As long as there's flesh, there's hope!
Always Matt, it actually takes quite a bit to kill an acro.
Pardon my newb dummy question but what exactly is "spath"? and what's the identifying features?(Google returned nothing of help)
I am still quite new to sps keeping and don't know all the particular species names...
EDIT:
is there a page somewhere where one can learn the different sps types?
The guys answered your question for me but here's a very good coral id reference site many of us use a lot.
AIMS
Hey Biggles, I'm upgrading my system from 40g to over 70g. I plan on keeping the ratio 1l matrix per 10g water. Unfortunately I won't be able to fit 8l of matrix in my reactor anymore. I plan on placing the matrix into the refugium section of my sump. I'm assuming it will end up being 8 or so inches deep. Do you see any problem using a dmb ( deep matrix bed) how often do you stir your matrix? Thanks.
Also, should I leave the matrix loose in the sump or make some sort of eggcrate container in order make shaking/ releasing the mulm easier?
Hey Brandon, i have about 2" across about 2sq feet of sump bottom with a tunze 6045 blowing across the top. I have about 3" in the 6"x32" section of overflow. Once a week i stir the hell out of both whilst running a 100 micron sock. There's a tonne of crap that comes out of both and the display turns so cloudy that you can't see across the 32" of display entirely even with the 400W radiums humming. Two days after i do it i see a visible drop in algae growth on the glass and the acros visibly brighten.
This has made it very obvious to me that the matrix really does need to be kept clean of detritus to work effectively. I reef pretty much with my eyes only for adjusting element dosing and managing nutrient levels and when i say i see a real whooomp to the display when i let more water to the bacteria population mean it. Dave designed my sump around the two matrix chamber that sit between over and under baffles which will force all the overflow water through the matrix. It is why i have the two twin sock chambers built into the design. I don't like running socks 24/7 so i will not use overflow socks unless doing work that stirs up crap such as major sand bed disturbances.
I did a water change with a gravel vac thing just prior to removing 95% of the sand and the 2" sand bed was filthy so when i put the new sand in i will vac the sand routinely with my weekly 10% water change. The sand near the overflow end where the gyre draws everything was twice as filthy as the other end. I think that the large amount of food i like to feed daily is going to make the sand filth up unless i keep on top of it.
I had a major algae spurt on the glass for a week after removing the sand probably due to the massive removal of bacteria more than any release of crap. The skimmer produced about 50% more than usual in the 24hrs after i removed the last batch of sand which was about 50% of the total.
I still remember with fondness watching that %$#$& green wrasse head banging into the 1/4" deep sand i left all over the bottom looking for a sand bed.........the same night he gave in and went to sleep in the sand tomb........ any of you contemplating a very low acro scape with sand and sand wrasses - you will get zero sympathy from me if you put one in and it drives you insane covering your babies with sand....... i have warned you all ! :deadhorse1:
Anyway i will put 100 micron socks in the section just before the return pump and shake the crap out of the two matrix containers once or twice a week depending on what comes off. I will also try adjusting the return flow to see the effects of changing flow through the matrix.
Dave is quite the sump whiz when you tell him what you want the ability to manipulate and run in your sump. I think his matrix and before and after sock chambers are perfect for my style of reef keeping.
I think running the matrix/siporax in a media chamber with filtered water and the optimal flow rate that some of you guys are doing is pretty much the most efficient way to run the stuff. I know i am getting very little bang for my buck atm.
So Brandon - no i don't think your deep matrix bed is a good idea at all mate..........
A "spath" is Acropora spathulata, a species of acro/SPS. I couldn't tell you how to ID one but they have thick stubby/rounded branches with long, hairy polyps. They look kinda like Millepora that you commonly see in the hobby.
I'm sure someone here could help you with ID/species pages, I'm no SPS expert either.
Thanks mate.
Another great reference site, thanks mate.
Andrew,
I picked up some NP pro and Pro Bio S last weekend and have decided to start jumping on the Aquaforest train slowly. I might have missed the whole discussion but I remember something about seeing the concern for the Copper Sulfate that is present in the Energy supplement. I was considering dosing but worry about the long term effects? Refresh me on your take on this if you don't mind :beer:
I want to dose the bacteria only when i can get it as i've never played mad scientist with living organism dosing..........
I think the energy would be fine and if i was running the full AF routine i would use it. I started in this hobby when everyone freaked out about the thought of copper contamination so i have an aversion to using it lol.
I really have zero problems with anyone using copper but i do have a problem when a reefer does not acknowledge that it is contributing to the pale appearance of their acros - something none of my mates here are guilty of btw.
I think you should have experience with pigment manipulation by 'normal' means before you delve into products like the micro e. Guys like Matt and Perry had very colorful reefs prior to AF. They now have amazing colors and you'd have to be blind not to see the wonderful effects it has had. That's why i think AF is a great system and especially as a new to reefing method. I don't mean copper is why they have wonderful colors btw, i mean they know exactly what they are doing with all the additives and why they are doing it.
If you have crappy colors don't think copper will help. It will just let us see the crappy colors better :twitch:
Leave the copper dosing until you actually know how to pull nice colors using everything else, you can manipulate pigments easily with everything AF but no micro e.
Obviously that's just my personal take and as i say i don't care who uses what to get what results tbh, i just think that a lot of guys have the idea that copper will help with colors and that's not correct. It will help with micro management of your pigment shades WHEN you can color up your acros half decently. if you want to use it go for it but knowing what it can and can't do is important i think.
If i offended any of my mates i'm sorry, i would never mean to do that so feel free to correct me or add anything to the copper talk if you want. I probably explained myself badly :hmm5:
My Firetruck frag Dom gave me a while back is lower right, i took the pic under T5's so it's impossible to de blue it entirely. The colors are actually a bit richer and brighter but i adjusted the pic as best i could.
Without a lot of post processing you get the porn version produced by the phone camera..........
