My quest for color.
- Thread starter Pife
- Start date
brown. 
Pife
Active member
I kept hoping it wasn't dinos and continued to do big water changes and trying to get my nitrates down. They were staying around 20. I was vodka dosing and skimming heavy and not feeding much.
All the while my po4s were non existent. I was getting about 3 gallons of nasty skimmate every 4 to 5 days. Sometimes I would clan up the what I thought was just algae sometimes I wouldn't. I was and am still running filter socks. They would need to be changed every the days. I run 3 four inch socks on my sump after the skimmer section.
None of this was working! Go figure. So I started reading and found an unbelievably great thread here in rc about dinoflagellates. I read through I think 80 odd pages of great information. I decided I was going to vinegar dose heavily while peroxide dosing while doing 3 days lights out.
At the end of the lights out I scrubbed all the dinos off of everything they were still on and watched my filter socks fill up. I changed them 3 hours after that and they were full. I also started to feed a ton and dose twice as much Aqua vitro fuel as per directions. I was hoping to get some po4s in System. After 2 days of this I got my first po4 reading of anything on my hanna ulr meter. They were high but I wanted them so I started to run 2 tablespoons of gfo. This lowered them to exceptable levels.
All the while my po4s were non existent. I was getting about 3 gallons of nasty skimmate every 4 to 5 days. Sometimes I would clan up the what I thought was just algae sometimes I wouldn't. I was and am still running filter socks. They would need to be changed every the days. I run 3 four inch socks on my sump after the skimmer section.
None of this was working! Go figure. So I started reading and found an unbelievably great thread here in rc about dinoflagellates. I read through I think 80 odd pages of great information. I decided I was going to vinegar dose heavily while peroxide dosing while doing 3 days lights out.
At the end of the lights out I scrubbed all the dinos off of everything they were still on and watched my filter socks fill up. I changed them 3 hours after that and they were full. I also started to feed a ton and dose twice as much Aqua vitro fuel as per directions. I was hoping to get some po4s in System. After 2 days of this I got my first po4 reading of anything on my hanna ulr meter. They were high but I wanted them so I started to run 2 tablespoons of gfo. This lowered them to exceptable levels.
Pife
Active member
I'm going to try and post some pictures every couple of days so I can track colors and growth.
I have also setup my apex and started dosing calcium and alk. My demands are going through the roof. And color has already looking better. With working second shift I'm also feeding the coral at night too. I'm excited about the hobby again as I took a couple big hits on the deaths of some of my favorite fish earlier this year. I might even get my real display tank set up! :deadhorse1:Lol Yea right!
I have also setup my apex and started dosing calcium and alk. My demands are going through the roof. And color has already looking better. With working second shift I'm also feeding the coral at night too. I'm excited about the hobby again as I took a couple big hits on the deaths of some of my favorite fish earlier this year. I might even get my real display tank set up! :deadhorse1:Lol Yea right!
TanksDad13
New member
Pife
Active member
I was hoping you were going to post some pictures of your beautiful sps.
Pife
Active member
Here are some pictures from yesterday. I'm trying to keep po4s between .02 and .01 and nitrates just detectable.
FTS for reference.
My CBB is a ham for the camera
.
Here you have some Oregon Tort, SSC, pink digitata, and some ORA piece I have forgot the name to. Maybe when I get color back I'll remember the name.
FTS for reference.
My CBB is a ham for the camera
.
Here you have some Oregon Tort, SSC, pink digitata, and some ORA piece I have forgot the name to. Maybe when I get color back I'll remember the name.
TanksDad13
New member
If you insist... These are the only 3 SPS I have as of now (super stoked for frag swap) in my 28 Gallon Nano... One set with just the Blues, the others during the day with the whiter lights on .... I have Rainbow Monti, ORA Green Birds Nest and Blue Millepora. Also Included a FTS.
Attachments
Last edited:
TanksDad13
New member
Too right... how do i do it?
TanksDad13
New member
Lets see it this works... again...
Last edited:
TanksDad13
New member
Tried flickr the first time and that didnt work... Photobucket has done the trick!
Pife
Active member
Flickr works for me and doesn't have any bandwidth restrictions.
TanksDad13
New member
Were you able to see the images I loaded?
TanksDad13
New member
Wahooo!!!!
Scubareefman
New member
Tank looks great Pife! What makes me sad is... Your SPS corals already have more color then mine.... Stop making me look bad! 
Just kidding... I am getting some nice growth on my montis, the Acros will come with time.
Just kidding... I am getting some nice growth on my montis, the Acros will come with time.
Pife
Active member
Tank looks great Pife! What makes me sad is... Your SPS corals already have more color then mine.... Stop making me look bad!
Just kidding... I am getting some nice growth on my montis, the Acros will come with time.
Thanks, I don't know if I've seen pictures of your stuff. My acros are really brown. More pictures to come to prove it. In my other system there is a lot more color but almost no sps any more because I'm trying to consolidate.
Pife
Active member
Thank you I wish I had your color. Most have great pe just really lacking in the color department. I know I'm on the right track because certain corals have a colorful hue to there brown now. I hope I can capture some colors coming back with this thread.
Last edited:
