Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

Matt, I see from you and others that maintaining an SPS tank is a challenge. I thank you for posting both the good and the bad. I am very appreciative of the latest shots and see you as an inspiration for my journey in SPS. I love the look of the corals that made it or are recovering and consider your willingness to continue the journey as inspiration. Keep up the hope. [emoji106]

I wish you and your family a happy and prosperous new year.

Watd
 
Those latest shots look awesome. I wonder how is it going to look like when everything is all settled down. Looking forward.... ...patiently(key word)! :)


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rockworm said:
Matt, I see from you and others that maintaining an SPS tank is a challenge. I thank you for posting both the good and the bad. I am very appreciative of the latest shots and see you as an inspiration for my journey in SPS. I love the look of the corals that made it or are recovering and consider your willingness to continue the journey as inspiration. Keep up the hope. [emoji106]

I wish you and your family a happy and prosperous new year.

Watd
Click to expand...
Hey Ward, thank you very much for the very nice words. Keeping acroporas is very much a challenge. Some people make it look easy but I've never really found it easy. Granted I've had my moments but something always seems to happen...
Each screw up makes me want to try to get closer to a basic formula and stick
With it.
Happy, healthy new year to you and yours- and the new addition! :)

seachange said:
Those latest shots look awesome. I wonder how is it going to look like when everything is all settled down. Looking forward.... ...patiently(key word)! :)


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Click to expand...

Thanks Riz! Yep.. I'll have to wait out the nitrate drop as the siporax kicks in.. things are growing though.. each time I turn up my ca reactor, my alk stays right around 6.5..
I see we've turned a page..
I'll have to post a few more pics then! :)
Here's the left hand gully..


More colours coming back.
My bigger JD and what looks a lot like a red planet. I bought it as just a fiji ultra coral..


Aqua delight is looking better


Just an interesting shot.. that's the Badaboom from Raja down in the middle of the semi coloured up sscs..
Since the alk drop, it has been shocked back into life.


This is a colony I convinced Stephane from reef solution to sell me. It doesn't have a ton of colour but I'm thinking I like the direction it's going in.

This is another from reef solution. It is just a cultured deep water. Probably suharsonoi.. You can see how many cuts have come off of it. I bought the base and put it exactly where the cutting I bought from him last year died after my alk issue.

Looking forward to this buy growing out again...
 
Great year for all! Have a great 2016.

Matt, do you really think to have low n value is too much important? I think all people are focused to zero values like a target, but to have n is not a problem.

Look your colors, you have a good colors. I pass all the 2016 with your n values more or less and sps looks very good.


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk
 
Thanks for sharing those beautiful corals, Matt.

Happy and Healthy New Year!!!:celeb3:

We want to be shown more eye candy in the coming year!!!
 
Acronic said:
I think your tank needs more boron.... ya... That's the GOLDEN TICKET!!! ;p

I like photo bombs on page turns :dance:

Ya bastard
Click to expand...
Boron!! Yes! ..... um.. no..
Usernam Invalid said:
Damn good looking pics Matt.
Click to expand...
:) thanks!
justy said:
Wow fantastic as ever keep up the good work.
Happy new year!
Click to expand...
Thanks! Happy New Years to you too!
FloformAustria said:
Haha thanks Matt!!

Love those acro macro :D

Will post some detail shots of my tank in the next few days

Cheers
Click to expand...
Glad you liked'em. Looking forward to update pics of your tank, Flo.
Pife said:
Have you got your alk up yet?
Click to expand...
I keep raising the co2 rate and alk remains the same. The corals seem to be growing and I'm just keeping up with demand. I'm out of town for New Years for a couple days so I'll test again tomorrow.
w3bbo said:
Very nice Matt.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
Rwpdunne said:
Coming back nicely looks great
Click to expand...
Thank you, sir!
westreef said:
Thanks for sharing those beautiful corals, Matt.

Happy and Healthy New Year!!!:celeb3:

We want to be shown more eye candy in the coming year!!!
Click to expand...

Happy New Year! All the best this coming year.
I will do my very best to keep the eye candy coming. :)
 
carlosmos said:
Great year for all! Have a great 2016.

Matt, do you really think to have low n value is too much important? I think all people are focused to zero values like a target, but to have n is not a problem.

Look your colors, you have a good colors. I pass all the 2016 with your n values more or less and sps looks very good.


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is an excellent and valid question and I think the short answer is, it depends..

I think that striving for natural seawater conditions - not nutrient levels only- is still a valid persuit.
Natural conditions are much more than just very low n and p levels. The most important component or complement to these very low natural seawater n and p levels is the extreme abundance of nutrition available to the corals, all the time.
Personally, I would love to have nitrates around 5 ppm n and .05 ppm p. That would be my target..
As Mark pointed out earlier with his katropora, some corals look better at very high nutrient levels and I believe some corals look better at very low levels. I personally believe that the reason my Orange passion never looks so great is because of my high nutrient levels.
I think the ideal situation is low nutrient test results with high nutrient input.
I think that MOST corals will do best in this range.
I think it depends on how you chose to lower your nutrients. If you do it by having no fish and feeding nothing, you are lowering the nutrients by starving the system. I don't think one will make anything happy doing this except the viewer of the tank who only has to clean the glass once a week.
On the other hand, if one can have efficient nutrient reduction methods, keep nutrients low but still add high amounts of nutritious foods for the corals and fish, the best balance is being reached.
 
Ok.. last random photos of 2016:
Couple aussies and a red planet..








Another Aussie.. I hope when nutrient come down and this guy starts to grow, the blue tips will come back and the green will lighten a bit..

This may be my favorite Aussie I got..


This guy is still in recovery mode but coming back well..


Oh and my fasted growing frag! :) he's a total mutt.. but cute, smart and super mellow..


All the best to RC in the new year!
 
Your photos are awesome as always. Glad to see things improving and love your fastest growing four legged frag. I bet your kids are having a great time with him (or her). I wish you and your family a Happy New year and that all good things come in the new year. [emoji3]

Ward
 
reefmutt said:
This is an excellent and valid question and I think the short answer is, it depends..



I think that striving for natural seawater conditions - not nutrient levels only- is still a valid persuit.

Natural conditions are much more than just very low n and p levels. The most important component or complement to these very low natural seawater n and p levels is the extreme abundance of nutrition available to the corals, all the time.

Personally, I would love to have nitrates around 5 ppm n and .05 ppm p. That would be my target..

As Mark pointed out earlier with his katropora, some corals look better at very high nutrient levels and I believe some corals look better at very low levels. I personally believe that the reason my Orange passion never looks so great is because of my high nutrient levels.

I think the ideal situation is low nutrient test results with high nutrient input.

I think that MOST corals will do best in this range.

I think it depends on how you chose to lower your nutrients. If you do it by having no fish and feeding nothing, you are lowering the nutrients by starving the system. I don't think one will make anything happy doing this except the viewer of the tank who only has to clean the glass once a week.

On the other hand, if one can have efficient nutrient reduction methods, keep nutrients low but still add high amounts of nutritious foods for the corals and fish, the best balance is being reached.
Click to expand...



These are exactly what I had in mind. This is my way of reefing too. High input of nutritious food for corals and also fish but at the same time very good export to maintain desired nutrient level.In the ocean nutrients come and go with the tide but the corals are never starved.

I think if your export cannot cope with high volume, another way is doing small portions but at more intervals this way there could be balance of food always being there and export is still able to manage. Usually this is not feasible for those of us who have day jobs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
reefmutt said:
This is an excellent and valid question and I think the short answer is, it depends..

I think that striving for natural seawater conditions - not nutrient levels only- is still a valid persuit.
Natural conditions are much more than just very low n and p levels. The most important component or complement to these very low natural seawater n and p levels is the extreme abundance of nutrition available to the corals, all the time.
Personally, I would love to have nitrates around 5 ppm n and .05 ppm p. That would be my target..
As Mark pointed out earlier with his katropora, some corals look better at very high nutrient levels and I believe some corals look better at very low levels. I personally believe that the reason my Orange passion never looks so great is because of my high nutrient levels.
I think the ideal situation is low nutrient test results with high nutrient input.
I think that MOST corals will do best in this range.
I think it depends on how you chose to lower your nutrients. If you do it by having no fish and feeding nothing, you are lowering the nutrients by starving the system. I don't think one will make anything happy doing this except the viewer of the tank who only has to clean the glass once a week.
On the other hand, if one can have efficient nutrient reduction methods, keep nutrients low but still add high amounts of nutritious foods for the corals and fish, the best balance is being reached.
Click to expand...

This is a well articulated argument and proven school of thought of which I am a follower. My nitrates have been consistently between 2.5-5 ppm over the past two years. I have recently found a way of reducing nitrates below 2.5 ppm and kept it below this level without compromising colouration. This will enable me to feed even more while reducing nitrates even lower pethaps down to 1 ppm.

Happy new year Matt.
 
Great to see things continuing to improve Matt, i'm sure our little merry band of acro men will have a good 2017. Goes without saying that i'm Robin bloody Hood and you all do what i say......:smokin:

Bulent would be the drunken Friar Tuck - obvious choice.

Totally agree about the nutrients levels, it's the thing most missed by the guys new to the hobby and can be hard to do when you're not used to managing algae and other fallout. Our systems are so bloody complicated when you take into account how many things affect other things and we are supposed to get it all balanced just right.............. this is why i just wing it.......:thumbsup:

Identical systems with identical nitrates and phos levels - the one holding the same level with twice as much food fed daily to more fish will be the one that has the best colors and growth.
 
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