Echoreef 120 Gallon SPS

[echoreef]

I started the hobby 3 years ago and went with a 120 gallon mixed reef. It evolved to become SPS dominant as I lost my Zoas and LPS along the way. My initial lighting was the ATI Powermodule T5 fixture. Had great growth and color, but had the constant battle with cyanobacteria. Tried ZEOvit along the way, but it became too much work. So now it's back to basic with a calcium reactor, GFO, and carbon.

Equipment List:

120 gallon Lee-Mar Starphire Aquarium
2 Ecotech Radion LED
2 Ecotech MP40w
GEO 618 Calcium Reactor
Euro-Reef RC180 Skimmer
Reef Keeper Lite
Eheim 612 Return Pump
Digital Aquatic ATO


Fish List:

4 Bartlett Anthias
2 Picasso Clowns
1 Regal Angel
1 Goldflake Angel
1 Coral Beauty
1 Hippo Tang
2 Hawaiian Flame Wrasses


The Beginning:

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/IMG_3837-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/IMG_3967.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/IMG_5208.jpg

[echoreef]

Current:

Dec 2011
http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0056.jpg


May 2012
http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0032_01.jpg


http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0001-1.jpg

[echoreef]

Corals:

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0056_01.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0059.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0058-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0055-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0049-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0048-4.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0006-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0064.jpg

[echoreef]

Fish:

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0023.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0011.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0053.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0046.jpg

[NickSDC]

I was wondering what lights you were upgrading to. Hows the polyp extension compared to your ATI with the Radions, notice any difference? Looks awesome btw.

[Saduran86]

Wow very beautiful tank!

[SDguy]

Gorgeous! I really love your tank.

[Saduran86]

Oh and I really love that Nemo picture frame :)

[echoreef]

Video. View in 720p HD.


http://youtu.be/T5UXcv3IWTs?hd=1

[reefrf]

Very nice....gorgeous tank!

[Vince]

Nice looking tank !!!!!

[h20poloman]

looking good, have a 120 myself so love to see the different aquascaping, coral and fish selection

[LotsaFishies]

Stunning! What a beautiful, clean tank!

How do the angels do in the reef? I really really want to get an imperor and a Regal in my new tank..

[echoreef]

The ATI PM was doing great with the coral growth and color, but I wanted to move to LED. Been holding off for a while as there was nothing in the market that was of great interest until the Radion came along. Only started it 2 weeks ago at 45%. Now it's on natural mode at 60%. In about 4 weeks, I will go with Artificial mode to have about 5-6 hours of 100% lighting on all colors. The color seems to be ok so far. Corals are still acclimating. It's too early to tell but I am hopeful. One of the reason I wanted to go to LED was for the shimmer. Only had T5 before so never experienced it. Does make the reef looks more natural. Also my tank temperature had gone down a couple of degrees since the Radions produce virtually no heat.


I was wondering what lights you were upgrading to. Hows the polyp extension compared to your ATI with the Radions, notice any difference? Looks awesome btw.

[acronautical]

How long have you had the Regal angel? Did it come from a LFS or another hobbiest? Is it a picky eater? Beautiful reef.

[xM3TH0Dx]

Looks like youve done your due diligence with only being in the hobby for three years. I would love to call your tank my own!

[jessegarcia28]

Absolutely Amazing overall aquarium!
10***********stars**********

[echoreef]

Stunning! What a beautiful, clean tank!

How do the angels do in the reef? I really really want to get an imperor and a Regal in my new tank..

I love having angels in my reef. A 120g is still on the small side for keeping most tangs. The angels that grow to less than 10" are the ones I am focusing on. At the beginning, I had tried a juvenile emperor angel and flame angel. Neither worked out as they both kept nipping on the SPS and preventing the polyp extensions. The three angels that are in the tank now do great. They eat anything and are very peaceful. Like any angel, it's a hit or miss. The ones that don't work out, I ended having to catch them and move them out. I think regals are great as long as you get one that is eating. Emperor I had was aggressive and bothered the corals.

[echoreef]

How long have you had the Regal angel? Did it come from a LFS or another hobbiest? Is it a picky eater? Beautiful reef.

The yellow belly regal angel came from Bluezooaquatics. I was looking for one from a hobbiest anywhere in southern Cal, but could never find one. Had to QT the regal for a month and treat with PraziPro and Cupramine. Like most regals, I had a hard time getting the fish to eat. Took nearly a week before it ate. Tried everything, but in the end, what worked for me was a combination of frozen clams and live brine shrimps. Eventually, I got the regal to eat flakes and New Life Spectrum pellets. So now, it's like any other fish in my aquarium without andy special attention.

[wrestle1952]

Beautiful tank! Keep us updated on the Radions. I want to switch to LED but I just don't think they are ready for SPS. I hope you can prove they do.

[echoreef]

I hope the Radions can handle the SPS. Since switching over, I started with just one radion for a week. Then added a second radion after that. Half of the tank was dark for that period of time. Now I am in the acclimation stage moving from 45% to 60% after a couple of weeks. I do notice that my pink bird nest is no longer pink. It's kind of brown now. The Larry Jackson is losing some of the purple and going brown from the base as well. All my blue corals are not coloring up either. It's been a problem with the blue color even when I had the ATI power module. I am hoping that this is just from not having enough light. Once the radions are operating at 100%, hopefully things will turn around. Will update with pictures through the acclimation process.

[Funkateer_1]

Nice regal

[wrestle1952]

You are going through the same process I hear from others regarding color, sps, and led lighting. This is the main reason I have not switched from metal halide, although I am adding T5's, shortening my photo period with the MH to cut down on energy cost. Your results are why I have not made the jump to LED's yet. I'm sure all this will get worked out in the future. I do salute your efforts and hope the Radions work out for you especially given the cost of the units. Hang in there and in a few months or so I hope to hear how your lighting change made a dramatic improvement on your SPS.

[acronautical]

Yep, I put off replacing my 150 HQI's and four T5's for the past two years, thinking that I would purchase Radions instead. I just haven't seen any SPS tanks that have been grown from frags to colonies, with the correct color and growth, on LED's. For my 150, I was thinking this might work: Four Radions placed on a moving hydroponic-style rack, going back and forth from left to right and back. Perhaps that would allow the lights to provide more complete coverage for, especially, acropora corals, instead of the pinpoint effect (even with optics).....





I hope the Radions can handle the SPS. Since switching over, I started with just one radion for a week. Then added a second radion after that. Half of the tank was dark for that period of time. Now I am in the acclimation stage moving from 45% to 60% after a couple of weeks. I do notice that my pink bird nest is no longer pink. It's kind of brown now. The Larry Jackson is losing some of the purple and going brown from the base as well. All my blue corals are not coloring up either. It's been a problem with the blue color even when I had the ATI power module. I am hoping that this is just from not having enough light. Once the radions are operating at 100%, hopefully things will turn around. Will update with pictures through the acclimation process.

[acronautical]

Oh, I finally bought replacement bulbs this weekend for my Current HQI/T5 fixture.....


Yep, I put off replacing my 150 HQI's and four T5's for the past two years, thinking that I would purchase Radions instead. I just haven't seen any SPS tanks that have been grown from frags to colonies, with the correct color and growth, on LED's. For my 150, I was thinking this might work: Four Radions placed on a moving hydroponic-style rack, going back and forth from left to right and back. Perhaps that would allow the lights to provide more complete coverage for, especially, acropora corals, instead of the pinpoint effect (even with optics).....

[echoreef]

Oh, I finally bought replacement bulbs this weekend for my Current HQI/T5 fixture.....

T5 does a great job with coral growth and colors. For the first couple of years, growth was not that great. I switched to new bulbs in December of last year replacing my ATI Purple Plus with a KZ Fiji Purple. Got rid of one of the ATI Aquablue Special and replaced that with the KZ Coral Light 14k. It made a huge difference in the coral growth. I was tempted to keep the Powermodule but already shelled out so much money for the Radions so it's like I need to keep the commitment to LED.

Here is what I had for the bulb combination that gave great growth and color:

FRONT:
ATI Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent
KZ Fiji Purple T5 HO Fluorescent
ATI Blue Plus T5 HO Fluores54W
GE 6500K Daylight T5 HO Fluorescentcent
ATI Blue Plus T5 HO Fluores54W
KZ New Generation 14000K T5 HO Fluorescent
ATI Blue Plus T5 HO Fluores54W
ATI Blue Plus T5 HO Fluores54W

[wrestle1952]

Yeah I do think LED's will work in the future just not now. I do have a friend in the San Francisco Area that made the switch to LED's on his SPS / chalice tank. Had the same complaints, color loss, little if any growth and all the other issues. He did add some ultaviolet bulbs and in his own words "the SPS went crazy!" Of course you are right back to additional wattage and heat, exactly why people make the conversion to LED in the first place. There are rumors that Aqua Illumination will add UV LED lenses to their units. Of course that will make their units spike up again after recently lowering their prices. For now I'm sticking to my dual 250 watt MH HQI and adding 6 T5's. I am changing my MH bulbs from 14K to 10k (for growth). I am contemplating leaving them on for 4 hours only while allowing the T5's to run for 12 hours. I should get good growth and color plus lower the temperature now that the weather is getting better.

[bradreef]

The regal is cool but that Goldflake is an awesome fish. You don't see too many of those in tanks. I've had a regal in the past and always wanted the goldflake.

[nanoreefbro]

Awesome looking tank.. I really like how clean it is.. Who built your stand and what are the dims of your tank?

[echoreef]

Awesome looking tank.. I really like how clean it is.. Who built your stand and what are the dims of your tank?

The stand is build by Lee-Mar as well. It's a standard 120 gallon, 4'x2'x2'.

[seesquared]

Amazing tank. Looks beautiful

2 questions : Where did you purchase your rock from? Looks like Bulk Reef Supply? Also where did you find that awesome nemo picture hanging above your tank?!? That is epic!!

[echoreef]

Amazing tank. Looks beautiful

2 questions : Where did you purchase your rock from? Looks like Bulk Reef Supply? Also where did you find that awesome nemo picture hanging above your tank?!? That is epic!!

The rock is from Marcorocks fiji dry rocks. Nemo painting was purchased from Disneyland. They have a few selections from the Nemo theme. You can choose the size and frame.

[row12]

Where'd you get that goldflake angel? Is he reef safe?

[echoreef]

Where'd you get that goldflake angel? Is he reef safe?

I got the goldflake off another reefer in San Marcos about 2 1/2 years ago. This one is absolutely reef safe and very peaceful.

[Brian_reefragr]

Beautiful tank, love the growth pictures too!

[I.B.Ed]

WOW.... Stunning....
Nice tank

[bradreef]

How are the LED's working for you soo far. Growth? Color? any follow up from a month ago.

[echoreef]

How are the LED's working for you soo far. Growth? Color? any follow up from a month ago.

I has been a rough transition. I started at 40% and moved up 5% intensity each week. Once I got to 80%, started to have problem with algae. At that point, I had to cut back to 70% and it's been there for a few weeks. Using artificial mode. Colors are holding up well. Once my algae mess is cleared, I plan to update with some pictures.

[echoreef]

Updated pictures under the Radions LED:

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0041.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0040-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0038.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0043-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0044-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0045.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0046-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0047-1.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0048-5.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0049-2.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/120g%20Lee-Mar/DSC_0050.jpg

[echoreef]

The new addition: Black Beauty

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/DSC_0004.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/DSC_0006.jpg

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab111/ericho72/DSC_00142.jpg

[Anhdao84]

I saw that tank in person. Very beautiful tank :) I want one of your red Yuma :) frag me one :)

[naso tang]

wow, that tang is awesome!! Beautiful tank!!

[jessegarcia28]

WOW! The Dark Knight patrolling the tank
very nice

[echoreef]

I ordered my first black tang from Pacific Island Aquatics. It was DOA. Been waiting for 2 months for a replacement with no luck. Someone in Orange County PMed me through reefcentral that he had a nice healthy specimen for sale. I wasn't sure I would make the purchase till I saw it in person. It's a nice fat 5+" BT. Couldn't pass up on it. I felt that it was healthy enough to bypass QT and straight into my DT after acclimation and a 1 hour dip in paraguard. Only problem I have now is that I need to upgrade my tank to something much larger. Thinking of a 240 peninsula for my future upgrade.

[DaveMorris]

Nice tang. Being a tang lover myself, I like seeing people getting some of the lesser known varieties. And why stop at 240g? Go big or go home, I always say. :)