Post by ADMIN on Sept 3, 2009 8:01:03 GMT -5
I'm not sure if all this suplementatipn is the key to goodcolor or growth. I have seen tanks that were amazing in color and nothing was dosed except the standard ca and alk buffers. Chemical manipulation of colors IMO is akin to alchemy. I use this term a lot and this is why. Early alchemists would observe changes in color and note what they thought had changed it as proof of whatever ellements they were adding. They were observing changes and asigning a stimuli that they understood. The same can be said with the examples above. There are far more factors that were likely ignored in this study. In other words the authors were more than likely biased.
The tanks I have seen which were highly colorful SPS systems relied on several key factors to achieve the effects of both color and growth.
1. Good water quality with addition of stable alk and Ca.
2. High intensity lighting with 14k bulbs and actinics.
3. Strong proportional water flow equivalent to both tank size and coral density levels.
4. Stability in temperature, Ph, and SG
5. Regular water changes to add trace ellements at propper levels and make up for loss from biological uptake.
Any SPS system that meets these points will be just as succesful and colorful as any tank that undergoes dosing.
Focus more on ways to insure clarity. I supose it is like alchemy, we are trying to create perfection in the water quality to achieve the final results we seek. You can do that through dosing (chemical) or mechanical (lights, flow, controllers). If you start supplementing anything though, you have created a need in the system and stopping massive supplementation may result in instability and loss of system balance.
That's my 4 cents.
The tanks I have seen which were highly colorful SPS systems relied on several key factors to achieve the effects of both color and growth.
1. Good water quality with addition of stable alk and Ca.
2. High intensity lighting with 14k bulbs and actinics.
3. Strong proportional water flow equivalent to both tank size and coral density levels.
4. Stability in temperature, Ph, and SG
5. Regular water changes to add trace ellements at propper levels and make up for loss from biological uptake.
Any SPS system that meets these points will be just as succesful and colorful as any tank that undergoes dosing.
Focus more on ways to insure clarity. I supose it is like alchemy, we are trying to create perfection in the water quality to achieve the final results we seek. You can do that through dosing (chemical) or mechanical (lights, flow, controllers). If you start supplementing anything though, you have created a need in the system and stopping massive supplementation may result in instability and loss of system balance.
That's my 4 cents.