Saturday added 2 new corals, cynarin Lacrimalis (want medium light, I put the right front corner) and a fine specimen, although small, Catalaphyllia jardinei ... which I hope to be doing better than 2 to "friends" in the death My aquarium now over 1 year ago.

After over 1 year and a half now since its construction , seems to have found a good method of administration for the ' marine aquarium in the living room , the one with the DSB, and the animals respond well, showing full color and in excellent shape. Too bad about the park lights, lame, only 4 of 39-watt T5 fluorescent tubes + LED strips of blue and purple (previously 6 pipes ...), surely will be improved soon with a nice LED fixture.
Just yesterday I made some tests:

• Nitrates: 2 mgl
• Phosphates: absent
• Ca: 370
• Mg: 1280

The nitrites I have not measured specifically in the last 6-8 months I have always found "high", ie between 0.02 and 0.05 mgl, although no animals seem to be affected and despite many efforts to lower them (or maybe just make them disappear ...).

These values ​​are obtained through:

1. monthly water changes of 15%
2. calcium dose: 50 ml of both flasks (balling method) every other day
3. Vodka dose: 0.5 ml on alternate days
4. feeding fish: once a day with mixed granules and flakes of nori seaweed
5. feeding invertebrates: 2 times per week, with a peeled shrimp and other small pieces of shrimp, mussels, clams (both with pump turned off for 2 hours)

I infer from the values ​​reported having to increase the dose of calcium (I use the method BALLING , but I admit to miss a dose ...) and, after increasing the illumination, could also increase the frequency of food given to fish, corals, including a minimum of phosphates and nitrates to 5 or 10 mgl would not be a problem, and the corals react with greater growth.

I can resist 2, 3 to 4 weeks without buying a coral for my aquarium , but they are rare and, although at this time are tragically unemployed, last weekend I bought a cutting of green Acropora nobilis. I have always liked, has a color so intense, especially under strong illumination, and strangely I could not find her some friends enthusiast corals SPS, which is why I am forced to buy in the store.

Quest'Acropora should be under 6-8 T5 fluorescent tubes, metal halide or a nice, short, wants strong illumination, but when the subject touches a few weeks of low light, at least until

• She adjusted the current ceiling (it takes about 25 € and a little 'work for the cables)
• I autocostruisco a ceiling light (I have a progettino ...)
• I buy a ceiling light LED from China, but by the CREE LED (tested, safe, efficient)
• I buy a new, more and T5, to economize

The problem, understandably, is that it is not the time of an unforeseen, so I'm limiting the budget to patch up the situation as "light", but I will not even fix a ceiling old Chinese always find myself with a product inefficient (ferromagnetic ballasts rather than electronic, so about 30% of energy wasted) and years of wear on the shoulders.