A message copied/shared here from my private ems: Hello Anthony, I hope all is well with you. Many of us sure miss your active presence at RC. I see you still post now and again and I know you continue to contribute actively at MD, WWM, et al. Thanks kindly my friend... in fact, I have copied this to the MD forum. I'd be obliged if we could keep all hobby-only (non-personal) queries on the public forums for your benefit (others input) and mine (best use of time... sharing information) The main reason I am writing is to ask if you could share some info about the glazing you chose for your GH. I was skimming through your BOCP1 (for probably the 300th time) and noticed that your glazing looked decidedly white/opaque. I am assuming that this was not a photographical artifact, but that it was indeed white. Nope... clear. One of the cheapest coverings to be had because it yields max light (over 90%) and max UV (also over 90%) When I was doing my research, much of it seemed to implicate the spectrum of light (nanometers) as one of the main causative factors of bleaching. Much of the research implicated ~ 350nm or lower. I installed a "clear" glazing made by Klerk's. The tech at Klerk's told me that all so called "clear" glazing will block light up to 360nm. My rationale was that corals wouldn't be spending so much energy producing MAA's in response to lower nm UV, could dedicate that energy to growth, the chance of bleaching would be lessened, and if the light was too intense (lux), I could screen/shade individual tanks. Interesting... but I cannot speak to it. I have not done the research. Obliged for you sharing, of course, though. After ~ 18 months of running, I am finding that I need to shade almost everything I have growing right now, with the exception of Sarcophyton elegans. This is quite typical. Coral farmers over the world, even in northern climes are invariably using shallow pools (most always 1m or less for species that grow at much deeper depths naturally. Thus the deficiencies in light intensity are compensated for by the shallow depth. I even have to shade Ricordea. I did investigate a clear glazing that would block infrared, but wasn't convinced it would be necessary to do so. After last summer, I question if it might not have been better to employ an infrared-blocking glazing. Was your glazing indeed white? Did you use the white glazing year-round? Did it help with heat issues? (block infrared?) Could you share your rationale(s) for using the white? None of the above... the glazing was/is clear... heat was not an issue (shade cloths used plus thermostatic shutters and fans venting, evap cooling, etc). Anth-
.Anthony Calfo
|