My Acro Nursery

I have much better luck with frags coloring up quickly under T5. MH has always been the worst and LEDs aren't as good as T5 but nothing like MH. I think it's because the T5 light is simply a more complete spectrum, that is if you're using something like ATI C+, B+ or B+ Special.

I just texted Adam again because next week is supposed to be even hotter than this one in Santa Barbara county. My tanks have been making a full 5 degree swing up to 83. Not a good time to acclimate new Acros.

I don't want to post BC's photos without his permission but I can give you his wacky names. Crazy bananas milli, Glowstick acro, Hellraiser, Ligonberry vinegar, pink lemonade, Rainbows in Spain, Rainbows in Spain and Space ghost.

Here's the photo he sent 2 weeks ago. They don't look a whole lot like the photos on the site but you can figure out what's what.

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Looks like some winners in your pack. The Spainbow is really nice. I have the Space Ghost and Pink Lemonade as well.
 
95% of my frags were bought from fellow hobbyists found here, Garrets Acropolis, AquaSD and Battle Corals. I think the important thing is knowing the source of the frags; and making sure they are not wild fresh cuts. Local hobbyists are the best because of short transit times, they charge less and you can see the mothers. Next best are hobbyists that sell on here and will ship overnight. When ordering online there is always a risk during overnight transport. I would also only recommend Battle Corals if you are an experienced hobbyist and want more complex colored sps. He doesnt sell cheap beginner frags. His corals have all been growing in captivity for some time, but most beginners will not be able to get the coloring you see on the BC website. Ive heard of many other reputable online stores that I wouldnt hesitate to try too, but im out of room. I hope this helps.
 
That's great I know a lot of people that buy from unique corals but I haven't personally bought from them have you heard anything from them
 
Goldtorch - I personally have not purchased anything from them so I cant comment on their stock. The aquacultured frags on their site look nice enough. But i would be nervous with stores that import corals and have high turn over with these. I dont care how diligent your quarantine protocol is, there is always a chance for pests to get by. This is just my personal view (and it has nothing to do with Unique Corals) but I stopped purchasing wild or maricultured coral; at least to the best of my knowledge.
 
The first photo was taken July 31st of last year. As you progress to the last picture it was taken this morning. Over the year, growth has been steady and the colors have improved greatly. I dont bother cleaning the glass anymore. All the corals placed on the side have grown into the glass. Its a PIA to clean now. I have some individual progression shots that ill try to post later when if i can get a current photo. Its truly a pain to move my corals. Its like a jigsaw puzzle.
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What a beauty. Hard work and being proactive is so cool what you are able to get. You might have posted earlier but what lighting do you use in building a 120 show tank and trying to decide on t5 or led
 
Thanks Mark... Gold, I tried LED over my 25 Gal. I probably wasnt patient enough because I pulled the plug a few months in when colors faded or things browned. It was the Maxspect 60. I do believe you can find success with LED, but it takes more patience to dial them in. I also believe not all LEDs are made the same and what brand you go with is critical to success. Personally I have had the best luck with MH. I dont think there are any criticisms as far as growth and color. For some, heat and the electricity bill can be an issue, bulb costs can add up as well. And you wont have the fancy sunrise and sunset effect. I got over the sunrise/sunset effect pretty quickly and the cost of running the MH lights to me is negligible. This is a relatively expensive hobby and I feel if you worry about the maintenance costs, you are probably not ready for prime time sps keeping. Lights will be the least of your worries and costs. T5 is very similar to MH except you dont have the strobe effect that I like; but will offer more choices with bulb combinations. I have never ran a T5 only tank. All my tanks are running MH except the tank you see above also has 4 T5s that have actinics for more color pop. So to answer your question, I would use a MH/T5 combo as my first choice.
 
Purple Passion progression over the course of 16 months. Last picture taken today under 250DE XM 15K + 4x24w T5 actinics.
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Great images. What are you using for your frag tank? Do you have this in your DT sump or are you running a totally separate system?
 
Quiverfull... This frag system is my "DT." It has three frag tanks all connected to a central refugium and sump. I started this frag system to nurture the sps so when my actual DT is built, i wouldnt have to wait years to have it grow in. Unfortunately the frags are starting to outgrow their holding tanks. Like the following is a Rainbow Granulosa. Its my fastest grower. Started out as a nub last year, today all my damsels call it home.
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Crazy growth. What are your ALK and calcium levels? I just bought the XM 15k to replace my Phoenix bulbs. I have a 250w hqix2 and T5x2 ati blue + combo now. My colors are not the greatest.
 
Thank you. My alk hovers between 7 and 7.5, calcium is 400. One change, over the past several months vodka additions were gradually decreased and will be stopped completely soon.

The following progression is my ORA Plum Crazy. Again last photo taken today. The color developed slowly over the year as it matured. But as i think back i had redbugs from one of my early frag packs. I let that go for awhile and did three big treaments late last year. Havent had redbugs since and no longer buy frags. Also the kelvin of the light plays a factor too. The first photo i believe was under 12K.
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