A Splash of Color

[MichaelW]

Andrew I have heard you mention a couple times about how white your sand bed is.. Do you attribute this to the star fish? Any other special things you do to keep it so sparkling? Mine is going kinda brown.

 

[sahin]

Andrew, those are the best collection of highly pigmented non photoshopped acros I've seen. :thumbsup: Not only that, the bloody photography is top notch too...and without even touching a DSLR. :beer:

Now regarding Creepy Matt; do you feed him anything at all? Or does Matty Creep eat tang poo and stuff? :spin3:

 

[stonecold]

You're SPS, photos and tank is INSANE!!!

Aside from yourself, what is the success rate among the Aussie hobbyists with maintaining and/or keeping these pretty colors like you?

 

[Myka]

Andrew, YOU HAVE CRABS!!!! Shave down the polyps so they have nowhere to live and they'll go away.

 

[biggles]

Amazing pics andrew:inlove:
Lets say you'd ask me to come over there and take one coral,which ever i like.....i'd have a reeeeeally hard time deciding mate!

Thanks Mike, i couldn't choose just one either mate.

Andrew I have heard you mention a couple times about how white your sand bed is.. Do you attribute this to the star fish? Any other special things you do to keep it so sparkling? Mine is going kinda brown.

I only had one starfish until a week ago when i grabbed two more from the LFS. You can really tell where they've been as the area of sand is almost spotless when you disturb it however they don't clean the surface much. I'll prob add another couple as they are awesome sand bed maintenance workers and Dave said they can breed given the right conditions - this may be just Dave making stuff up again.........
The sand stays clean without me doing anything special that i'm aware of Michael. Stopping the sponge power has made no difference so i personally put it down to the first batch of matrix coming online bacteria population wise. I added:

6L - 20/9/15
4L - 18/11/15
6L - 10/1/16

Andrew, those are the best collection of highly pigmented non photoshopped acros I've seen. :thumbsup: Not only that, the bloody photography is top notch too...and without even touching a DSLR.

Now regarding Creepy Matt; do you feed him anything at all? Or does Matty Creep eat tang poo and stuff? :spin3:

Thanks mate, Creepy Matt just eats the crap that settles into the sand over time but he and his mates come out onto the sand top when the lights are off - dirty sneaks......

You're SPS, photos and tank is INSANE!!!

Aside from yourself, what is the success rate among the Aussie hobbyists with maintaining and/or keeping these pretty colors like you?

Thanks Nick, means a lot coming from you buddy
I think the success rate in Aus is pretty much like the rest of the world in regards to cool SPS displays. Lately i've seen a few more Aus guys posting their tanks on RC which is nice to see. I only know Dom in person and i still haven't been over to check out his yummy little SPS tank.

The acro with the anthias sleeping under it looks very different when the lights are on, i may have forgotten to mention that i got this piece at the same time i picked up the pink acro test piece. Being just a test acro i figured it didn't really count under the full acro disclosure rules i personally drafted a while back to combat sneaky cheats like Sahin.......:rolleye1:

Andrew, YOU HAVE CRABS!!!! Shave down the polyps so they have nowhere to live and they'll go away.

Or i could get another flame angel, they're great for making polyps go away - i'm never trying one of those little #%$%^ again. :hammer:


In a recent PM conversation with my good buddy Sahin he let slip that he intended to declare acro war on me as soon as his Fauna Marin wizard potion display was ready for battle. I have noted with concern recently a number of SPS journals attempting to break away from biggles radium empire and thought at first it would die a quiet brown death without my intervention, such is not the case. The new rebel Aquaforest alliance led by Obi Matt Kenobi is the last straw..........

I am preparing the acro death star for battle and will put down this rebel wizard potion uprising using the ways of old, STN conjuring and cyano curses, ways long forgotten.......

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GgCFKlhZrt0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I am planning to make the switch to Aquaforest as soon as the full line is available in Canada. Currently, only the 3 salt mixes are available through Amazon.ca.

Mindy

Rebel scum..............

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Awesome video Andrew.

What is the total water turnover per hour in your tank? Water movement looks really powerful. I also wonder for how long you will keep your sand sifting star fish alive. Mine has perished after almost a year. These invertebrates keep your sand clean, but sadly eat all the useful fauna in it. Orange-lipped conches do not go dipper in the sand, but are just as good in cleaning sand bed. They clean the glass too (only the lower sections) though mine has learned to climb on the weir wall and some sections of glass with coralline algae.

 

[reefmutt]

Just love that frontal shot!
Andrew, you do full frontal like nobody's business!!
The video is amazing... Except for the noticeable LACK of a Justin Bieber soundtrack which would have made it perfection.

 

[mhucasey]

Beautiful video, Sith Lord! I just need to pick up some power converters at Toshi station and the rebel alliance will be able to strike back!

 

[M007]

Nice work Andrew, I especially like the view from the end of the tank. Next time bend your knees and get in closer :celeb1: Also thanks for the tip on the Lugols :thumbsup:

 

[b22]

Looks awesome

 

[Myka]

Or i could get another flame angel, they're great for making polyps go away - i'm never trying one of those little #%$%^ again. :hammer:

Wrasses (apparently I can't type wr*******s) are good for crabs too.

In a recent PM conversation with my good buddy Sahin he let slip that he intended to declare acro war on me as soon as his Fauna Marin wizard potion display was ready for battle. I have noted with concern recently a number of SPS journals attempting to break away from biggles radium empire and thought at first it would die a quiet brown death without my intervention, such is not the case. The new rebel Aquaforest alliance led by Obi Matt Kenobi is the last straw..........

I am preparing the acro death star for battle and will put down this rebel wizard potion uprising using the ways of old, STN conjuring and cyano curses, ways long forgotten.......

Rebel scum..............

I've always been a rebel Andrew! I'd have Radiums over my tank if I could make it look pretty. Plus, it's been a long time since I ran a full T5 SPS tank. I just may swing back to the light of the Radiums. However, Aquaforest will still be part of the alliance. Have nice Acros, I will.

 

[biggles]

Awesome video Andrew.

What is the total water turnover per hour in your tank? Water movement looks really powerful. I also wonder for how long you will keep your sand sifting star fish alive. Mine has perished after almost a year. These invertebrates keep your sand clean, but sadly eat all the useful fauna in it. Orange-lipped conches do not go dipper in the sand, but are just as good in cleaning sand bed. They clean the glass too (only the lower sections) though mine has learned to climb on the weir wall and some sections of glass with coralline algae.

Thanks Bulent, most of my pumps are on 10-30% power and i have them pointing upwards which makes the water surface very turbulent. If you were a tiny little Bulent in a dinghy in my display you'd be sick as a dog mate.....

My starfish are tough aussie starfish Bulent, not some trendy euro trash starfish that up and die at the drop of a hat mate - mine will be going strong for decades.

Just love that frontal shot!
Andrew, you do full frontal like nobody's business!!
The video is amazing... Except for the noticeable LACK of a Justin Bieber soundtrack which would have made it perfection.

Thanks Matt, i can see you guys aren't going to let up on me about my silent movies......

Beautiful video, Sith Lord! I just need to pick up some power converters at Toshi station and the rebel alliance will be able to strike back!

Thanks Matt, unfortunately your efforts will not save the small outlying journal of Sahinooine........... i feel a great shift in the force is coming once the acro death star takes up orbit around this small puddle system journal........

Nice work Andrew, I especially like the view from the end of the tank. Next time bend your knees and get in closer :celeb1: Also thanks for the tip on the Lugols :thumbsup:

Thanks Mike, the lugols has worked very well for me i believe so i hope you see something positive happen if you give it a go daily for a few weeks.

Looks awesome

Thanks very much mate.

Wrasses (apparently I can't type wr*******s) are good for crabs too.

I've always been a rebel Andrew! I'd have Radiums over my tank if I could make it look pretty. Plus, it's been a long time since I ran a full T5 SPS tank. I just may swing back to the light of the Radiums. However, Aquaforest will still be part of the alliance. Have nice Acros, I will.

Are you saying my wrasses might start trying to eat my acro crabs Mindy............ that ain't gonna fly !

You are not Yoda so let's get that straight right from the bloody start. Considering you're the only girl i know who can keep awesome acros and there is only one lead female role in Acro Wars III as we all know..........
It's that or you can be an Ewok, choice is yours..........

The stupid green thing that has just started to color up again with blue tips and purple radial corallites and polyps is 1/4" off the sand. I've had it for well over a year and every time i've had it coloring up i do something stupid and i've never actually seen it all colored up nicely. It was 1" off the sand when i started but every time it shoots new growth after yet another set back it is downward :hammer:
I moved the colony to the back of the left island about 3" off the sand in higher light as well obviously. The royal gramma lost his rock cave sleeping hole as it was just right to glue the base into - life's tough. Will keep you updated with pics of the changes.

When i got the yellow acro Dave showed me this ugly little salmony sorta peach tan branch that arrived with the yellow acro from the same collection trip. I think i told him it was a dog or something similar but Dave insisted that he's seen the same acro from the collector arrive looking pastel rose pink..........
After a week i can see the start of something nice happening on the right hand side tips, something pink.........
As soon as i saw it coloring back up on the sand i stuck it down on the little middle island as it doesn't need a lot of light to be happy - winner acro. The more acros you guys with 2ft or deeper tanks can find that are colorful in lower light the more fun you can have acro scaping. A plain old fluoro tipped aculeus looks pretty awesome down in the bottom half and brightens the whole area. Light colored acros down low and deeply saturated darker pigments up high where it's bright - just a suggestion. As my tank is only 18" deep and has very good light coverage from edge to edge i don't have many constraints as to placement which has allowed me to create the floating over sand scape that will be the result in a year or so if i stop doing stupid things.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Thanks Matt, i can see you guys aren't going to let up on me about my silent movies......

No, we are not. I am not sure about Matt's suggestion. Can we a soundtrack from Kyle Minogue? Yes?

Thanks

Bulent :wildone:

 

[reefmutt]

No, we are not. I am not sure about Matt's suggestion. Can we a soundtrack from Kyle Minogue? Yes?

Thanks

Bulent :wildone:

Well, if we are going that route, then I'd accept some vintage Men At Work.

 

[plyle02]

Well, if we are going that route, then I'd accept some vintage Men At Work.

Biggles Acro Theme Song~ I come from the land down under I hear this jingle every time I see a funny Biggles post, this is officially your theme song Andrew... I am seriously about to spit out my coffee, not good considering I am typing on the computer, lol... Side note, can you please stop putting up so many beautiful coral pics, I am about to hang up my hat in my embarrassment of an acro collection

 

[sahin]

Corals look great. Not much else to say mate. :beer: Now where is the promised "Biggles Reefing History"? Its nearing Tuesday mate...I know for Aussies weekend means most of Monday as well...but this is a world wide forum mate. Can I have the assignment finished tonight (UK time) so I got something nice to read tomorrow at work. :lol:

 

[gavinsepanik]

your tank makes me feel insecure about mine :hmm2:

 

[gavinsepanik]

your tank makes me feel insecure about mine :hmm2:

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Hi Andrew,

I have just seen the photos of these wild collected corals in my dealers web site. Do you think they are promising? The pink one is the one I was talking about in my tank thread. If it is the same coral, then it looks slightly bleached since I saw it in the flesh just before last Christmas.

Thanks

Bulent

 

[DiscusHeckel]

your tank makes me feel insecure about mine :hmm2:

You are not the only one mate. So, don't worry.