Back On The Good Foot
Over the past few weeks I've made some changes to the lighting setup, adding a pair of giesemann razors (54w) to supplement the AP700.
Basically what I've done is to install a pair of cade light stands and then hang a DIY floating canopy that holds the 3 light fixtures. This also freed up the rim of the tank and allowed me to install a mesh screen cover.
I would really, really have liked access to the rear of the tank as to get this job done as I had to drain and move the tank to be able to mount the light stands
Given that the cycle had recently completed, I found this a bit demoralising, but pushed on hoping for better results in the long term. My partner has concluded that "it'll take a while, but be worth it" is the catch-phrase of this aquarium build :rolleyes
I've installed ATI T5 tubes (2x actinic, 1x blue+, 1x coral+) in the razors and have set them to run for 6 hours in the middle of the day (with the kessil peaking at 30% currently). This is my first foray into T5 lighting - would love to hear any tips regarding bulb combos / lighting schedules etc to promote coral colouration and health. For pure aesthetics I'm hoping the LED can tweak the (combined) colour to my liking.
So far I'm very happy with the aesthetic of the mixed lights (thanks for the advice @Sam Parker). I have a bunch of LPS in another tank that will be making there way into this tank - I'm planning to take a few photos over time to compare any changes in colouration :cool:
Over the past few weeks I've made some changes to the lighting setup, adding a pair of giesemann razors (54w) to supplement the AP700.
Basically what I've done is to install a pair of cade light stands and then hang a DIY floating canopy that holds the 3 light fixtures. This also freed up the rim of the tank and allowed me to install a mesh screen cover.
I would really, really have liked access to the rear of the tank as to get this job done as I had to drain and move the tank to be able to mount the light stands
Given that the cycle had recently completed, I found this a bit demoralising, but pushed on hoping for better results in the long term. My partner has concluded that "it'll take a while, but be worth it" is the catch-phrase of this aquarium build :rolleyesI've installed ATI T5 tubes (2x actinic, 1x blue+, 1x coral+) in the razors and have set them to run for 6 hours in the middle of the day (with the kessil peaking at 30% currently). This is my first foray into T5 lighting - would love to hear any tips regarding bulb combos / lighting schedules etc to promote coral colouration and health. For pure aesthetics I'm hoping the LED can tweak the (combined) colour to my liking.
So far I'm very happy with the aesthetic of the mixed lights (thanks for the advice @Sam Parker). I have a bunch of LPS in another tank that will be making there way into this tank - I'm planning to take a few photos over time to compare any changes in colouration :cool:
