ya, most of the time we are just rolling the dice.. :lol:

Who hasnt been hit by the Crash :neutral:.

I have been lucky, have had set-backs, but no crash yet. Now I am looking for some wood to knock on.

Elos is still a relatively new brand in the big picture. I can easily remember when Salifert was new to the game and no one wanted to pay for these "expensive" new kits! :lol: I do think Elos is definitely a large step up from Salifert for calcium and alkalinity, but I haven't seen a difference when it comes to magnesium and nitrate so I don't pay the extra for the Elos. :p

I'm actually thinking of switching to a high sensitivity nitrate kit, but I have been wanting to buy a Hanna colorimeter for a long time, so I have been putting it off. I find corals are more sensitive to PO4 than NO3 anyway, so as long as I can't see nitrate on my Salifert kit I'm happy, but there's that little itch in me that really wants a number! :D

Truth be told, I started using GFO before I cut out the Zeo, and I only saw good changes in my reef. Improved colors, etc. I am actually convinced that using Zeo additives (not "the main four") works better with GFO than Zeolites when you don't use "the main four". That's just my observation on just one tank though...definitely no science there. :D

I always try to adjust my lighting schedule to the natural light that comes in the windows. Otherwise the tank may end up being lit for many more hours than intended because of natural light sources.

Coralife is like Chev/Dodge/Ford. There are worse fixtures that would be more like Kia though. :p Hamilton is more like an import like Honda, pretty similar to PFO. They are a decent fixture. What's your fixture's specs? What bulbs are you using now? Are you getting dark coral colors, pale coral colors? Is there brown showing through?

I was just harassing you. It is always wise to not jump to big changes. Even a bunch of small changes at the same time can cause big problems. I'm sure I would come across the same way as you since I have been in the hobby for 17 years. I do learn something new all the time though, and other times I just need someone to point out the obvious to me, and I can smack myself on the forehead later. :mrgreen:

To Myka,

Thanks for the heads up on the test kits, I will look into this.

GFO: if things don't improve with the latest changes, maybe a GFO reactor instead of Zeolites will be used. Thanks again.

My fixture: 2X250W MH with Electronic ballasts. 2x80W T5HO 5 foot bulbs with Actinics. MH is Ushio, T5HO are the stock Hamilton Actinics. Most corals are brownish, Blue's don't seem to be a problem as I have a large blue SPS colony thriving, most are brown/brownish overall.

HEHE, I am not offended, no worries... I know how text can come across the wrong way... I own a internet company, it happens all the time. If you have any advice on bulbs, I am thinking maybe we need to change around. I am thinking brand, but also maybe types. Maybe 14K for the bulb and 10K for the T5 or leave one actinic and change the front one, what do you think?

I was just rambling on about the test kits. :D Although I do think you should buy a Merck instead of an Elos if you`re considering a high sensitivity phosphate kit. Merck is made by Deltec.

Hmm, well considering your bulb choices it could very well be that your corals have decent coloring, but your bulbs are not showing them to their full brilliance. Are your bulbs DE or SE? I almost always recommend Phoenix 14,000K halides. They are available both DE and SE, but SE are very difficult to find. I ordered some SE from my supplier who says he can get them, and I am interested to see if the bulbs do show up. The Phoenix bulbs are very comparable to AquaConnect bulbs, but are a much cheaper version! AquaConnects are about $140 each, where Phoenix are about $70. ACs are industry leaders. The ACs have slightly higher PAR, and a bit better spectrum, but visually look almost identical. Imo, not worth double the cost, but hey if money is no object - give`r! :D

Your fixture is essentially the same as mine, and I get enough PAR out of the halides that I consider the T5s primarily for aesthetics (color) than intensity, although I do keep in mind that I don't want to waste electricity by using low output bulbs either. Six of one, half a dozen of the other so to say. I have 3 favourite T5 bulbs for supplementals. In order of PAR: ATI BluePlus (can be difficult to find), UVL 454, UVL Super Actinic.

The UVL Super Actinic is the only straight actinic bulb I will put over my tank. Generally, actinic bulbs are purely aesthetic as there is no proof that corals use the actinic spectrum at all. Most actinic bulbs have very low output. The UVL Super Actinic is an exception - it has low PAR, but unexpectedly high PUR (photosynthetically usable radiation).

The ATI BluePlus and the UVL 454 look almost identical in color. The ATI has slightly higher PAR (and higher price tag), but not so significant that you should really bother to spend a bunch of time and money trying to get your hands on it. The color is quite a true blue, where the Super Actinic is more of a blue-purpleish. Imo, nothing makes the colors POP like a UVL Actinic, and is worth the lower PAR.

My MH bulbs are DE.

I like what you stated about the UVL Super Actinic, I will see about getting those in 5ft versions. Thanks.

I should mention that my sump also has a fuge area, where one of the DT overflows goes into. This refuge has been setup since the beginning with about 6-8 inches of various grades of araganite (mostly fine, with one bag of course and one bag of live araganite to get things started in the beginning). Then the fuge is filled up with Live Rock and LR Rubble (about another 8-10 inches). This has been that way since I first set up. Your thoughts on DSB's... Alot of old school reefers love it, some don't. Again very mixed, but can this be adding nitrates to things. Being over 2 years old, I don't think so. But thought I would ask. Last night I was going to shut the sump down and remove the DSB in the fuge, but thought I would ask first.

Any thought from you and others on this?