe I’m wrong?
I miss the 90…
Fishdoctor…sure I miss having the beautiful corals. I’m rebuilding my coral collection in my big tank and I have no concerns about LEDs growing corals. Several of my clients have 100% LED tanks and they are getting great growth.
Yeah Fishdoctor, you are wrong. Mark has done side by side comparisons on the same tank over an extended period and put the video results up for his viewers to see. The LED side had just as much growth and color as the MH side. With only a fraction of the heat and electricity use, and never having to change out a bulb again. What more proof could you want? The last couple of tanks Mark have set up are relative youngsters to his old 90. The first one was shut down in what less than a year Mark? Mark’s current big bad boy tank is also less than a year old. Check back in 3 years when his latest big tank has had some time to mature. I’ve personally seen residential reef tanks up to 750 gallons and 30” heights of the water column. They have only ever used LED lighting and have spectacular SPS growth. I’m not saying MHs don’t still have their uses on very deep reef tanks over 30” and large public aquariums—but the LED cannons are gradually catching up there as well. So Fishdoctor do you commute to work on a Stanley Steamer and listen to calliope music on spinning wax cylinders, making fun of the people in the hybrids, listening to their MP3 players? Oh, BTW, the 1990s called they want their metal halides back. Use a snarky tone on Mark, get one back.
Hey Mark, any updates on the sexy tank for us nano reefers? great tip by the way :^)
Bed lamer the proof is in the pudding he did a side by side after he changed the lights but what happened to the coral?ive been doing this for ten years and can’t no body tell you that their getting better growth and if they do they are lying right to your face people are like sheep ,follow the heard I got 3 radions sitting in boxes right now I just use them for when I go to fragswaps only time will tell but it’s been some time already bed lamer
Fishdoctor…the tank was broken down when I moved out of state. Total time of the corals under LEDs about about 7 months. Growth didn’t slow down, no deaths, nothing changed colors.
Fishdoctor,
I did catch LED fever early on and spent a boat-load of money on a Solaris H series (72″). This LED unit was definitely not ready for “prime time”. I moved from MH to this unit. Not a good move at the time and not only did the tank not look as good, the corals didn’t respond well to that change at all. I eventually moved back to MH and dumped the Solaris.
A few years after that I actually had the opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison of LEDs and MH on my 210ga tank as I turned off the MH on one end of my tank and employed LEDs.
I have now moved off of MH altogether and my corals are looking and growing just like I am used to with MH.
The moral of the story is LEDs have come a long way and are definitely ready to replace all other lighting (including MH).
Love my Radion G2. No regrets on LED with a small tank!
You missed an obvious place to check is whether your testing kit is accurate or if you accurately tested. If a test comes out odd, re-test, if the test result comes out the same and it seems odd from other times you’ve tested (say in a day or so) double check the expiration date on the test, or double check the test with another test kit or by taking a sample in to the lfs to double check if indeed the parameter in question is off. If indeed it is off, THEN start bringing it back slowly. Nothings worse than thinking your tank is off and it’s actually the TEST KIT! been there done that!
I agree with Fishdoctor. I have been running 4 AI Vega Color units over a 200 gal for over 9 months with awful results. I’m in the process of removing the AIs and going back to T5s. I tried using the Vegas with 4 T5s to add color. The Vegas at 100% are faded out can’t been seen. Scientific studies show LEDs do not produce UV in the range to grow and color coral. Some LEDs might produce some very little UV but out side the range of UV-A. Why don’t LEDs produce coraline algae like MH and T5s? I just hope I can sell my Vegas to recover some of my money lost.
i can’t believe folks are still arguing LEDs as far as they’ve come aren’t going to grow corals. we have hundreds of LED-only lit successful and thriving tanks on the boards. here’s a prime example of great success with a variety of SPS from a fellow local reefer’s 300DD SPS tank lit with nothing else but six “cheapo” evergrow d120s.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/ridetheducati/Combined_zps6e1f9d68.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/ridetheducati/FTSAnnoted_zps71f4f595.jpg
Rob…if I read your comment right, your Vegas are at 100% intensity? If so, that’s likely part of your issue as that’s a lot of light. And LEDs will grow coraline algae just fine. My overflow box is covered in coraline and I have it growing everywhere on my tank
Wow! If you love your t5 then love them. I can’t believe your making accusations that Marks opinion is being driven by sponsors. The nice thing is as he new tank matures you can set and watch his shows and look over his shoulders and see that LED grow corals fine. When I got my LED I cooked mine and I was basically running 100% and uts like a laser as an LED has a more focused beam that a regular hallide that is dispersing light in all directions and then being reflected down into the tank. Once youhave the LED dialed in they are solid pieces of equipment for any reefers tank. The hallides are awesome as well and the reason they are still around and still under going improvements. Any one that hates thier Radions please send them my way!
Mark ….When referring to 100% intensity, I was discussing the Vegas and T5s together. I understand you have to be careful with LED intensity. This was just a test for a very short time.
Marco….The pictures do not show what the setup is. Many people claim to be only using LED, but reality they have both MHs or T5s and LEDs.
rob, it’s a local reefer buddy of mine so i can confirm it’s only six evergrow d120s above his tank with no supplementation of MHs or T5s. he like you was a die hard MH user and had incredible success with MHs as well but like most, the bulb changes, heat created, space requirements, etc drove him to give the d120s a go.
i don’t know why you are so determined to believe otherwise. this is just one local successful and thriving tank of the hundreds on other boards. nonetheless, here’s a photo of when he was running just three to test things out for the first couple months of the 8-9 month grow out you saw in the photos i posted above. just three d120s on a 300DD for the first couple months then he got three more to handle the 36″ width and then there were less dark areas and all corals at any place took off as evidenced in above photos.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/ridetheducati/LEDhanging2_zps4014806e.jpg
still not a believer?
Marco….He does have good growth and I hope it’s sustainable. I never said they wouldn’t grow. I’m just skeptic when it comes to long term results.
Coming from the retail end of the aquarium world and having a broad knowledge and understanding of this industry. Its plain and simple halides being mogul style or hgi proven great color, great growth and long term sustainability and same with t5ho. Now leds a sole lighting source are clearly and simply not functional longterm. If you get past the low electric consumption, low to no heat transfer and the biggest wow of all being look at the extreme pop and fluorescence in the corals. The long term isn’t there imho I’ve sold them to customers and watched steady decline in color and health. I find it hard to believe a lot the hype of yeah there awesome bla bla bla from vendors spokespersons that ride the perverbial Di** of manufactorers products. I know of places and people that grow and run halides and or t5 as a steady light source and for photos and showoff hang there led pendents up and the doctor the pics to get the right color. Halide technology has not changed beside when reefbrite manufactored the double hqi. T5 tech has stayed the same besides the ATI dimmable t5ho. LED companies change constantly adding more or less led, changing colored leds and allowing users to change this that and or the other. Why they do it in my opinion get more money from the consumer. The reults aren’t changing just the color to our visible eye. I’m doing to many things at once right now so I aplogize if this rambled
Like everything in product innovation results come with development.
I really think the people who won’t give LEDS a go, its because they don’t understand the proper use of this technology, and like most things newer versions are more efficient. For me LEDS have not only given my corals that same growth rates or better but I’m now getting coralline algae when before the MH lights in combination with T5 I didn’t grow coralline, and even if the growth rates were a little less with the LEDS (which they aren’t) the benefits of less heat, less power use ( having used close to 750watts for 8hrs then 200 for 12hrs) living in Australia, with temps well over 100 for 7-8 months a year, the dearest power rates in the world, its a no brainer.
Now with the advent of GEN 2 LED tech, more than $100 less a quarter in power & cooling bills, and no more tube, globe replacements that’s Another $500 P.A saving . My biggest worry is coral pruning. I can’t do a side by side comparison but I know I getting better growth. Now what to do with more than a grands worth of MH & t5 gear.
6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other..
I also had mixed results after switching to LED’s. Spent a whole load of money 2 years ago on 4 TMC Aquaray Beams to replace my ARCADIA Series 3 250watt MH thinking this was not only going to save me money but also improve the whole setup. However after battling for the last 18 months to get my tank looking and performing as it did with the MH, I’ve decided to dust off the Arcadia, go back to running 20K MH but also with 2 LED beams, this will only be for aesthetic and having dimmable control in the morning and evenings..
I sure there are many people having great result from there LED but I’m thinking tried and tested is the best way,,,which unfortunately,, seems to be metal halide. My carpet anemone is suffering, I’m having to hand feed him weekly, running halide, this was only needed monthly and he was 3 x the size.
I’ve also just noticed the TMC have now adding 2 more CREE LED to each strip, mine only have 6 per strip, guessing they’re finding more is more and less not so!
Thinking I just paid out to TMC a whole load of money for the R&D departments Xmas party 2 years ago..
http://s818.photobucket.com/user/dcecowell01/media/image_zps03452f80.jpg.html
useful website, thanks Marco..
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