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More lighting

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    Posted: September 18 2003 at 11:45am
I finally upgraded my lighting.  I have four 55 watt and two 65 watt bulbs for a standard 50 gallon.  All are 50/50 power compacts.  Is there anything I still need to stay away from because of lack of light?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kirklan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2003 at 12:22pm
I would stay away from SPS and Clams.  These generally need MH in order to keep their vibrant colors.  Softies and most LPS should do well for you.  Just place the softies lower and the LPS higher in your tank.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2003 at 1:23pm
Based on my experience, ffc3 should not be hesitant to try it all!
Coral with the need for high light should be placed closer to the water surface and coral that come from deeper water can be placed anywhere in the tank and will do well!
Feed well with phytoplankton and zooplankton (search and read prior posts)
Use carbon periodically.
Use a skimmer if you want.
Here is something I should have suggested sooner. The use of white and blue or 50/50 tubes is not the only option. There are PC tubes that enhance color. I am curently writing the lighting portion of the WMAS Reefkeeping Guide. The options are suggested there if you want to know about them.
Acclimation to brighter light is crucial and is also covered in the Guide.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ewaldsreef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2003 at 5:57pm
I would be carful with sps and add them slowly if you are going to try them. I would get some cheaper frags and start there.
Contact me for professional aquarium maintenance and localy grown coral frags. [URL=http://www.aquatitranquility.com][/URL]

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Marcus View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Marcus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2003 at 7:20pm
Monti's and other lower light sps should be okay, IMO. But I would not do any crazy tri-color acro's or clams. They may live but will not flourish. Also, sps for the most part do not like the excretions of soft corals ilke sarcophytons and sinularia's. I would pick between sps or soft. LPS will do fine in everything.
Be careful with anemones also.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2003 at 8:35pm
It looks to me like periodic carbon does the job to allow leather coral and sps to grow well in the same tank. I never skimmed either!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Marcus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2003 at 10:35pm
I agree about carbon Mark. Except that I run carbon all the time. I just change it every three months.
But I do skim like crazy all the time and it helps to add oxygen. Then again sps need cleaner water than softies do and I am not a fan of soft corals. My new tank will only be sps and lps.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 19 2003 at 8:51am
Marcus,
I'm going to argue with you here.

It seems to me that if you keep the same carbon in your tank for 3 months it's like having carbon for a week or two and then using it as though it were substrate for 10 - 11 weeks. I understand that once carbon is full, it may release one compound in favor of another that it likes better. So is it releasing turpines/toxins back into the water? If I'm wrong, someone please set me straight on this.

Soft coral tolerate a wider range of environmental conditions and I like that about them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mdawson8931 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 19 2003 at 11:42am
I hadnt heard that carbon releases toxins in favor of another but I had read that there is a point of full saturation that it will become less than effective.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Marcus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 20 2003 at 10:34am
Maybe Jon Finch can help us with the chemistry answer, Mark. I do know that there is a saturation issue with carbon. I use a relatively big bag whenever I use it so I assume it last a while. Besides, even if it is used as substrate its not hurting anything until it starts to release toxins back into the water. But by that time I have changed it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 20 2003 at 10:51am
Point well made.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jfinch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 20 2003 at 5:37pm

Original question:  Try to get some sps frags from someone successfuly growing them using low light.  They will have already adapted.  But either way, there are some sps that you should be able to keep under less light then you have.

Mark, fwiw, most (maybe just many) people do have difficultly keeping both softies and stonies in prime growing condition in the same tank.

My take on activated carbon:

Carbon works by adsorbing hydrophopic molecules.  There is, theoretically, the possibility that once spent with "slightly hydrophopic" molecules it could release them for something "more hydrophopic".  Also there is the possiblity that once the tank water is very clean, such as just after a big water change, old carbon could relase some material back into the water to reestablish equalibrium.  But I think it's all "theory", I doubt it actually does this.  I think that when using the same bag of carbon for more then a week it's just working as substrate for bacteria.  The average pore size (diameter) is much much smaller then a single bacteria.  Once bacteria are established on the carbon surface they act like a "cover" over the surface keeping organic molecules from permeating into the active sites.  Therefore, when I use carbon I use a small amount and change it every week and when I do a water change.

There is a great thread right now on reefcentral on this very topic:  http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=236477 It appears, from that discussion that it might be possible to "regenerate" GAC by using a microwave oven.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Marcus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 20 2003 at 6:29pm
 It appears, from that discussion that it might be possible to "regenerate" GAC by using a microwave oven.
Jon said.

Jon, that sounds like the recipe for BOOM!!!!

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