DFR

Wow, you really experienced some growth! The growth pattern on that stag makes for a nice centerpiece. But what fish do you have in there now, I only see a Cardinal in the pics?

You are not paranoid, as I would lean towards replacing the stand. If you are unable to do so now, you could always reinforce the stand with a piece of plywood mounted to the inside of that panel.

Exciting news! I am not surprised as I don’t know of anyone else that is doing what she is. Congrats Nikki!

Ha, are those in the display? They definitely look happy/well bubbled up. You have to tell us your secret.

Looks like a well planned system and I like the depth of integration into the house. Following along!

Between the two, the tang may be the better option. They are generally easier to get eating, and will help with algae that may start growing in your system (as it’s only 4 months old, an algae outbreak may likely be around the corner).

Man Scott, I’m sorry you lost all those sticks but I’m really liking the new look… and the new tank!

Looking good Warren!

Wow Greg, the tank has completely filled in nicely!

Hi, welcome to WAMAS and welcome back to the hobby! Nothing really changed with Vibrant as is still does what it claims… kills algae. The issue is in how it achieves this. They’ve always claimed this is done by their bacterial blend and that their product did not contain algaecides. It is now believed that despite their claims, the product is primarily made up of an algaecide.

The big thing that jumps out to me is the spread. Looks mostly like a wider more uniform coverage, which will undoubtedly reduce hotspots (which was already reduced with the G5). If you are upgrading from the G3, the G5 wouldn’t be a bad idea (and are currently on sale). If you have a tank that’s larger than the usual 2’x2’ footprint per fixture, then I’d consider the G6.

Looking at your ICP, I wouldn’t think that water chemistry is the issue. The Silicon is likely responsible for the browning of the sand bed, but I wouldn’t stress that too much, just keep siphoning the sand during your water changes. The PAR numbers look fine for LPS and softies to me. Like Milton, I’m not familiar with AI lights, but if you are using a trusted spectrum blend, I wouldn’t adjust the lights now. My only area of concern is related to your flow. With the static images and only seeing the hammer(?) in the center of the tank, I can’t get a good feel on the flow in your tank. I would have probably placed 2 of your MP40s on the back wall set to about 50% max, and kept the 3rd on the side set to 60-75% max. However, if your “flowing” corals are showing a nice gentle flow with your pumps in the current locations, I wouldn’t move them. If you started with dead rocks, your tank could just need more time for the microbial system to become established and find an equilibrium.

Welcome to WAMAS, and welcome back to the saltwater husbandry.

Welcome back! I look forward to following the journey of your system.

Welcome to the group!

Welcome to WAMAS, and welcome back to the hobby! i love the look of the tank so far. Would love to see the progression of this system in a build thread.

Bumping this to the top! Amazon will donate 0.5% of qualifying purchases made through Amazon Smile to a charity of your choice, hopefully you will choose “The Washington DC Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS)”. This quarter, $25 was donated to WAMAS through this avenue. One change recently implemented (or at least I just found out about it) is this can also be achieved using the Amazon App. To do this, simply turn AmazonSmile ON in the app by typing it into the search bar and following the prompts. Happy Shopping!

Bumping this to the top! Amazon will donate 0.5% of qualifying purchases made through Amazon Smile to a charity of your choice, hopefully you will choose “The Washington DC Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS)”. This quarter, $25 was donated to WAMAS through this avenue. One change recently implemented (or at least I just found out about it) is this can also be achieved using the Amazon App. To do this, simply turn AmazonSmile ON in the app by typing it into the search bar and following the prompts. Happy Shopping!

I didn’t get the frag, but based on the appearance, it looks like a thicker encrusting monti (probably palawanensis) which tends to be a slow grower. You could always reach out to the seller if you’re curious about the growth rate. It is a nice looking coral though! Do you have any pics of your?

I’m in, thanks Justin!

I wouldn’t suspect the feeding as the cause unless there was a noticeable nutrient spike (which doesn’t seem to be the case). The lighting seems kind of excessive for a standard 55g. Do you run them all at 100%? If you haven’t already, I’d perform a PAR mapping on the tank. As it is only the stony corals, it could also be temp related. I’ve lost sticks that we’re doing well for a long time, following a sizable water change that was not the same temp as my tank.

Welcome to the group!

How far have you gotten, is there something specific that is stumping you? I found this video that could be helpful if you plan to control it using ur 1-10v ports. Otherwise, you could control it using simple timers through your outlets. If you do this, you’ll be stuck to a specific intensity and color while it is on.

It looks like a sponge to me. My gues would be that what ever it is, it isn’t harmful. Maybe if you get a pic from the side we may be able to better identify.

His system is indeed impressive. You could also find more details on his system here. I think he has since converted to LEDs.