Unhappy Coral
- Thread starter StuartGA1
- Start date
My lighting is Marineland Coral Ready LED. They have been doing well under those for awhile. I haven't cleaned the glass tank lids in awhile, so that could be a factor. I will be cleaning them tomorrow. My water readings are great, zero for everything with a 8.3 ph. My circulation hasn't changed in awhile. Two 1300, one at each end and a smaller one in the middle. The end ones are controlled by a switcher. I also seem to be having an algae bloom. Planning a water exchange tomorrow. The only thing I missed checking is the calcium.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
You mean Marineland Reef Capable LED, don't you? Want another one? I have one, practically brand new, sitting on a shelf in my closet. The only thing it grew in my tank was nuisance algae. It bleached all the coralline algae off my rock, and no corals would grow under it. That's why it's in my closet... and NOT on my tank. I found nothing "reef capable" about it. It's so bright, it does make a good reading lamp. Hmm... I may have to break it out again. I need a good lamp in my office...
Well, I have been fight algae in my tank from the start, but my coral have seemed to do okay. I don't have a lot, the leather, some Duncan, a plate and the zoas. Can't really afford new lights right now.
What is your lighting now?
I have not checked that. I will do it in the morning and see what I see.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
T5 HO. I have them in both of my tanks, and they grow everything I've put in the tank. Soft corals, LPS corals, and more recently... SPS corals. I had to pay a little more for the new lights, but it was worth it.
I think Marineland pulled a fast one on a lot of people knowing that if they put "Reef Capable" and posting big PAR/LUX numbers on the box, a lot of people would jump on them. It worked, and there are a lot of people mad at Marineland now. Many reviews will go in favor of the light, but there are just as many negative reviews, and mostly by people trying to grow corals. 10K LED's with a few 460nm LED's doesn't provide the proper wavelengths for good coral growth. A few corals might survive under these lights, but most corals get bleached within a few weeks or so. I've seen too many reviews saying the same thing I'm telling you now.
I think Marineland pulled a fast one on a lot of people knowing that if they put "Reef Capable" and posting big PAR/LUX numbers on the box, a lot of people would jump on them. It worked, and there are a lot of people mad at Marineland now. Many reviews will go in favor of the light, but there are just as many negative reviews, and mostly by people trying to grow corals. 10K LED's with a few 460nm LED's doesn't provide the proper wavelengths for good coral growth. A few corals might survive under these lights, but most corals get bleached within a few weeks or so. I've seen too many reviews saying the same thing I'm telling you now.
Thanks for the info. I may have to start saving my pennys and switch. I do have one T5 fixture attached to my hood. Figured it would be a good blend. Might have to think about adding to it.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Ebay is a good place to find T5 HO lamps. DO NOT buy Odessea... they are crap! I bought two fixtures from seller torontofalls211. I bought his lights because they have 5 year warranties on the ballasts. I knew the bulbs would not be very good, so I also bought new ATI bulbs to put into the new fixtures. They work really good. Here's a post on the light(s), so you'll know what to look for in case you have to get it from another seller. Be sure it has a 5 year warranty on the ballast:
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/index.php?threads/what-lighting-system-are-you-using.399196/#post-3561828
Well, I tested Alkalinity and it is actually pretty high. Took 17 drops to get that yellow. I don't know. Is it possible it is some kind of cycle?
pegasus
Well-Known Member
That's what I'd like to know, too! Wow!!! The leather must be pickled by now...
pegasus
Well-Known Member
What brand test kit?
Not sure how it would have gotten this high, though if memory serves my alkalinity has always been pretty high. I'm not good at keeping records, but suppose I better start. The kit is from API. I will do another calcium check. But I use reef crystals for the salt mix and it was my understanding that it contained the calcium needed.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
API kits aren't very accurate, and if they're old, they're even worse. You'll probably get a different reading on the next test. RC salt has elevated levels of calcium, as it is designed for reef tanks that have lots of corals. It shouldn't raise your level to 500 ppm, unless you are adding a calcium supplement to the tank. If you are serious about keeping saltwater, you need to invest in quality test kits. You don't need fancy lighting that mimicks sunup, sundown, and lightning storms, but you do need to worry about the most critical part of keeping a healthy tank. That part is water quality. You have to have accurate test kits to know exactly what your water parameters are. Everything in that tank depends on it to survive, so this is one area you don NOT want to cut corners on.
Something else comes to mind... how do you test the salinity of your water... hydrometer or refractometer? If you use a hydrometer, which are also notoriously inaccurate, you could be adding too much salt mix to your fresh water. This would give high numbers on your alk and cal. It will also result in hypersalinity. I made that mistake in the early stages of this hobby. Using a hydrometer, I thought I was mixing it to 1.025 SG, but when I got my refractometer, it was actually 1.030 SG!!!