Leonardo's Apogon Reef

[Ink]

Leonardo,
From Your description I understood in the beginning your light was blue, but You had also other type of tubes, that You then substituted to all blue+.

I agree with DiscusH that loripes and granulosa aren't deepwater acropora. I well know the example of a friend wich grew a really big granulosa near the surface under a 400w 14k°K MH.

I also think that the fact You kept nutrients exactly where You wanted doesn't necessarily means it was where acroporas needed. Moreover I think that deepwater acroporas need more nutrients than their shallow water sisters. You surely know that in the ocean nutrients increase with depth.

Luca

 

[Leonardo_]

Hi Leonardo,

I have been following your threads for a long time. I am fascinated with your set ups and the way your corals look. You are an inspiration to me.

I am not as experienced as you are. I would like to double check with you about what you said above. My reading suggests that not all smooth skinned acroporids are deep water corals. For example, according to Veron, Acropora lokani and in some cases (depending on the collection point) Acropora loripes are found in shallow reef environments. Does this not indicate that these corals require high intensity light with balanced light spectrum?

In my own tank, I have three smooth skinned Acroporas. One of which requires fairly dimmed conditions (~250-300 mmol) and two of them require high light intensity. I believe they are Acropora loripes and Acropora lokani. They do not show good coloration unless I increase the PAR beyond 400 mmol. Otherwise, they look brown. I have 5 blue + and 3 Coral + in my ATI Powermodule.

Regards

Bulent

They did fine in my reef with lower light conditions, but you're right. They are also found in higher light conditions.

Leonardo,
From Your description I understood in the beginning your light was blue, but You had also other type of tubes, that You then substituted to all blue+.

I agree with DiscusH that loripes and granulosa aren't deepwater acropora. I well know the example of a friend wich grew a really big granulosa near the surface under a 400w 14k°K MH.

I also think that the fact You kept nutrients exactly where You wanted doesn't necessarily means it was where acroporas needed. Moreover I think that deepwater acroporas need more nutrients than their shallow water sisters. You surely know that in the ocean nutrients increase with depth.

Luca

I never had Blue+ only, I think you misunderstood. I don't think nutrient levels change that much over the depth on coral reefs, at least not that much that corals adapt to that.
Deep, cold water currents typically contains less oxygen and more nutrients, but that's a different thing.

What makes you think I would keep nutrient levels at different levels then my Acropora's need? The corals in the pictures don't look starved to me btw.

Leonardo

 

[Ink]

So I misunderstood about t5 tubes mix.

I've always known that inorganics (PO4 and NO3) increase with depth and that plancton arise from deep water. I should check again this information in detail.

As you said, I never saw pictures of your animal starving, but their growth was IMO slow and You claimed they had brown patches (if You have a detailed picture of those, it would be helpful). I saw many times (both in mine and others' experience) tanks crash because of a nutrient problem, both too low (starving), both too low when adding suddenly a significant organic load (maybe due to sudden ammonia spike). In particular, in my last tank, I fought for 2 years with some animals with slow growth, that ended then in absence of growth; when I then decided to raise organic load (adding more food), corals started to die and in the following 1,5 years I haven't been able to recover the tank.

Now with more experience on my shoulder, if I find myself in a condition I think nutrients are too low, I would add progressively more fishes and their food (making them eat) rather than add lots of fish food to the tank, probably causing ammonia spike.

I can also say that stylos, montipora, pocillpora and purple tipped acropora (like valida or tricolor) are more resistent than other SPS, and grow when others die or suffer.

Corals in my tank were doing fine when I had 4 tangs (and other fishes) in 450 liters and my inorganics were already zero (NO3 with salifert was uncolor) and PO4 (hanna photometer) was 0,00 (always, for two consecutive years). My lineatus tang then progressively caused all my tangs to die (It didn't let them eat enough). Many SPS reduced and then stopped to grow (I had two acropora millepora, one green and one pink, that became giant in less then one year); then showed tissue thinning on light-exposed area and then slowly died reducing PE and tissue thickness.

About AEFW, I know them much better then my pockets (it's an italian common saying...). They aren't caused only by low nutrients. I found them to appear only when administering some elements (I don't know what). However, once health condition is recovered, corals are able to fight them successfully. Unealthy coral can sometime have some AEFW, but if there isn't elements dosing, they are only few big worms that don't depose eggs. If there is elements dosing instead, AEFW explode with an infinite numbers of small worms and with many eggs.

Sorry for the long message.

Luca

 

[Frontosa99]

Congratulations Leonardo!
You are true inspiration!

Can you please explain what dosage you use with vinegar/sugar?
Do you mix them together or add them separatly in the tank?
I found several charts for adding vodka but none for sugar/vinegar.

When you add KNO3 to raise NO3 you add the powder in the water or solve it i RO water? Are there any problems in adding KNO3?

Sorry for all the questions

Thanks

 

[Leonardo_]

Thanks a lot!

I stopped all Vinegar/sugar dosage. I also stopped the KNO3 dosage.

I used a 4% CH3-COOH solution (table Vinegar)
I used a 5 grams/50 ml C6H12O6 solution (Glucose)

3 drops a day, mixed as one solution.


I used 100 grams/1000 ml KNO3 solution (Nitrate, Potassium)

3 drops a day.

There are no problems dosing this at all when your nitrates are low. But I no longer see any need for it because adding fish and/or feeding more will have a better overall effect. (raising NO3, PO4 and adding particulate matter like fish poo and food leftovers)

~Leo

 

[Denadai]

Very nice tank again !!!

Did you change the CA reactor for balling again ?

Best Regards

 

[Leonardo_]

Thank you. Yes I'm using Balling light for almost two years again now

 

[sahin]

Leonardo, can you post some updated photos please? Would love to see the coral colours.

 

[Leonardo_]

Of course! I added some rock structures and coral, and the colonies are much bigger already. Will make some pics.

 

[ryanrid]

yes updated pics please

 

[reefmutt]

Did I hear new pics??
Looking forward to it.

 

[Denadai]

Of course! I added some rock structures and coral, and the colonies are much bigger already. Will make some pics.

yeappppp :bounce1:

 

[Leonardo_]

Pocillopora Reef has has really matured since the last update.

I added some more corals, the colonies grew out and I started to incorporate Acropora again.

Nothing in the setup changed, although I stopped dosing anything, except Balling (Randy's 2-part) and Balling trace elements.

No more GFO is needed, the overall bioload keeps phosphates low and skimming wet doesn't hurt either. I use a small filterbag (baseball size) of GAC in the overflow to passively filter and take out some organics. Changed every month.

Here are some photo's I took today.

 

[Leonardo_]

 

[overexposed]

Wow, looks incredible! Those pocci colonies have become enormous.

 

[reefmutt]

Beautiful! Looking fantastic.
I'm not surprised you added some acros.
It is hard to deny the urge to add acroporas once you have had them before.

 

[Leonardo_]

Wow, looks incredible! Those pocci colonies have become enormous.

Thanks Tank will become too small soon I'm afraid.

Beautiful! Looking fantastic.
I'm not surprised you added some acros.
It is hard to deny the urge to add acroporas once you have had them before.

You're right... Sooner or later I would add them again. Just got some new Wildcap frags (pic7) and I'm really exited how they will grow out.

Leo

 

[Nano sapiens]

Super! A pleasure to see the tank doing so well.

The Deepwater Acro looks like a Granulosa. Looks similar to the 'Northern Lights' Granulosa that circulated a bit a few years ago, which I still have.

 

[reefmutt]

Yes! The acro in pic 8 is making me very jealous!!

 

[Denadai]

When you have a small fish bioload everything is easy , isn´t ? Nice tank...very impressive, love it !

Best Regards