Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

[reefmutt]

Oops sorry for the misunderstanding!

no problem at all!

Your ups and downs really help those following along. It’s so informative seeing these changes due to one reason or another. I am usually not brave enough to show my many misadventures but your sharing inspires me to do the same more often.

I constantly am amazed and I guess reminded how diligent and consistent one has to be to achieve a tank full of happy corals.

Thank you for constantly sharing, learning along with you.

Mark, thank you for the very inspiring comments! I really appreciate it. It is totally demoralizing when you screw things up in your tank.. as we all know.. it’s not so bad when it’s only a minor screwup, though.
I realize that this thread and my personal reef keeping practices are a bit hypocritical because on the one hand I totally agree with the reef mentra: Stability is Key yet I continue to mess around with things.. but ultimately my goal is to find the formula that I like and that provides that stability in the long term.
I think I’m inching ever so closer to that.

Sorry to hear about the troubles Matt. Hopefully we are both over them for the time being!

Amen, Mark! Thanks! My suharsonoi/caroliniana- whichever it may be is regaining color daily, now.. it wasn’t so bad..

Sorry to see your having some problems Matt. This hobby/addiction can be a real test of will sometimes. Hang in there bud, there is still so much in your tank that shines brightly.

Thanks, man! It was a minor blip this time, Scott. The few affected corals are recovering their color and pe... thankfully!!

After the RSR treatment- which I ended after 24 hours, I went on a little 10%/10 day water change refresher on the tank. Using H2Ocean salt.
I really liked the results. Really perked up the whole tank and I found that after about the 5th wc, the tank just looked clearer and more vibrant.. maybe it was all in my head.. but still. I like the results..
I was too busy to do testing last weekend so I’m not sure where nutrients are with the LC dosing but I did reduce it somewhat last week so I’ll check again this weekend.. I hope! I don’t expect them to have changed much from my last readings..
I did however slap my iPhone in my viewing box a couple days ago and made a quick and dirty front/top down video. I have to say that I am quite happy with 80% of the corals in my tank right now..
This is with all lights on..

https://youtu.be/ttQiA3GpsfM

And since it’s been almost exactly two years since I added my Ice/fir echinata frag, I’m going to go over to Tapatalk and post the 12 or so progression shots I have of that coral.. it is not a swift grower for me!

 

[reefmutt]

Man sorry to see/hear about your browning event. Your tank is still amazing! Thx for the FTS.

Missed this.. thanks! And no problem. It's easy to get me to post a photo. It's like forcing me to eat maple ice cream! Real maple ice cream.

 

[reefmutt]

Ok! Two years growth or this, one of my all time favorite corals and "˜till now, most elusive for me to keep... KNOCK IN WOOD.. poopoo, throw salt over my shoulder.. etc etc
From Feb 2016

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[reefmutt]

Last week..

Hopefully in a week I can show some recovery pics..


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[fishguy597]

Love the pics and the YouTube video.

How long have you had the group of antheas? Do you do anything special for them or just feed them with pellets on a timer?

 

[reefmutt]

Love the pics and the YouTube video.

How long have you had the group of antheas? Do you do anything special for them or just feed them with pellets on a timer?

Thanks. I'm not sure they'd eat pellets.. some might.
I only feed twice a day. A mix or frozen mysis shrimp and spirulina brine shrimp. 8 cubes total- two feedings.
When they were new and getting established, I fed more often but now they do fine with this..

 

[SawCJack00]

Matt, have you considered adding a few more corals to your tank? It seems a bit barren

 

[reefmutt]

Matt, have you considered adding a few more corals to your tank? It seems a bit barren

I know!! I feel the same. Glad you noticed!
I have a bunch of frags sitting in a cart that I haven't pulled the trigger on but your comment may have pushed me over the edge.

 

[shih87]

Wow!!! Is it echinata?
Very very nice!!!

 

[Sam2832]

Any advice to keep the "ice fire"?
I saw some people having difficulties keeping them. Thanks


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[reefmutt]

Wow!!! Is it echinata?
Very very nice!!!

Thank you Shih! Yes echinata.

Any advice to keep the "ice fire"?
I saw some people having difficulties keeping them. Thanks


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Hey Sam, I would like to say stable conditions and perfect water parameters have been my key to success but in the last two years, I have had a couple pretty damaging alk swings and nutrients have been up to 50ppm nitrate and .25 ppm p and all the way down to .5 n and .08 p..... a couple times!
The only consistency has been one single location, lowish in the tank with very good but not super strong flow and medium light.
I have scraped a couple encrusting corals away, over time, from the base..
Maybe it's been the perpetually high (at times) phosphate.... never been below .08..

 

[Pife]

Last week..

Hopefully in a week I can show some recovery pics..


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This is one of if not my favorite pictures of coral. There is just something about the structure and color that is simply stunning. Matt it looks perfect.

 

[Wally.B]

Matt,
As you know I'm crazy busy so didn't catch the fact that you've been having some issues.
If anyone can handle a setback, it's you.
Hoping this situation stays contained, and a fast as possible recovery.

And gosh....That echinata is gorgeous. I had a frag once, actually twice.. and prayed each time it would survive.

It didn't make it, but even having it for a while was a Candy for the Eyes.
There is something about Blue SPS that dazzles me..
Blue Gomzie's too, which is another one of my Blue favorites.

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Brandon and Wally, thanks!
Ice fire is definitely one of my all time favorites.. and believe me, I've been through many myself..
I am on a total blue acro kick. I'm not really buying much these days but when I do, they are most often blue..
Wally, my issues are really not so bad. After a couple weeks, the corals are rapidly on the way to recovery- as the upcoming photo dump will show....
I took a whole whack of photos -from fish eye to macro and I'll try to post them in some sort of order..
To start, here's a group that goes from wide to macro..
Here's a wide shot of the centre of the tank Upper left it top centre and lower right is down close to the front glass.

Right over top centre

Moving to the left.. at top

Now in a little closer..

This is a crop of the last shot..

And here is a front view..

I have a ton more.. had some time this weekend.
I'll post more today as I get some windows of opportunity..
One more single shot.. my mother colony of blueberry wine using my fish eye.. it lets in some light because of the wide angle.
This coral is very high up in the tank and tough to get a great pic. It's really growing well..

Ok well.. one more of my ice fire up close..

Ok. I'll be back..


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[FloformAustria]

Wow Matt good to see your corals recover!!

Your pictures are amazing as always!!!

Keep up the good work!

Flo

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Flo, thank you!
Ok then, more work!
Here's another wide shot - different angle, that I will work off from. I'll go down from here..

Well, first, upper centre.

Now, heading down from there..

Next bunch are front, centre and low in the tank. This shows not only that feisty springeri damsel who loves to be in this pic, but also the recovery in the suharsonoi.

A little closer.. and maybe a bit indulgent but here goes..

Different focus:

A little closer..

A couple crops:

.

More to come.


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[reefmutt]

Ok! Here's a wide shot of the left hand side.

Lower right of last shot. The tort was sold to ma as an Oregon but it is clearly not.. next to ice fire..

Pink matrix and RR Red Robin.

Another shot..

Here's a front glass shot of them.

Here's a shot of my other smaller piece..

Another pink matrix shot.

Next to pink matrix is JF Flame:

Closer..

Random neat shot..

..
Got a few more..


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[reefmutt]

Ok. Two more posts should do it..
Here's a mystery coral that decided to blast off a few months ago.

And a crop..

Direct contact! Sometimes corals just do this and not much else happens.. sometimes one coral kills the other one back.. or can completely. I think here, one will begin to grow over the other..

Another neat mystery coral..

Another ..

This is an Aussie piece that I was hoping might go more blue.. I'm not sure I'm keeping this because it's just not that nice.. despite the macro shot. In general it is just a green coral at the moment. I've only had it for a bout a month, though. I'll give it more time..

This piece was sold to me as cherry blossom a good year or more ago. It has never grown.. it encrusts bough. Anyways based on the polyps, I will give this piece all the time it needs..

Ok last bunch coming up.


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[reefmutt]

A few artsy fartsy shots..
I'll start with my recovering Pink Cadillac.

This is a neat unknown stag.

Cool close up of OP..

Tip of my red planet...

All right !!
That's it..
Now that the porn is over, here are my latest numbers..
Alk 6.7
Calc 460- which is beginning to suggest that the Lanthanum Chloride is reducing alk a bit. Ca is climbing..
No3 .5! It has dropped a lot .. will add more kno3
Po4. .18 with ulr and .24 with phosphate tester.. so.. take your pic..
K 400"“ not sure how much more kno3 I will be able to add..
Mag 1240.
...... and for a final shot... the full Monty!

Been a long while since I posted a full system shot..




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[Renton777]

Fantastic update, looking great!