Why isn't my hammer bright green like in the lfs?

[DAVE]

Nitrates at 40ppm although high, would not likely be the cause of the browing of that LPS coral. I have seen a number of tanks with LPS corals with nitrates 40ppm and higher that don't have issues like that with LPS.

SPS is a different story....

Your single light bulb is the biggest problem here.

[michika]

Are your rocks old? Like did they come from an older tank? Your nitrite problem could be coming off your rocks. I have had this problem in the past.

[MoreDakka]

These rocks were fresh tonga rocks. Had about 2-3 months of cycling before adding any livestock. The levels were all good at that point.

[pinkreef]

i like how you have your rocks placed, it looks good

[PFoster]

Originally Posted by Hydrologist

Nitrates at 40ppm although high, would not likely be the cause of the browing of that LPS coral. I have seen a number of tanks with LPS corals with nitrates 40ppm and higher that don't have issues like that with LPS.

SPS is a different story....

Your single light bulb is the biggest problem here.

+1

[MoreDakka]

Originally Posted by Hydrologist

Nitrates at 40ppm although high, would not likely be the cause of the browing of that LPS coral. I have seen a number of tanks with LPS corals with nitrates 40ppm and higher that don't have issues like that with LPS.

SPS is a different story....

Your single light bulb is the biggest problem here.

So this is probably why I lost my acro sps. Stupid lfs knew i Was a newb,with a really young tank but they sold it to me anyways. Suppose i Could have done my research before buying it too...

What is a cheap solution for lighting that will help bring out my hammer? The budget for this tank is really low...

[reeffish6]

I would highly recommend you to change your lights to LED'S. Yes I understand they are very expensive but you can find some for around $200 on ebay or something. These will forsure bring the color out in your torch. LED'S are also good in the long run, less energy, less heat and some can give you at least years of light before changing them. Also keep up with your water changes! If your water is good your torch will go crazy. I bought mine 7 years ago as a 2 headed frag and now it has 21 heads.

[MoreDakka]

Is there any cheap interm leds i can get away with for now until the purse strings can be opened more? Something from Here?

Going to try for a 10% water change every 3 days...hope that will bring down the levels

[sphelps]

Used T5 fixtures are usually pretty easy to find, like this one:
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...threadid=98752

Running four bulbs would make a huge difference over one and allow you to use a mix of spectrum including blue/actinic which is what you need.

For cheap LEDs the cheapest option is probably the D120
http://www.reefsupplycanada.com/d120...ight-16-light/
I assume one will cover your tank. Anything cheaper will likely not produce good results.

10% water changes won't be effective for nitrate reduction, better to do as close to 100% as you can.

[mrhasan]

You can also look into Sunblaster T5HO. For like $30 each light fixture (without the light), its possibly the cheapest option for decent lighting. MH goes for cheap too now-a-days (keep an eye on sell thread).