Now I know why I like SPS - I have NO Zoa skills whatsoever
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.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard ShawMizTanks liked this post
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!)
Sorry to hear that. Maybe put the grow out in the nano contest tank?
2/10/2011 Update
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
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.Originally Posted by jimsflies
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw
2/28/2011 Update
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.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw
I'm truly enjoying this thread~Thanks CSQ!
Final Count and Assesment
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....
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
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw
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....
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
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!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
There's nothing like being a Reefer!
