Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

[Acronic]

Kevin! I never knew (perhaps I did) that you were such a cunning linguist!
One day we will have to have an acro porn master debate.

Is that like when we gather in a circle and frag corals really fast and discuss how awesome we are because fish are cool and somehow we have wives that accept us but we take it for granted so we carry on about our business because it really doesn't matter but how cool is that tenuis and one time I saw an emerald crab bench press a cucumber but really he was just sowing of to the Pom Pom crabs?

 

[kevlow]

Regarding "scheduled stress events" , I am still in the unscheduled category. But I think there is some merit to the idea. When I frag a piece, the original base piece usually responds quickly with new growth sprouts.

The low alk seems to be a real threat. I used to worry about spikes but a couple of times I have had drops and it seems to be worse. Two weeks ago I had a drop and also a quick phosphate drop. Immediate problems with several corals.

I think the key to having benefits to a stress event is to have immediate and sustained stability. This would allow the survival mode to flourish for a prolonged period.

 

[reefmutt]

you may have the longest lighting schedule i have seen on here, looks like it is working great for you!!

any reason why you leave them on so long? if I read that correctly you pretty much have 6 t5s running from 10am-9pm?

then all 10 running from 10am-7pm?

Ok measured.. the four bulb fixture (which used to have 2 c+, aquapink and b+) now has 2c+ and 2b+. It is 12 inches off the water. It runs from 11a to 7p.
The two pairs of c+ and b+ are 8 inches off the water and run from 10 am to 9 pm.
The two b+ are also 8 inches off the water and run from 9:30a-10p.
The two pairs of 24 inch b+/act run from 8:30a-10:30p these are couple inches off water but are on the sides of the tank, on a 45 degree angle aiming inwards. I don't think these bulbs do much other than allow me
To see the tank a bit earlier in the morning.

So, yes the outer 4 bulbs- 2 along front and 2 along back (2 b+ and 2 c+) run 10a-9p. The other pair of b+ (sitting at same height as the b+c+) come on just before at 9:30 and turn off at 10p
The lower 3 bulbs along the front are about 24 inches from corals and the back 3 bulbs are almost 12 inches from corals.
All ten bulbs are only on from 11a-7p and the higher 4bulbs fixture that runs from 11-7 turns off for an hour in the middle.. sort like a scheduled cloud cover..
Why so long? I guess it's kind of long, but they aren't that close to the corals.. it used to be longer..
I guess I could simplify things a bit by only running the two pairs of c+b+ at the same schedule as the four bulb fixture. That would reduce the most intense photoperiod by a couple hours.. I might try that in a couple months once the corals are 100% past the alk issues..
Hm..

 

[reefmutt]

Is that like when we gather in a circle and frag corals really fast and discuss how awesome we are because fish are cool and somehow we have wives that accept us but we take it for granted so we carry on about our business because it really doesn't matter but how cool is that tenuis and one time I saw an emerald crab bench press a cucumber but really he was just sowing of to the Pom Pom crabs?

So... LMFAO!
I read this this morning and my family couldn't figure out why I was laughing so hard... NOR could I explain it to them. They all think I'm weird and trying to explain that would NOT help..
.. one time I saw an emerald crab bench press a cucumber..
Love it!

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Matt,
Looking frickin sweet as always!!!
Way to bounce back, you have the fortitude, that makes you a very amazing aquarist.
Great job man, looking forward to seeing more of the beautiful colors you have on display

Hey Perry, thanks! have you posted recently? I've been scarce around here, lately. Gonna check..

I run my ATI on 12 hours for all.
2 blue are on for 14 hours.
Corals don't die from it I can assure you of that.

I can see too much light causing fatigue in the corals but I guess nutrient levels play a roll in that as well.. with my high nutrients at the moment, I'm sure the corals are liking the light..
Ed and many others run a much shorter photoperiod.. but like all things in this hobby, there are variances which seem to work for some and not for others..

Awesome pics as always. Sooo jealous of your collection of acros.

Thanks! I could say the same for your collection!

Regarding "scheduled stress events" , I am still in the unscheduled category. But I think there is some merit to the idea. When I frag a piece, the original base piece usually responds quickly with new growth sprouts.

The low alk seems to be a real threat. I used to worry about spikes but a couple of times I have had drops and it seems to be worse. Two weeks ago I had a drop and also a quick phosphate drop. Immediate problems with several corals.

I think the key to having benefits to a stress event is to have immediate and sustained stability. This would allow the survival mode to flourish for a prolonged period.

I agree 100%. That period directly after an event is critical, I think.
Yes, who needs to schedule a stress event.. we seem pretty good at organizing them by accident!

 

[Acronic]

So... LMFAO!
I read this this morning and my family couldn't figure out why I was laughing so hard... NOR could I explain it to them. They all think I'm weird and trying to explain that would NOT help..
.. one time I saw an emerald crab bench press a cucumber..
Love it!

Lol.. I feel that my lack of punctuation really drove it home!

I tried to explain it to my wife... I'm pretty sure the shrink is making a house call this evening

 

[drawman]

Long time no update! How's the tank going Matt?

 

[kevlow]

Hope all is well. Looking forward to update pics.

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Tim, Kevin. Thanks for the interest.
The tank is doing just ok. I have good growth on some corals, but have browning, color loss and burnt tips on others. Last week just after arriving home from vacation, my larger colony of jaw dropper rtned in about two days. It was the only coral to rtn.
Growth is there in some but generally it is slow and color ranges from decent on some to lousy on others..
I have changed nothing in the tank.. other than to up my np pro dose from 4 to 5 drops a day..I also finally automated my kalkwasser dosing, which is waaay better than mixing it every two days..
n is around 30-40 p is .1. Alk has been solid at 7.3.
Interestingly, it now takes about 3-4 days for the front glass to turn green, bryopsis has slowed but is still present and bubble algea is making a small comeback. When nutrient were low, my glass needed to be cleaned every day and problem algea in general was more of a problem..
I've been really busy with life stuff, work and vacation and really haven't been paying much attention to the tank other than feeding and eyeballing things.. actually, for some reason I've been sort of resenting the tank and it's demand for my time and energy.. kind of like a girlfriend who nags me all the time to pay attention to her... I'm just doing the minimu and waiting for this feeling to go away.. I might just pull a few of the bad looking corals out and toss them.. I am breaking off burnt tips and watching...
This feeling of malaise about the tank has manifested itself in my last bunch of photos I took recently... they were CRAP and I erased them all..
I'll try again soon..
I'm mulling over how to proceed..
maybe begin some trace element dosing again..
Maybe pull out my dsb/mangrove tank which is just filling with cyano even if the mangroves have recently begun to grow..
I'm wondering if the system's inability to grow macro algea anymore, the slower than usual algea growth, the lack luster looking corals and my high nutrients are related.. well I guess they are related but in which way.. I'm wondering if the tank may be iron limited..
All of the siporax I added has not yet made any difference in no3 but it was only added two months ago.. I am going to wait another month to see if it kicks in. If it doesn't maybe I'll try adding some iron..
Despite my gloomy update, some corals are doing just fine and growing well, it's not like the tank is collapsing or anything.. it's just not impressing me much these days..
I'll keep you posted!

 

[kevlow]

My best colors have always been at around 20+ Nitrates but I never let it stay long. I start seeing some darkening in the purple colors and increased hair algae. I drop it back down. 5-10 seems to be a happy zone.
My matrix took a long time to seed, about 4 months as I recall. It started to work for a while but then my N shot way up. turned out detritus had built up during that time and it was not working anymore. When I cleaned up the matrix everything worked really good. I am dosing the NP Pro and Pro Bio S. everything has been pretty manageable as of late.

Now that I have said this, I am sure that I am going to have and unexpected swing/brown out/rtn episode.

 

[watchguy123]

I found your latest post an easy one to relate to. It seems my tank has also been consuming all my time and requiring lots of attention as well of late. I have been traveling a week away every month for a while so maybe that has added to the work. Every time I return home, there is delayed maintenance to get caught up. And there is always something atypical and terrible that has befallen something in the tank while away.

It's what makes reef keeping so challenging. Constant vigilance and maintenance with so little room for error. It makes those mature tanks so remarkable in that they reflect incredible persistence by someone.

There is nothing easy about growing sps. But when you see success and get to memorialize it through photos, it certainly is gratifying. After all, it's a glimpse of the ocean in your own home.

Keep trudging away because tomorrow or the day after or the day after that it will be rewarding and gratifying once again. It truly is so pleasing seeing those frags grow into beautiful colonies and showing off all those amazing colors

 

[reefmutt]

My best colors have always been at around 20+ Nitrates but I never let it stay long. I start seeing some darkening in the purple colors and increased hair algae. I drop it back down. 5-10 seems to be a happy zone.
My matrix took a long time to seed, about 4 months as I recall. It started to work for a while but then my N shot way up. turned out detritus had built up during that time and it was not working anymore. When I cleaned up the matrix everything worked really good. I am dosing the NP Pro and Pro Bio S. everything has been pretty manageable as of late.

Now that I have said this, I am sure that I am going to have and unexpected swing/brown out/rtn episode.

4 months.. hm.. I was hoping, assumed it was 3 months.. that's a long wait!
There isn't a level that makes everything look it's best unfortunately.. I do like the 5-10 ppm zone.. that's my target. I'd love to get p down to .03 however.

I found your latest post an easy one to relate to. It seems my tank has also been consuming all my time and requiring lots of attention as well of late. I have been traveling a week away every month for a while so maybe that has added to the work. Every time I return home, there is delayed maintenance to get caught up. And there is always something atypical and terrible that has befallen something in the tank while away.

It's what makes reef keeping so challenging. Constant vigilance and maintenance with so little room for error. It makes those mature tanks so remarkable in that they reflect incredible persistence by someone.

There is nothing easy about growing sps. But when you see success and get to memorialize it through photos, it certainly is gratifying. After all, it's a glimpse of the ocean in your own home.

Keep trudging away because tomorrow or the day after or the day after that it will be rewarding and gratifying once again. It truly is so pleasing seeing those frags grow into beautiful colonies and showing off all those amazing colors

Very true! I will keep trudging! I have yet to catch up in that delayed maintenance due to traveling, however..
Gotta get a waterchange done. And change my phos minus... and yank out a couple of bad performers.. and change my carbon.. and de algea the frickin frag tank...

 

[afernandez]

I'm just catching up on your thread...I hate it!

Corals look amazing!!! Cough up the secrets!!

 

[Big E]

Wow Matt,

Awesome photo shots over the last month or so:bigeyes:

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[drawman]

Yeah Matt I know how you feel a lot of what you're saying does hit home. I can see my interest wax and wane at times and when acros get high maintenance and RTN it's even more frustrating. I guess it's good I'm stubborn . Here's hoping both our sumps full of siporax kick in soon!

 

[reefmutt]

I'm just catching up on your thread...I hate it!

Corals look amazing!!! Cough up the secrets!!

Hey Arlin, long time!
Thank you!
The only secret I keep to myself is that I really have no friggin' clue what I'm doing..

Wow Matt,

Awesome photo shots over the last month or so:bigeyes:

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Hey Ed, thank you! Taking photos of the tank is as interesting to me as keeping the tank.. appreciate your compliments!

Yeah Matt I know how you feel a lot of what you're saying does hit home. I can see my interest wax and wane at times and when acros get high maintenance and RTN it's even more frustrating. I guess it's good I'm stubborn . Here's hoping both our sumps full of siporax kick in soon!

Hey Tim, I'm on a waterchange blitz. Changed my carbon, removed all of my copious amounts of gfo in hopes that the excess amounts I was using were perhaps to blame for the burnt tips on some corals.
Did a wc yesterday, one this morning and may get another one tonight and tomorrow as well.
Changed my filter socks and did a full range of tests..
Here are my latest numbers which have been extremely stable for quite some time:
Alk: 7.7 been between 7.3-7.7
N: 30-40 ppm
P: .09-.11 ppm
Calc: 440 ppm
Mag: 1260 ppm
K: 420 ppm
So, numbers are good.... ish
Here's hoping my siporax kicks in, Tim!
Bubble algea has started to come back with a vengeance.. its funny how the algea comes in waves. At the moment, bryopsis is very slow, I am only cleaning the glass every 3 days or so (instead of every day) and the snails are cleaning the rocks and back glass surfaces very well, but the bubble algea had begun to rage..
I want to get my hands on some fluconazole now for the bryopsis.
The first website I tried never sent it.. gonna have to try another..
Anyone with idea for Canadian websites, I'm open to suggestions!

I am going to do my bestest, to get some new photos up his weekend..

 

[drawman]

Yeah thankfully I don't have bryopsis to try it on but fluconazole seems to be a god send for those with it. I have my own bubble algae problem that I'm trying to take down with vibrant...I hate valonia! Can't wait to see the pics Matt!

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

Have you tried Vibrant to help with the bubble algae? Have read a lot of forums about Vibrant and is said to make quick work of it.

 

[Piper27]

Man my bubble algae is always a pain so I know how you feel. I ended up getting some reef tools that look like dentist tools with fish hooks on the end like what they've rape your teeth with. They are great for removing the bubbles from the nooks and crannies of live rock. I don't even worry about spores since there is no point when it's this bad. Give it a try it is an easy way to clean areas of the rock off completley.
Mr. Fishtank, do you have any links to threads where people are having good success riding bubble algae with vibrant? Hard to believe it would work but I am willing to try it if others are seeing any results.

 

[reefmutt]

Yeah thankfully I don't have bryopsis to try it on but fluconazole seems to be a god send for those with it. I have my own bubble algae problem that I'm trying to take down with vibrant...I hate valonia! Can't wait to see the pics Matt!

Got some pics.. Not great but.. I've never really had a serious infestation of valinia but it's been fairly bad.. hopefully it's just a phase.. good luck with yours!

Have you tried Vibrant to help with the bubble algae? Have read a lot of forums about Vibrant and is said to make quick work of it.

I have not tried Vibrant. It was going to be my second algea assault after the fluconazole but since it never came, I am going out for the Vibrant this week.

Man my bubble algae is always a pain so I know how you feel. I ended up getting some reef tools that look like dentist tools with fish hooks on the end like what they've rape your teeth with. They are great for removing the bubbles from the nooks and crannies of live rock. I don't even worry about spores since there is no point when it's this bad. Give it a try it is an easy way to clean areas of the rock off completley.
Mr. Fishtank, do you have any links to threads where people are having good success riding bubble algae with vibrant? Hard to believe it would work but I am willing to try it if others are seeing any results.

Hey Paul, yeah, I've never worried about the spores either.. if you got bubble bubble algea, ya got spores!
I don't really have the time, nor patience for manually pulling bubbles.. I do have a few implements for doing so, but I'll only do it under extreme duress!
I'll try the Vibrant and see what happens..

Ok some random pics..
Fish eye:

Just realized you can see my viewing box floating in the serface.. oops.. very unprofessional!!
A little closer of centre..

Far upper left hand corner.. I can't really get a good shot up there.. need a wide angle lens to capture the corner.. too bad because it's a pretty little corner..

Mediocre shot of my blueberry wine..

These two continue to coexist and perform very nicely.. although the purple beast is slowly creeping up on the creamsicle.

My SSCs are growing like weeds but aren't particularly pretty..

Ice fire is also growing well but the thing that worries me about these smooth skins is that they look fine right up until the morning you look in the tank and it's a white skeleton..

Another often shot top down:

More to come as time permits!