Mhucasey's SPS obsession

[plyle02]

Matt,
I think it is important to note that the same lineage coral, that being our RP's, in two separate tanks, are both looking pretty much the exact same, at least from the top down pic. Ironically, I have never seen this color planet before....hmmmm...... I have seen many other color variations, but the red is more of a hot pink, and the green seems more pastel/lime vs. deeper darker greens usually seen in the RP. As far as what I am experiencing, it seems nearly identical to color shifts you are reporting and showing in pics. Thanks for the update!

 

[markalot]

Looking really good, very exciting to see some of the changes and also see if you and Perry end up with the same results.

 

[mhucasey]

It's bloody working alright Matt........ looking better and better every week buddy

......an uneasy feeling came over biggles as he watched the rebel movement gaining momentum. :strooper:

Thanks Lord Acro. Perhaps you should check out those thermal exhaust ports in the Acro Star...

 

[mhucasey]

I concur. It will not be long now before it starts to look like one of those tanks that belong to Polish reefers here on RC.

Agree with the guys too matt:beer:
Things look really good man!
Great jems!

Great progression pictures Matt

Nice colors there !!!!!

Congrats all is,going better and better every day !!!

Daniel

Looking really good, very exciting to see some of the changes and also see if you and Perry end up with the same results.

Thanks guys, it would be awesome if I can pull some of the colors that those Polish reef tanks get! I'm surprised at how well it has gone and I hope posting my experiences gives people the info they need to implement the system if they want to give it a go.

 

[mhucasey]

Matt,
I think it is important to note that the same lineage coral, that being our RP's, in two separate tanks, are both looking pretty much the exact same, at least from the top down pic. Ironically, I have never seen this color planet before....hmmmm...... I have seen many other color variations, but the red is more of a hot pink, and the green seems more pastel/lime vs. deeper darker greens usually seen in the RP. As far as what I am experiencing, it seems nearly identical to color shifts you are reporting and showing in pics. Thanks for the update!

When I saw the frag in the store I was told it was an ORA red planet and I seem to remember the ORA plug. I thought it was a millie. The LFS I got it from used to buy a portion of their frags from ORA and I have no reason to think it isn't. However, between the color and the spindly growth it'd definitely not looking like other Red planets I've seen. The spindly growth is the weirdest part - it gets tons of flow from all directions so it should be way more compact.

I fragged this coral a while ago and put two or three little pieces on Rock in the Flubber Tank. That has grown together in a big base with multiple branches - and its even more electric pink than this one! I'll keep updating as I go, I'm glad to do it:beer:

 

[cFloor]

I'm loving the results you're seeing Matt! Your corals are looking happy as can be.

 

[mhucasey]

I'm loving the results you're seeing Matt! Your corals are looking happy as can be.

Thanks!, the corals are indeed seeming very happy and the colors are really developing nicely!

 

[mhucasey]

Update:
Yesterday I completed the first Zeolite changeout - I replaced 500mL of the 1L of stones. The first batch was in there for about 5 weeks. I pump the stones in the morning and at night.

Still dosing the following:
5 drops NP Pro morning and night for a total of 10 drops per day
8 drops ProBio S in the morning
Dosed after lights out:
6 drops Coral A and V every other day
8 Drops Coral B per day
5 drops Iodium and Flourine per day
3 drops Micro E every day
6 drops Coral E every other day opposite of the Coral A and V dose.

Nitrate holding at ~ 10ppm
Phosphate at 0.03ppm
Alk at 7.0

 

[mhucasey]

A few notes on the Aquaforest system that I have gathered so far:
1) The recommendation to start with 1/2 dose of everything and work up is a good piece of advice. The various supplements are very concentrated. The only exception is coral B - dose that at full dose right away.
2) I've tested phosphate each morning and each night before dosing to see how the system is responding. In the morning test, the phosphate value is higher on mornings after dosing Coral A and V. Not a huge increase but there is a little increase. No big deal.
3) The best time to take a sample for Phosphates seems to be at night, around lights out time. I get the lowest numbers then.
4) After all that, the Phosphate numbers don't seem to correlate to the health of the tank much. I have seen the corals look just as happy at PO4 of 0.11 as at 0.02.
5) Based on many tanks that use the system, an NP Pro dose of just under the target dose seems to be where most tanks settled at. For my two tank system that didn't seem to be enough. My target value is about 7.5 drops - I increased past that to 10 but saw some stress with the corals. Based on what I saw, it appears that dosing more than the target at one time may be too much. If you need more than that split the dose into two doses. I dose 5 drops twice a day for that reason and the tank is doing very well now.
6) Dont dose NP Pro in the sump if there is a chance the skimmer will pick it up. It make the skimmer go crazy if it pulls in high amounts of NP Pro.
7) If you are using Zeolites follow the Zeovit guide for prep of the stones and the Zeovit guide for flow. However, the Amount of stones used should be far less. Target 1-1.5 mL stones per L of system volume, at least to start.

 

[Reefvet]

It's interesting that you're dosing more of the -NP Pro than the ProBio S. Most reef tanks would need the opposite in my experience. More bacteria and less carbon but maybe you have a very clean system.

And by Coral E do you mean Micro E, the heavy metals supplement ?

EVerything is looking great so you've got it right from what I can see. Just curious how you arrived at the carbon to probiotic ratio.

 

[mhucasey]

It's interesting that you're dosing more of the -NP Pro than the ProBio S. Most reef tanks would need the opposite in my experience. More bacteria and less carbon but maybe you have a very clean system.

And by Coral E do you mean Micro E, the heavy metals supplement ?

EVerything is looking great so you've got it right from what I can see. Just curious how you arrived at the carbon to probiotic ratio.

Thanks! I do think there are some different dynamics with two tanks joined in one sump, but overall this is indeed a very clean system. If I was to crank up the flow to the skimmer and siphon detritus more regularly I think it would be detrimental to the corals because of how clean it could get.

I use both Coral E and Micro E. Coral E I dose as a coral feed every other day. Micro E I dose as part of the trace elements upkeep at 3 drops per day with the Iodine and Flourine.

I dose the ProBioS at slightly more than the Recommended dose just to make an even 4 drops in each tank. I've dosed way higher amounts and seen no difference in the tank. I think the bacterial dosing is more about promoting their bacterial strains than anything else, so a couple of drops less than the NP Pro is not a concern to me.

 

[elviraveloz]

Is component B the same as Micro E?

 

[mhucasey]

Is component B the same as Micro E?

Probably very similar. The difference is that component B is designed to be added to the Calcium and Magnesium portion of two-part solution(Balling method).

Micro E is a direct additive. If you are using two part with the added components, or using their Components 1+2+3 for Calcium, KH, and Magnesium supplemention, you would not use Micro E.

 

[reefmutt]

Wow, Matt, you've had a sharp learning curve! You know these products like the back of your hand..
Very impressed so far, Matt!
The tank is looking great.
Are you seeing any corals decline throughout the transition?
Is it 100% positive or is there the odd coral that has suffered?

 

[mhucasey]

Wow, Matt, you've had a sharp learning curve! You know these products like the back of your hand..
Very impressed so far, Matt!
The tank is looking great.
Are you seeing any corals decline throughout the transition?
Is it 100% positive or is there the odd coral that has suffered?

I have not seen any corals decline - surprisingly enough I've seen some of the biggest improvements in LPS corals and the Rose Anemone. Some of the SPS that had experienced tissue loss as I began the transition have grown back over the dead skeleton. I'm only a month and a half in, but so far the system does everything it claims

 

[elviraveloz]

Thanks,just what I thought. Yes I started using the balling method a month ago.

 

[spkennyva]

How critical are the Zeolites to your updated AF approach?

 

[mhucasey]

How critical are the Zeolites to your updated AF approach?

According to Aquaforest, they are not needed, and if used, they are not required to be run in a zeolite reactor. I think that just NP Pro and ProBio S run together will likely be fine for most people. So theoretically they are not critical, but I haven't run that way so I can't say for sure.

The zeolites improve the phosphate removal in my experience, but they can be too aggressive if too much is used or they are run with too high of flow.

 

[mhucasey]

Phosphate at 0.01ppm...

 

[reefmutt]

Nice fts. Looking good Matt.