Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

[reefmutt]

Matt, Spectacular Photo's again.

These shots truly show not only the Health and Beautiful Colors of your corals, but also the Size of the Colonies like the Wave that I can only dream of growing one day.
Help me put things into Time perspective. I assume you started from a Frag. How long did it take you to achieve a Colony that size?

That Stellar Looking Ice Fire is truly an Inspiration Piece. Especially since I just mounted a tiny frag of one in my tank.

Hey, even your Starfish has a interesting Color/Pattern that blends in Beautifully.

BTW. I agree that the First Photo I did of my Green Slimer wasn't the best, but it was a improvement using the Viewer for Photo Taking Top down.


The Photo of the Forest Fire Frag did come out better as I practiced more of your Horizontal Photo techniques for Focus, and the Lighting Setting on Camera.

I'm still a humble frag reefer at this point, but if it grows to any size colony and keeps it colors it may become my favourite since I can't stop looking at it.

Looking forward to the more Photo's you promise.

Hey Wally, thanks! It took me a bit to go back in my photos to find when I added the wave.. it was almost exactly 2 years ago. It's been through a lot.. a few setbacks, so not as much growth as it would have had in two years of perfect water..
Here..
Oct 2015

Jan 2016
It's far left.. I didn't document this coral very well..

April/may 2016

Sept 2016 right below red wrasse.

January 2017 in left again.

May:

And yesterday:

It has great colour right now..
I'll do the ice fire next. I have better continuity of photos on that slow grower..

 

[reefmutt]

Here's the ice fire..
Feb 2016

Early June 2016

End of July

September

December

May 2017

Yesterday.


I have no idea why this coral made it through my alk drop a year ago while so many corals died, but I'm not complaining.

 

[Wally.B]

Thanks for the Wave Photo Growth TimeLine. Helps me understand what to expect in perfect conditions like your tank.

It really took off lately.
Since I've never had a colony yet, is that what happens, they appear to speed up as they reach critical mass. But there is no actual speed up.
Kind of makes sense. Everything grows at same rate, but more limbs, so each grows, thus the appearance that it's growing faster.

I can tell the Ice Fire is slower, but then it's smaller.
My tiny Ice Fire Frag really stands out.
I can't imagine what yours must look like in Person, but then with all the great corals you have, your eyes must have a tough time picking what to love.
In person all those multi colored colonies, overlapping must be something else.
Photo's are amazing, but nothing like owning a tank to look up close, and in 3D.
Ever think of doing 3D photos? I hear camera's are coming out to do exactly that for VR.
That would be cool.

 

[Pife]

Holy cow Matt! Absolutely stunning. I like seeing those time lapse as it starts a fire under my butt to get moving! It's crazy how much faster coral grows the bigger it gets.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

[FloformAustria]

Wow what growth... stunning man

So Matt you are from Montreal am I right?
Maybe I will visit Canada sooner than I thought...
the best friend of my girlfriend just moved there ;-)

 

[selje]

Congrats on the ROTM Matt! Well deserved Your corals look amazing. That IceFire.. wow

 

[markalot]

Hey Matt,

ROTM, congrats. Obviously you deserve it, you help all of us out a great deal!

Boy, those reds look a LOT better since dropping PO4. Goodness! Everything is looking fantastic, you've got quite the selection of colorful pieces.

That Habanero looks exactly like a Red Robin, even down to the interesting grey lower branch colors. Mine looks more like your used to which tells me something ... not sure what, since my PO4 is low. :spin1:

 

[reefmutt]

Thanks for the Wave Photo Growth TimeLine. Helps me understand what to expect in perfect conditions like your tank.

It really took off lately.
Since I've never had a colony yet, is that what happens, they appear to speed up as they reach critical mass. But there is no actual speed up.
Kind of makes sense. Everything grows at same rate, but more limbs, so each grows, thus the appearance that it's growing faster.

I can tell the Ice Fire is slower, but then it's smaller.
My tiny Ice Fire Frag really stands out.
I can't imagine what yours must look like in Person, but then with all the great corals you have, your eyes must have a tough time picking what to love.
In person all those multi colored colonies, overlapping must be something else.
Photo's are amazing, but nothing like owning a tank to look up close, and in 3D.
Ever think of doing 3D photos? I hear camera's are coming out to do exactly that for VR.
That would be cool.

Maybe when the new iPhone comes out, it has two cameras. Maybe I can do some 3D stuff.. that'd be coooool!
It would seem that once corals get to certain size, they really get going but I think that in my case, it also has to do with my husbandry practices for the last year... I have chang d very little. Since last October when I had the mini crash, I have changed very little, experimented very little. The real only major change was re starting the cheato... AND of course the biggest change was going to Prodibio's Bioptim as a trace element additive. After the crash, I stopped everything and let things settle. Then I started Bioptim, AF's iodine and fluorine. As nutrients began to drop, I started Polyp Lab's pro colors aminos and Af's vitality and Build. I've been doing this for months. Parameters have been super stable all spring and summer. I think the corals are generally reacting to the lower nutrients, better nutrition and solid parameters..

Holy cow Matt! Absolutely stunning. I like seeing those time lapse as it starts a fire under my butt to get moving! It's crazy how much faster coral grows the bigger it gets.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

Thanks Brandon. I think that once a coral gets established, encrusts and starts growing, it has fully adapted to its surroundings- at that point it is happy and away it goes- providing nothing major changes.

Wow what growth... stunning man

So Matt you are from Montreal am I right?
Maybe I will visit Canada sooner than I thought...
the best friend of my girlfriend just moved there ;-)

Hey Flo, yes, Montreal. Come on!! What are you waiting for?? Come in the winter, you'll be used to the weather. Only it'll be worse than you are used to. Perfect!
Which part of mtl is your friend moving to?

Congrats on the ROTM Matt! Well deserved Your corals look amazing. That IceFire.. wow

Thanks Andreas. That ice fire is so slow.. it's only when I go back and look at the old photos that I realize where it has come from.

Hey Matt,

ROTM, congrats. Obviously you deserve it, you help all of us out a great deal!

Boy, those reds look a LOT better since dropping PO4. Goodness! Everything is looking fantastic, you've got quite the selection of colorful pieces.

That Habanero looks exactly like a Red Robin, even down to the interesting grey lower branch colors. Mine looks more like your used to which tells me something ... not sure what, since my PO4 is low. :spin1:

Hey Mark thank you!
The habanero is the smaller yellow/green one to the right. I assume the wave is what you are calling Red Robin.. could be!
The coral on the right of this shot is a confirmed Red Robin.. just starting to grow..

 

[reefmutt]

Talking about long term stability and how corals deal with stress and recover and grow.. sometimes corals sit for a loooong time and do nothing after stress.. sometimes they recover and sometimes not..
Look at the very centre of this shot:

This coral rtned a couple days ago. Just a tiny green tip remains. I added this coral along with the bluish one directly in front of it over a year ago. I called them the twins. It did well for a while but didn't like the alk drop last October. Polyps never came back out and it has just sat there ever since.. almost a full year later, it died.
I am not really worried about something bad going on now.. I am fairly certain it died because of the shock of something that happened a year ago.. and probably the encroaching corals around it didn't help, that's for sure.
just figured I'd share that..
And to turn lemons into lemonade, once I decide which corals to put there, that dead piece will make the perfect perch for a new frag or two!!

 

[reefmutt]

Here a cool tryptic:




And a caroliniana forest..

 

[markalot]

Hey Mark thank you!
The habanero is the smaller yellow/green one to the right. I assume the wave is what you are calling Red Robin.. could be!
The coral on the right of this shot is a confirmed Red Robin.. just starting to grow..

Yep, 'the wave' is what I meant, though the Red Diablo looks somewhat similar as well. Fast grower.

 

[slavetonet]

Here a cool tryptic:




And a caroliniana forest..

Matt, I think I have a bit of envious feeling toward you right now.
I am not usually like this at all, but these photos sure made me feel that way. :blown:

 

[FloformAustria]

Wow Matt those last pictures are amazing
Wow your corals look so healthy

Back to your question:
I don't know which part of Montreal she moved to but that won't be the problem ;-)

 

[Wally.B]

... AND of course the biggest change was going to Prodibio's Bioptim as a trace element additive. After the crash, I stopped everything and let things settle. Then I started Bioptim, AF's iodine and fluorine. As nutrients began to drop, I started Polyp Lab's pro colors aminos and Af's vitality and Build. I've been doing this for months. Parameters have been super stable all spring and summer. I think the corals are generally reacting to the lower nutrients, better nutrition and solid parameters..

Ahhh! So you do add some stuff.
I was under the impression you were 100% additive free.
Whatever works, and it certainly has worked for you!!!
Can't wait for Apple to come out with the 3D Iphone

 

[reefmutt]

Yep, 'the wave' is what I meant, though the Red Diablo looks somewhat similar as well. Fast grower.

Red Robin and red Diablo seem to have similarities.. I suspect light intensity may play a role in changing their appearance.

Matt, I think I have a bit of envious feeling toward you right now.
I am not usually like this at all, but these photos sure made me feel that way. :blown:

. Been there!!!

Wow Matt those last pictures are amazing
Wow your corals look so healthy

Back to your question:
I don't know which part of Montreal she moved to but that won't be the problem ;-)

Thanks Flo.
True doesn't really matter. Let me know when you are coming!

Ahhh! So you do add some stuff.
I was under the impression you were 100% additive free.
Whatever works, and it certainly has worked for you!!!
Can't wait for Apple to come out with the 3D Iphone

Wally, I add everything. I've may have put the kitchen sink in there once or twice..
I am also using a 50/50 mix or Reef Roids and FM Reef Vitality- large pinch every night and have recently begun adding another 50/50 mix of FM Coral Sprint and Coral Balance.
Hear have made my skimmer act very differently- more froth and foam. This may explain my n bottoming out.. we'll see where p goes..
But this doesn't mean it's right for everybody. Every closed system is different and finding what's right for each is a game of patience and observation and yes experimentation.
Your frag tank and sps display are a perfect example.. counter to expectations the tank with less care and 'worse' numbers may be doing better, or not any worse..
I'll be watching Apple's little show today...

 

[reefmutt]

Here's a couple more from last weekend..
This coral on the right was/is a brown turd that I have some hopes for. I've already had it for a couple months. It was in bad shape when I got it, then it stned a bit and receded.. I cut it back a lot, keeping one healthy section and now I am waiting to see. It's pe is getting better and then uniformity of colour is better. We'll see what it looks like in a few more months.. fingers crossed..

Wide shot of centropolis..

Wider shot of front.

Right (ish) mid level.

Pink tips, pink matrix, Fox Flame

Some stuff:

Scorpion that I can't get yellow! Although it's colour is coming back from deathly brown, so I will not give up on it..

Last shot..
From top to bottom- pickachu, Robin Hood, pink Cadillac, pinkatrix..

Ok I think that covers it for now!

 

[FloformAustria]

O
M
G

Nothing more to say, love this tank!!

And I have to go home to my emptily glass box... unfair

And I will let you know for sure if and when I'll visit



Cheers

 

[glaukos]

a m a z i n g buddy!!!!!
Definitely TOTM material matt:inlove:
It would be sooo awesome to have that title too(after ROTM) at the same time man
We are so lucky to have such a great reefer sharing those uniquely beautiful and clear pics,it almost feels like i'm watching a documentary every time...sometimes it's even better tbh

Have you ever been TOTM in the past matt? Can't remember atm and your signature says not such a thing:spin1:

 

[reefmutt]

O
M
G

Nothing more to say, love this tank!!

And I have to go home to my emptily glass box... unfair

And I will let you know for sure if and when I'll visit



Cheers

Flo, your box may be empty but it's a clean slate. You still have full creative control.
Let me know!

a m a z i n g buddy!!!!!
Definitely TOTM material matt:inlove:
It would be sooo awesome to have that title too(after ROTM) at the same time man
We are so lucky to have such a great reefer sharing those uniquely beautiful and clear pics,it almost feels like i'm watching a documentary every time...sometimes it's even better tbh

Have you ever been TOTM in the past matt? Can't remember atm and your signature says not such a thing:spin1:

Whoa! Mike, thank you. Very nice of you to say but it ain't even close!
Now, if anybody around here saw what your tank is looking like these days, we'd be having a real totm discussion!

Here's a follow up shot to the trio of shots I posted a couple days ago..


WAR! I may have to frag somebody. Looks like caroliniana will lose..

 

[shih87]

Love this one a lot. It should really help FTS pop-up.