Brymac1

It could have started as a wound but it looks like it has become infected. I would treat with antibiotics. My preferred treatment is nitrofurazone and kanamycin.

That’s always exciting! What corals are you getting?

Update: Everything is growing and seems happy so far, haven’t run into any major issues yet knock on wood. My RBTA got its bubbles back after losing them 3 years ago so that’s cool. My hepatus tang graduated from QT a few days ago: And here are some more pics I took over the weekend:

It's most likely the crushed coral, which can have a fairly strong impact on pH in small systems.

I think you have acidity/basicity mixed up. pH above 7 is basic, below 7 is acidic. I have kept cherry shrimp in 7.8 pH water just fine before. But if you were wanting to lower it, you could remove the crushed coral and do water changes with your 6.8 pH tap water to slowly bring it down to the desired level.

The Aquasky would suffice for most low-medium light plants.

That 150 gallon tank will leak in two years...

Took some pics of a couple fish and my trachyphyllia.

Reef tanks are my main focus in this hobby, although I still love and keep planted aquariums. Here are some pics of my previous and current reef systems: You can check out my tank journal to see how I run my system. I also have a lighting guide like @Streetwisementioned.

I have not seen one in person yet but I have read a lot and watched a lot of reviews of it. Both the spread and intensity produced look great, like other panel style lights. The spectrum doesn't seem as impressive as other lights at the same price point. Also, the build quality and materials used in the construction of the light do not seem comparable to similarly priced lights. That being said, it will grow coral just fine, if it was priced in the $600-$700 range I think it would be a game changer.

Ecotech very recently came out with their own freshwater light called the XR15FW, which is the second generation of that light. AI also has their prime lights in freshwater. I also believe that Maxspect has a freshwater light out but I haven't heard much on it.

I have been asked to start a thread on modern lighting techniques for reef tanks. So here we go... I will start with discussing the various lighting technologies that are frequently used in reef tanks. 1. LED: Pros: Small form factor Little heat emitted No need to change bulbs Controllability Availability Cons: Too much controllability (this will be discussed further below) Lose efficiency after about 5 years Can be expensive 2. T5 Fluorescent: Pros: Proven technology Many choices for bulbs and bulb combos Great spread More affordable Cons: Need to change bulbs every 8-14 months Little controllability Losing popularity Decreasing availability 3. Metal Halide: Pros: Proven technology Great spread Full spectrum Cons: Produce a lot of heat Need to change bulbs every 9-12 months Little controllability Losing popularity Decreasing availability Consider these pros and cons when choosing a lighting technology to go with. Know that the vast majority of reef keepers are using LED lighting, although many still have success with T5 and metal halides. Let's discuss the most important aspects of reef tank lighting. I would say that there are three main aspects of lighting that are the most important: spread, spectrum, and intensity. Spread: I would argue that of the three, spread is the most important. You can have correct spectrum and intensity, but it is a moot point if you do not have the spread to deliver that light to the coral. This is an area where T5 and metal halide really shine (pun intended). T5 does it by being a light source that is as big as the aquarium, thus delivering light to nearly every corner of the tank. Metal halides accomplish this by using large reflectors that send the light to every corner of the tank. There are two common ways that LED light manufacturers address spread: using a wide-angle lens, or using a flat panel style light. Wide angle lens: Panel style: The pros of the wide angle design is that it gives a natural shimmer look to the tank that many people love. This comes at a cost however. Using a point source light with a wide-angle lens creates shadows in the aquarium, thus limiting the possible areas of the tank where you can plant corals. The pros of the panel design, is that it does a great job of limiting shadows in the aquarium, much like a T5. It does come at a cost of the shimmer, creating a much more flat look to the aquarium. Panel style lights have been much more prevalent in the hobby recently and are gaining popularity. Spectrum: The spectrum of the light that is emitted is also a very important factor. The coral animal contains a symbiotic dinoflagellate called zooxanthellae that performs photosynthesis which gives energy to the coral. This graph shows the wavelengths of light, or spectrum, that are most important for coral photosynthesis: You will notice that most of the peaks of absorption occur within the blue spectrum. This is why most reef keepers agree that having a light that produces a wide spectral band in the 410-470 nm range is important. This is where the controllability of LEDs can be a con. It gives the user the ability to manipulate the spectrum, which can be detrimental to your corals. What looks good to the user, is not necessarily what is good for the corals. The spectrum produced by many metal halide bulbs is considered full spectrum. It is closest of all of these technologies, to the light produced by the sun. It includes wavelengths of light in the UV, far red, and IR spectrums. There is considerable debate as to the effects of these spectrums on coral growth, so I will not go into it too much. Intensity: The intensity of the light is also an important consideration. We usually measure the intensity of lighting using PAR, or Photosynthetically Active Radiation. This is measured using a PAR meter. The PAR needs of your corals depend greatly on the species of coral you are lighting. Generally, soft corals like lower light (50-100 PAR), LPS (Large Polyp Stony) like medium light (75-150 PAR), and SPS (Small Polyp Stony) like high light (200-300 PAR). These are generalizations and vary greatly depending on the specific species. The best way to make sure that you are meeting the PAR needs of your corals is to buy or borrow a PAR meter. You can use this to tune your lights so that they are meeting the demands of your corals. Under-lighting your corals usually corresponds to lessened color and growth. You also do not want to over-light your corals, this can cause bleaching. Popular Reef Lighting Brands: These are some of the most popular lighting brands that have produced considerable success in many people's tanks. Ecotech Radions Kessil Aqua Illumination Primes and Hydras Red Sea Philips Coral Care ATI GHL Maxspect Orphek Reef Breeders If you decide to go with lights from any one of these manufacturers, you know that there are many people who have used these and had success, and are also willing to assist you with any questions you might have. There are also many "budget" friendly options available. However, there is usually little information about them online, so getting help with them can be tough, which is why I generally do not recommend them to beginners. That being said, it is very possible to have great success at growing corals with budget options, such as "black box" LED fixtures from Amazon Conclusion: In conclusion, there are many factors that go into mastering lighting for your reef tank. None of this matters though if you have not already gotten the hang of keeping good and stable water chemistry. Likewise, it is possible to have a great looking reef tank with sub-par lighting, if you already have good water chemistry. Feel free to offer critiques or if you have any questions, feel free to ask them below. *Do not quote this post so edits can be made later.

I have checked out the SKY. I really like that it is actively cooled which allows it to be much lighter than say the Philips Coral Care. But after seeing numerous tear downs of the SKY I just don’t think it has any business being as expensive as it is. I do believe however that the panel style LED lights like the SKY, Philips Coral Care, and ATI Straton are the future for LED reef tank lighting.

2 month update! Everything is growing and settling in nicely. Alk consumption is dropping an average of 0.2 dKH per day!

The RO water spills into the DI resin through gravity. It passes through it at a fast enough rate that it does not overflow.