watchguy123
New member
I love those pictures. So fun to see so many beautiful corals. Personally, I find sharing photos such a great way to stimulate appreciation of the potential of reef tanks. Anyway, absolutely beautiful
Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail
- Thread starter reefmutt
- Start date
reefmutt
Active member
Thanks! Just a matter of time, you'll get there. Chalices, although cool coral are death in a pretty package. I never take them off the sand. Non of my chalices have a name, they all came from here or there as wild colonies.. I pretty much ignore them. One is growing under the nauty spiral and will soon be completely shaded. I'll have to go in and move it out.
Thanks! You are personally responsible for me getting a fish eye lens, by the way!
I was blown away by your shots at the very beginning of your thread.
So.. A few more..
Couple more blue shots..
A bit closer.. Furiosa is my fastest grower..
Left gully shot. You can see the almost completely shaded chalice at the back..
And Centre top down:
FloformAustria
New member
mate your tank is amazing regardless which angle you choose!! :bigeyes: :bigeyes:
markalot
...
WOOOAAAHHHHH 
Sorry I haven't caught up sooner, man o man everything look fantastic. Cute puppy as well, I think the white spot makes that one the cutest.
So those bugs, I have those bugs and I just killed them again with interceptor. Little bastards do that exact damage. In my experience they seem to come from the sandbed and move up, first any coral on the sandbed starts to show stress then one by one bottom to top more acros, montis, even poci's lose color and some skin.
Unfortunately this means I can't keep cleaner shrimp or acro crabs but the peppermints have survived two treatments now, the latest being a full flavor tab in 150 gallons which is more than the recommended dose.
Sorry I haven't caught up sooner, man o man everything look fantastic. Cute puppy as well, I think the white spot makes that one the cutest.
So those bugs, I have those bugs and I just killed them again with interceptor. Little bastards do that exact damage. In my experience they seem to come from the sandbed and move up, first any coral on the sandbed starts to show stress then one by one bottom to top more acros, montis, even poci's lose color and some skin.
Unfortunately this means I can't keep cleaner shrimp or acro crabs but the peppermints have survived two treatments now, the latest being a full flavor tab in 150 gallons which is more than the recommended dose.
reefmutt
Active member
WOOOAAAHHHHH
Sorry I haven't caught up sooner, man o man everything look fantastic. Cute puppy as well, I think the white spot makes that one the cutest.
So those bugs, I have those bugs and I just killed them again with interceptor. Little bastards do that exact damage. In my experience they seem to come from the sandbed and move up, first any coral on the sandbed starts to show stress then one by one bottom to top more acros, montis, even poci's lose color and some skin.
Unfortunately this means I can't keep cleaner shrimp or acro crabs but the peppermints have survived two treatments now, the latest being a full flavor tab in 150 gallons which is more than the recommended dose.
Hey Mark. Thanks! I'm going to try adding some acro gobies and see if they do anything for the bugs..
In the mean time, I have begun Flatworm Stop in an attempt to reduce the flatworms as much as possible. Then, if the gobies have no effect, I'll try some interceptor. I keep hearing about how flatworm populations explode after a bug treatment so I'm hoping to mitigate that possibility.
So far, I haven't seen any coral decline in health, just go dormant or slow down dramatically. ..
reefmutt
Active member
Thanks, Josh. I really like that one as well. The nauty spiral gives it a really cool look.
So here's a little update on my biggles juice experiments.
As I mentioned, I began with 2 ml Koralcolor and 6 drops micro E per day. I may have noticed a small increase in metallic green sheen in my orange passion and more green in the base of my Fiji fruit bowl- which wasn't particularly wonderful as it was more bluish before.. but otherwise, not a dramatic colour change. Both micro e and koralcolor contain iron......
Maybe I am not using enough of the koralcolor.... It's a pretty small dose.. Anyways I haven't change the dose for a couple months. And I'm reluctant because of the green promotion..
After a few weeks of this dose, two things happened I saw a surge in growth in many corals and I also saw an increase in nitrates. I don't know why. I did not change feeding or fish population.
Because of the increase in nitrate, I reacted by beginning to add NP Pro to hold n at around 4 ppm. To get to his point, I have worked my way up to 20 drops per day.
Now, as of about a week ago, I started also adding Aquaforest's vitamin supplement called coral V or Vitality.
As well as a drop, every other day of Polyp Lab's amino acid complex called Pro Colors. Its recommended dose is 1 drop per 250g. It's concentrated stuff!
Throughout this process I have had a few corals- my red planets, in particular, as well as well as the base of my pink lemonade go completely brown for a few weeks and then begin to redevelop their pigments..
Another coral frag that I bought last year, because of its deep purple, but that has been a pale gray/blue has begun to repopulate with some purple.. I'm going to watch it for a while.
So the addition of the aminos and the vitamins has increased nitrate again a bit more so I am now up to 25 drops NP Pro per day and I will see where that takes me over the next few weeks..
My phosphate has been hovering around .12-.15..
I have been using Phosbond again and my latest po4 reading was .13..
I still want to get that down but I'm not to concerned with that level. I'd like to get it down to .04 ish but I can't seem to do it using non aggressive methods and I'm not going aggressive at the moment...
Alkalinity has been quite stable at 6.5-7 with small increases in co2 to my ca reactor.
So, here's a summery of what's been going into the tank for the past several months..
2 drops Kent lugol's solution
6 drops AF Flourine
6 drops AF Mocro E
2 ml Brightwel's Koralcolor.
More recently:
25 drops AF NP Pro
12 drops AF Vitality
1 drop every second day Polyp Lab's Pro Color amino acid complex.
I feed twice daily 3 cubes mysis shrimp and 2 cubes spirulina brine shrimp- so 10 cubes per day frozen food
A couple times per week, I add AF Build (coral B) and Pro Bio S.
I still (as I always have) add a pinch of my coral food mix (reef roids, reef pearls and fauna marin's reef vitality)
Yep... That's a ton of stuff!!!!!!!
And I'm not so sure what it's all doing or how much it's helping things- other than keeping the bubble and bryopsis happy..
Now, on the bubble algae and bryopsis front, the bubble algae is not too bad these days- very manageable. Could be the 12 or so emerald crabs.. And bryopsis seems to stay around the gyres and the overflow which is totally acceptable. I had a bit of bryopsis sprout up in a spot or two on the rocks- I manually removed it, brushed the area with a tooth brush and it never returned. I think that between the emeralds, scarlet hermits, various snails and tangs, the bryopsis is fairly well controlled.
I think that covers all of my latest reef tweaking..
So here's a few more shots- a little closer in..
This little Fiji piece was a pale cream for almost a year.. It has begun to change a bit..
A neat frontal shot. The above Fiji piece is in the lower right..
Here are a few drags doing nicely beside the base of furiosa.
The reddish bodied one and the bright green one came from Raja and the tennuis one is from coralfarms. It's a RR lady in pink... Yep.. Minus the pink but growing well!
Two more recent (few months ago) additions from uncle Raja.
My first piece of RR pink matrix from Fragbox. It is growing like an animal
A no mane from Raja that has also taken off like crazy..
Here it is shortly after I got it.. Almost exactly a year ago
I know I posted a similar shot of these last month but it's such a nice contrast..
Oregon Tort next to my other pink matrix. Again, both are growing very well right now..
Ok.. I think I have a couple more shots but I'll stop for now..
So here's a little update on my biggles juice experiments.
As I mentioned, I began with 2 ml Koralcolor and 6 drops micro E per day. I may have noticed a small increase in metallic green sheen in my orange passion and more green in the base of my Fiji fruit bowl- which wasn't particularly wonderful as it was more bluish before.. but otherwise, not a dramatic colour change. Both micro e and koralcolor contain iron......
Maybe I am not using enough of the koralcolor.... It's a pretty small dose.. Anyways I haven't change the dose for a couple months. And I'm reluctant because of the green promotion..
After a few weeks of this dose, two things happened I saw a surge in growth in many corals and I also saw an increase in nitrates. I don't know why. I did not change feeding or fish population.
Because of the increase in nitrate, I reacted by beginning to add NP Pro to hold n at around 4 ppm. To get to his point, I have worked my way up to 20 drops per day.
Now, as of about a week ago, I started also adding Aquaforest's vitamin supplement called coral V or Vitality.
As well as a drop, every other day of Polyp Lab's amino acid complex called Pro Colors. Its recommended dose is 1 drop per 250g. It's concentrated stuff!
Throughout this process I have had a few corals- my red planets, in particular, as well as well as the base of my pink lemonade go completely brown for a few weeks and then begin to redevelop their pigments..
Another coral frag that I bought last year, because of its deep purple, but that has been a pale gray/blue has begun to repopulate with some purple.. I'm going to watch it for a while.
So the addition of the aminos and the vitamins has increased nitrate again a bit more so I am now up to 25 drops NP Pro per day and I will see where that takes me over the next few weeks..
My phosphate has been hovering around .12-.15..
I have been using Phosbond again and my latest po4 reading was .13..
I still want to get that down but I'm not to concerned with that level. I'd like to get it down to .04 ish but I can't seem to do it using non aggressive methods and I'm not going aggressive at the moment...
Alkalinity has been quite stable at 6.5-7 with small increases in co2 to my ca reactor.
So, here's a summery of what's been going into the tank for the past several months..
2 drops Kent lugol's solution
6 drops AF Flourine
6 drops AF Mocro E
2 ml Brightwel's Koralcolor.
More recently:
25 drops AF NP Pro
12 drops AF Vitality
1 drop every second day Polyp Lab's Pro Color amino acid complex.
I feed twice daily 3 cubes mysis shrimp and 2 cubes spirulina brine shrimp- so 10 cubes per day frozen food
A couple times per week, I add AF Build (coral B) and Pro Bio S.
I still (as I always have) add a pinch of my coral food mix (reef roids, reef pearls and fauna marin's reef vitality)
Yep... That's a ton of stuff!!!!!!!
And I'm not so sure what it's all doing or how much it's helping things- other than keeping the bubble and bryopsis happy..
Now, on the bubble algae and bryopsis front, the bubble algae is not too bad these days- very manageable. Could be the 12 or so emerald crabs.. And bryopsis seems to stay around the gyres and the overflow which is totally acceptable. I had a bit of bryopsis sprout up in a spot or two on the rocks- I manually removed it, brushed the area with a tooth brush and it never returned. I think that between the emeralds, scarlet hermits, various snails and tangs, the bryopsis is fairly well controlled.
I think that covers all of my latest reef tweaking..
So here's a few more shots- a little closer in..
This little Fiji piece was a pale cream for almost a year.. It has begun to change a bit..
A neat frontal shot. The above Fiji piece is in the lower right..
Here are a few drags doing nicely beside the base of furiosa.
The reddish bodied one and the bright green one came from Raja and the tennuis one is from coralfarms. It's a RR lady in pink... Yep.. Minus the pink but growing well!
Two more recent (few months ago) additions from uncle Raja.
My first piece of RR pink matrix from Fragbox. It is growing like an animal
A no mane from Raja that has also taken off like crazy..
Here it is shortly after I got it.. Almost exactly a year ago
I know I posted a similar shot of these last month but it's such a nice contrast..
Oregon Tort next to my other pink matrix. Again, both are growing very well right now..
Ok.. I think I have a couple more shots but I'll stop for now..
glaukos
New member
Matt it's been a while since the last time i called you a sick man....well you are,my dear buddy:beer:
What normal person would do that to the rest???
Just kidding man...you just gave me one more desktop pic:inlove:...and some inspiration too...again
The pic josh quoted is amaaaazing!So many colors along with super cool corals!!
It's so awesome to have a beautiful tank and be able at the same time to have serious photo skills.Doulble enjoy
I just noticed you are using a gyre.Which one is it and on what mode are you running it?
Is it me or has bubble aglea got lesser?
I'll go read the things you wrote regarding biggles juice but while i do that,please please post the rest of "the couple more" shots you have
What normal person would do that to the rest???
Just kidding man...you just gave me one more desktop pic:inlove:...and some inspiration too...again
The pic josh quoted is amaaaazing!So many colors along with super cool corals!!
It's so awesome to have a beautiful tank and be able at the same time to have serious photo skills.Doulble enjoy
I just noticed you are using a gyre.Which one is it and on what mode are you running it?
Is it me or has bubble aglea got lesser?
I'll go read the things you wrote regarding biggles juice but while i do that,please please post the rest of "the couple more" shots you have
reefmutt
Active member
Matt it's been a while since the last time i called you a sick man....well you are,my dear buddy:beer:
What normal person would do that to the rest???
Just kidding man...you just gave me one more desktop pic:inlove:...and some inspiration too...again
The pic josh quoted is amaaaazing!So many colors along with super cool corals!!
It's so awesome to have a beautiful tank and be able at the same time to have serious photo skills.Doulble enjoy
I just noticed you are using a gyre.Which one is it and on what mode are you running it?
Is it me or has bubble aglea got lesser?
I'll go read the things you wrote regarding biggles juice but while i do that,please please post the rest of "the couple more" shots you have
Hey Mike, thanks! Many of the corals are doing well but plenty are at a standstill. I have so many frags that are not doing anything. Oh well just have to wait them out.
I have 3 gyres in the tank. I have 2 150s. One on each side of the tank facing each other. They are plugged into a wave maker which switches them on and off, alternating every minute. They run at about 80%. Once I clean them, I can reduce them by about 20%.
I also have a 130 on the back wall. It is on a 10 second pulse. It only runs during daytime. It is connected to one of the light timers, so it turns off with the 4 t5s.
Yes, the bubble algae is not nearly as bad as it used to be.. I'm hoping it stays reduced!
Thanks Nils! Two years in the making, so far... Patience, patience, patience....
Ok here are my last 2 photos..
No name from Raja but called Apple jax look a like.
Last photo.. A close grouping in the center left..
shih87
New member
....
.....
Wow!!! Love this one a lot...Blue and green on same picture and still crystal clear of each color!!!.... and, there are red on fuzz background!!! You are an artist!
I need to re-arrange my coral colonies position accordingly ;-)
Myka
Reefing since '93
I'm so late to the party, but that video you posted on page 63...awesome!!! I love the big shoals of fish - reminds me of a real reef where you see lots of big shoals and then the odd loner of whatever other species.
That Blueberry Wine...does it table for you? Mine has gone into its first growth spurt, and it's looking tabley in which case I'll have to move it to the tabling section of the tank.
Also, who is Raja??
That Blueberry Wine...does it table for you? Mine has gone into its first growth spurt, and it's looking tabley in which case I'll have to move it to the tabling section of the tank.
Also, who is Raja??
wheelman76
New member
Wow Matt!!! Tank is looking great and amazing pictures , but the picture of the
"Middle left " is just insane!! Well done
"Middle left " is just insane!! Well done
FloformAustria
New member
crazy Matt... crazy!!
:inlove: :inlove:
He's Matts crack dealer. He owns Raging Reef a store in Montreal.
reefmutt
Active member
Thanks, Tim! I'm happy to dole out the good stuff!
Thanks, Mindy! I've found that my evansis are fattening up with only mysis and sp. brine shrimp. I might get a few more..
I'm very happy to hear you say that about my reef- that's the ultimate goal.. To look natural.
My blueberry wine doesn't look like a tabler at all. I think it will be branchy.
Raja is my main crack dealer. His store is Raging Reef on Papineau north in Montreal. He does have a website.
Thanks wheelman. That shot has a lot of smallish frags. When it starts to take off, it'll be pretty cool.
crazy Matt... crazy!!
:inlove: :inlove:
Lol Flo!
reefmutt
Active member
I think you are referring to this piece:
Bottom of shot..
It's a no name yellow frag from raja- about a year old. Here's a history
(any excuse!!)End of September 2015
End of October
End of December
February
Top down February
Also February
It hasn't changed a lot since then as I moved it a bit but it recently it has begun to grow again.
