CalmSeasQuest's Dueling LED Frag Growouts

[CalmSeasQuest]

LED Growout Challenge - AquaIllumination vs Maxpsect
Sorry for the delay in getting this thread up - I've been traveling on business since the swap. A couple of the ShyHighs in the DT melted in the time I was away. A few others appear to be struggling - time will tell. I'm not anticipating great growth from the frags placed in either tank as it is primarily a SPS tank running LNS. I'm interested in seeing what, if any differences occur under the different LED lighting using similar PAR and a common water source.

Both sets of Frags are residing on racks in similar flow. Please excuse the algae on the DT rack - it seems the new egg-crate rack in the DT is leaching a bit of phosphate. Should be gone in a couple weeks.

Tank showcase is available here (http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/dto_showcase.php?do=preview&g=1028)

You can see the Apex status and real-time tank parameters here (http://www.myonlinetank.com/memberTank/?user=calmseasquest).

Display
39 gallon Cadlight's 24"x20"x20" DSB
AquaIlluminations Sol Super Blue LED- 2 units - Frags @ 100~140 PAR
2X6W 403nm LED strips
MP40 / Reefcrest

Frag Tank
17 Gal Advanced Acrylics 24"X24"X8"
Maxspect G2-160 Frags at 100~140 PAR
MP40 Lagoon

Sump
12Gal sump
Rio Hyperflow 20HF 1100 GPH return pump
Tunze 9011 Skimmer
Evil PAR 38 21W 12K LED
Tunze Osmolator w/ Tunze Calcium Dispenser
BRS Dual GFO/GAC filter running HiCap GFO and ROX 0.8 AC
CO2 Scrubber

Routine
BRS 2 part hourly dosing via BRS Peristaltic pumps and Apex
Vinegar dosing (added to ATO/ Kalkwasser)
Bi-Weekly 10% water changes - Reef Crystals
BRS MAG dosed as needed to maintain 1450

11/21/2010
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/DT20101121.jpg


12/4/2010
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/DT-20101204.jpg


12/30/2010
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/DT20101230.jpg

02/10/2011
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/DT20110210.jpg

02/28/2011
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/DT20110228.jpg

Display Tank under AI LEDs 11/7/2010 11/21/2010 12/5/2010 12/30/2010 1/15/2011 1/29/2011 2/10/2011 2/28/2011 4/5/2011

Lunar Eclipse 2 2 2 2 * * 2 2 2
Better Than Kedds 3 3 4 5 * * 5 5 5
Cherry Corals SkyHigh's 3 3 3 8 * * 3 3 3
Eye of Rah 4 5 6 3 * * 11 10 12
Green Bay Packers 5 5 6 10 * * 9 13 14
Devils Armor 2 2 2 5 * * 6 6 6
Purple Deaths 3 3 3 3 * * 3 3 3
Gobstoper Paly 1 2 2 3 * * 3 3 3

Totals Polyp count 23 25 28 39 39 39 42 45 48
Change from previous 2 weeks 0 2 3 11 0 0 3 3 3
Change from Start 0 2 5 16 16 16 19 22 25




Frag Tank

11/21/2010
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/FT20101121.jpg


12/4/2010
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/FT20101204.jpg


12/31/2010
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/FT20101230.jpg

02/10/2011
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/FT20110210.jpg

02/28/2011
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/FT20110228.jpg

Frag Tank under Maxspect G2-160 LEDs 11/7/2010 11/21/2010 12/5/2010 12/30/2010 1/15/2011 1/29/2011 2/10/2011 2/28/2011 4/5/2011

Lunar Eclipse 2 2 2 2 * * 1 1 1
Better Than Kedds 3 3 3 6 * * 6 7 7
` 3 3 4 5 * * 0 0 0
Eye of Rah 4 6 6 10 * * 15 18 18
Green Bay Packers 5 5 7 18 * * 19 21 21
Devils Armor 2 3 3 5 * * 6 5 6
Purple Deaths 3 3 3 3 * * 4 4 4
Gobstoper Paly 1 1 5 6 * * 6 8 8

Totals Polyp count 23 26 33 55 55 55 57 64 65
Change from previous 2 weeks 0 3 7 22 0 0 2 7 1
Change from Start 0 3 10 32 32 32 34 41 42


* Cyano and algae bloom prevented accurate count and photos in 1/2011

[ReeferRob]

Awesome format Thomas looking forward to see the progress.

[creefer]

Great info Tom.

Thanks for sharing. I just started a system with a Maxspect G2-110. Very interested in seeing the progress here

[Sir Patrick]

The pic under the Maxspect G2-160 LEDs-

I am counting 6 eyes of rah and 5 green bay packers. Think ya got the count switched.:thumbsup:

[CalmSeasQuest]

The pic under the Maxspect G2-160 LEDs-

I am counting 6 eyes of rah and 5 green bay packers. Think ya got the count switched.:thumbsup:

Thanks Chris - I had them misidentified in both sets- Fixed :)

[CalmSeasQuest]

Original post updated to include 12/04/2010 photos and polyp count data.

[cephalotus]

Pretty neat tagging along.

[creefer]

Thanks for the information, Tom. This is a great way to highlight LED performance.

[jimsflies]

Great job on that first post! Looks great!

[CalmSeasQuest]

12/30 update finally posted.

Note I've got a couple Frags reversed in the 12/30 DT photo (moved the Frag rack to clean glass a few fell to the substrate - I then replaced them in the wrong order.). I'll switch them back to the original order in the next update to keep things standard.

As expected, I'm not getting much growth as these tanks are maintained as LNS for SPS. I have started dosing a small amount of AAs (Brightwell) in the hopes of promoting some growth. I've also been fighting a Cyano outbreak as a result of varying Carbon dosing testing.

All considered, I'm pleased I haven't lost any Frags thus far.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Now I know why I like SPS - I have NO Zoa skills whatsoever :doh:

Sorry for the delay in getting updated counts and photos. I just won a month-long battle against an algae and cyano outbreak (got impatient with carbon dosing) that made it virtually impossible to see, much less count polyps. As the mat of red and green disappears, I can confirm I have had very little growth since the last count.

I'll get the counts and photos updated this week.

[jolson10450]

bummer! sorry to hear that! spending to much time with the nano contest and you are neglecting the grow out! (i did the same thing... shhh!)

[jimsflies]

Sorry to hear that. Maybe put the grow out in the nano contest tank?

[CalmSeasQuest]

Original post updated with photos and polyp accounts as of 2/10/2011

Pretty much dismal growth for the past month as I battled a Cyano and algae bloom. The Cherry Corals SkyHigh's in the Frag tank melted (likely due to the algae and cyano problem.) I also "lost" one polyp of the Lunar Eclipse in the Frag tank - It didn't melt, but rather it was a single polyp glued onto the plug, and he piece of rock it was attached to broke loose and drifted off.

Maybe I'll find a colony of em growing in a dark corner somewhere :)


Sorry to hear that. Maybe put the grow out in the nano contest tank?
Thanks Jim - I toyed with the idea of moving one of the sets into the Nano, but as I've got the Cyano and Algae bloom defeated, I think I'll wait a bit and see how things recover. My original intent remains to measure the growth differences between the two different LED fixtures.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Original post updated to reflect 2/28/2011 polyp counts and photos.

Growth rates are still dismal. I've been adjusting PAR a bit to see if I can find any improvement. The Lunar Eclipses in the DT seem to be opening a bit wider under a little higher PAR - We'll see if it results in any growth.

[MizTanks]

I'm truly enjoying this thread~Thanks CSQ!

[CalmSeasQuest]

The original post has been updated to reflect the final polyp counts. The DT increased by 25 (109%) The FT increased by 42 (182%) - All in all, a dismal performance.

Although Zoas grew at a faster rate in the FT under the Maxspect G2 LEDs, I'm unable to attribute all of the variance to the light units. Over the course of the contest, there were too many variables to consider the results a conclusive comparison namely,


Experimentation with carbon and bacteria dosing resulted in multiple bouts with algae and Cyano blooms, some severe enough to completely cover the contest Frags.

About midway through the contest, I altered the LED configuration in the GS, replacing many of the stock, SemiLED emitters with Cree and adding additional wavelengths including Cree Blue, Royal Blue, cool white, UV and Violet.

Also about midway through the contest, I added to 403nm stunner strips with reflectors to the AIs.

Although I tried to initially match PAR and flow between the tanks, the Frags in the DT ended up with higher PAR and flow.

In addition to the above, I suspect Allelopathy may have played a role in the growth issues. Over the course of the contest, I was collecting additional corals for the Nano contest build. At one point, the 17 gallon Frag tank alone held more than 350 corals. This in addition to the 80+ corals housed in the DT. These existed in less than 50 gallons of total water volume. Virtually every inch of every rack contained Frags....

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/DSC_0504.jpg

The rapid increase in coral density caused changes in CA/ALK uptake requiring large increases in 2-part dosing (increased to 120ml/day of each in addition to Kalk and weekly 10% water changes) - So much so that salinity creep became an issue. Now that most of the new Frags have been moved to the Nano, water parameters and dosing are returning to normal. It will be interesting to see how this impacts future Z/P growth.

All in all, I think there is one conclusion that can be made - I can't grow Z/Ps :stupidme:

[jolson10450]

The original post has been updated to reflect the final polyp counts. The DT increased by 25 (109%) The FT increased by 42 (182%) - All in all, a dismal performance.

Although Zoas grew at a faster rate in the FT under the Maxspect G2 LEDs, I'm unable to attribute all of the variance to the light units. Over the course of the contest, there were too many variables to consider the results a conclusive comparison namely,


Experimentation with carbon and bacteria dosing resulted in multiple bouts with algae and Cyano blooms, some severe enough to completely cover the contest Frags.

About midway through the contest, I altered the LED configuration in the GS, replacing many of the stock, SemiLED emitters with Cree and adding additional wavelengths including Cree Blue, Royal Blue, cool white, UV and Violet.

Also about midway through the contest, I added to 403nm stunner strips with reflectors to the AIs.

Although I tried to initially match PAR and flow between the tanks, the Frags in the DT ended up with higher PAR and flow.

In addition to the above, I suspect Allelopathy may have played a role in the growth issues. Over the course of the contest, I was collecting additional corals for the Nano contest build. At one point, the 17 gallon Frag tank alone held more than 350 corals. This in addition to the 80+ corals housed in the DT. These existed in less than 50 gallons of total water volume. Virtually every inch of every rack contained Frags....

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/tconwell/Frag%20Growout/DSC_0504.jpg

The rapid increase in coral density caused changes in CA/ALK uptake requiring large increases in 2-part dosing (increased to 120ml/day of each in addition to Kalk and weekly 10% water changes) - So much so that salinity creep became an issue. Now that most of the new Frags have been moved to the Nano, water parameters and dosing are returning to normal. It will be interesting to see how this impacts future Z/P growth.

All in all, I think there is one conclusion that can be made - I can't grow Z/Ps :stupidme:


great write up! at least you know now that frags you want to grow out... keep them in the frag tank because they grow better there lol!