Myka's 69 SPS Tank 2015

[markalot]

I can't wait to see this one as it gets larger. Incredible colors.

 

[Myka]

Thanks Mark! I love that one too - that's the Hawkin's.

Here is yesterday`s pick up. It looks like a tenuis to me. The base color is green, corallites are hot pink, and the corallite openings are yellow. It`s really stressed though (most of the SPS that arrived at the LFS yesterday were pretty stressed), so hopefully it recovers. I can`t wait to see the colors develop on it.

 

[MichaelW]

That's a really interesting Hawkins. It looks so different to mine, not just in color but growth looks thicker. I like it

 

[Myka]

Well I finally started up the Components 1+2+3+ last night. I was waiting for calcium to come down a bit, but it really hasn't too much, so I figured I'd just start dosing and see what happens.

This morning I tested the starting point:

SG 1.027 (crept up on me)
Cal 420 ppm
Alk 7.1 dKH
Mg 1440 ppm (I dosed it to 1350 ppm a couple months ago and not since, not sure why it's this high)

I started at 30 mL per day of each Component. I'll check every morning for the next week and see what happens.

As an aside, I've been noticing some bases and growth tips coloring up on some corals that have been lacking. There are probably 6 examples of this. Yay! :bounce3:

That's a really interesting Hawkins. It looks so different to mine, not just in color but growth looks thicker. I like it

It hasn't grown much for me. I'm thinking it's not too happy about something. It was one of the frags that survived the mini-crash in September.

 

[reefmutt]

That tenuis look like it could be really cool. It's always a bit nerve wracking when they come in so stressed. Takes them so long to do anything..
I would have pegged that Hawkins for a lokani.. Whatever it is, I want it bad.
So, are you now fully aquaforest?

 

[Myka]

That tenuis look like it could be really cool. It's always a bit nerve wracking when they come in so stressed. Takes them so long to do anything..
I would have pegged that Hawkins for a lokani.. Whatever it is, I want it bad.
So, are you now fully aquaforest?

Yes, I am still worried about the new tenuis. It is taking its time to show polyps. They are partially emerged now. It looks better every day though, and the color has already improved just a sniff.

Who knows, maybe the Hawkins is not a Hawkins! Yes, I can frag it for you once it gets a little bigger or maybe a fragging would spur some growth out of it! We can certainly do some tradsies.

This is my current AF amd non-AF dosing schedule.

80 gallons net

ProBioS - 3 drops/night (started 3/14)
Coral E - 2 drops/night (started 4/18)
Zeovit Coral Snow - 1.5 mL/night (in plsce of Coral B until used up, started 4/18)
Coral V - 2 drops/odd nights (started 4/18)
TLF AcroPower - 5 mL/even nights (in place of Coral A until used up, started 3/14)

NP Pro - dosing suspended until I see some nutrients

Siporax 2L in a coarse mesh bag in a high flow area of sump added 3/23.

 

[sahin]

Hi Mindy, just caught up on your thread. Wow...your tanks been through a lot. Hope its all a nice easy road to TOTM from here on. :beer:

PS I'm so jealous of your diving adventure. That must have been an amazing experience. I'd love to go diving on a reef again.

 

[Myka]

Hi Mindy, just caught up on your thread. Wow...your tanks been through a lot. Hope its all a nice easy road to TOTM from here on. :beer:

PS I'm so jealous of your diving adventure. That must have been an amazing experience. I'd love to go diving on a reef again.

Thanks for stopping by Sahin! It's a long, long way from any TOTM! It seems like every time I try to "fix" something I end up worse off. Aquaforest is going really well though, so I'll just keep on keeping on with that.

The diving group is going to Fiji next year, and I'm hoping to go again with them. :bounce3: If you want to go diving, make it a priority! I was going to go to MACNA this year again, but then I figured I'd rather put that monetary effort into diving instead.

 

[Myka]

I forgot something...



80 gallons net

ProBioS - 3 drops/night (started 3/14)
Coral E - 2 drops/night (started 4/18)
Zeovit Coral Snow - 1.5 mL/night (in place of Coral B until used up, started 4/18)
Coral V - 2 drops/odd nights (started 4/18)
TLF AcroPower - 5 mL/even nights (in place of Coral A until used up, started 3/14)
Reef Chili - 3 scoops/night (in place of AF Power Food)

NP Pro - dosing suspended until I see some nutrients

Siporax 2L in a coarse mesh bag in a high flow area of sump added 3/23.

 

[Myka]

I received a small package of Acros from Fragbox in Toronto today. There are some pretty nice pieces in there, but there is one in particular that I'm super excited for...look at this bad boy. Aussie Echinata. Keep in mind I'm using a 3000K light to take the pics. It is REALLY blue, like almost fake looking.

Also, here's a pic of my Acro QT. I just let it get ambient light for the first 24 hours. After that I set a 24" 2-bulb T5 fixture over it. It's just a 5-gallon Fluval tank. Normally when I receive frags I clip the plugs off, then dip in Bayer, then put in the QT for a week or so. There were instructions in the package to not dip for 24 hours and don't clip the plugs off for 7 days. There is a 7 days warranty on the frags, so I'll follow the instructions.

 

[sahin]

I received a small package of Acros from Fragbox in Toronto today. There are some pretty nice pieces in there, but there is one in particular that I'm super excited for...look at this bad boy. Aussie Echinata. Keep in mind I'm using a 3000K light to take the pics. It is REALLY blue, like almost fake looking.

Also, here's a pic of my Acro QT. I just let it get ambient light for the first 24 hours. After that I set a 24" 2-bulb T5 fixture over it. It's just a 5-gallon Fluval tank. Normally when I receive frags I clip the plugs off, then dip in Bayer, then put in the QT for a week or so. There were instructions in the package to not dip for 24 hours and don't clip the plugs off for 7 days. There is a 7 days warranty on the frags, so I'll follow the instructions.

I will think about the Fiji trip. Always wanted to go Fiji.

With your QT tank do you have any sort of filter on it? How long do the acros stay in the QT tank?

 

[Myka]

I will think about the Fiji trip. Always wanted to go Fiji.

With your QT tank do you have any sort of filter on it? How long do the acros stay in the QT tank?

Me too, Fiji is very high on the bucket list, plus I know several people going, and my favorite dive buddy is one of them - we always lose the group looking at some interesting critter that everyone else swam right over. We're more into the little things.

I don't have any filter on the QT - there is no food going into the tank, so there is no need. When I fill it I pull the full 5 gallons of saltwater from the display, then I drop a small handful of carbon pellets in the bottom. I just have a little powerhead, a heater, and a small frag rack. The corals are in there overnight, and in the morning I add a 2x 24w T5 fixture with 2 blue bulbs I set up over topjust laying on the top of the tank. The length of time in the QT is usually just 24-36 hours if I don't see anything suspicious during a million inspections with a magnifying glass. :lol:

These frags have a 7-day warranty, but only if I leave them on their plugs for 7 days. So these ones will be in the QT for 7 days, I'll do a 50% waterchange on day 3 or 4, then I'll clip the plugs, dip them in Bayer, put them on new plugs, add bleach to the QT while they're dipping, after 20 mins I'll scrub the QT, rinse & refill the QT, then put them back in for 24 hours (so any Bayer residue is removed), and then they can go in my tank. I'll probably do a 50% waterchange halfway to 7 days.

Normally, when I get a new shipment (with no warranty on frags lol) I clip the plugs, dip them in Bayer, put them on new plugs, stick them in the QT for 24-36 hours inspecting them a million times a day, then put them in my display. This is a lot of stress on new frags though, especially after shipping, and I lose the occasional frag in the first few days. I can usually tell which one(s) I'm probably going to lose before I even get started since the ones that are already stressed can't handle all this man-handling. I'm curious about this 7-day QT if I may not lose any. In the meantime, I have undipped frags in my possession and it's driving me nuts! :eek2: :lol: (though there are two in this batch that I think would be quite compromised if I did the usual immediate clip 'n' dip)

It seems like a lot of work, but getting a pest in the display is way, way more work, and often devastating for many pieces. I don't like that risk.

 

[sahin]

Thanks for the explanation. :thumbsup: Thats quite useful.

 

[plyle02]

A dive in Fiji would be dreamy, so would a 10ft face breaking on that beautiful reef, I will surf in Fiji before I leave this earth To be able to fish, dive, and surf...:love2: My surf buddies who have been say it is a trip of a lifetime, I must go!!! Indo and Tahiti are next

 

[Myka]

Thanks for the explanation. :thumbsup: Thats quite useful.

You're welcome. So far so good.

A dive in Fiji would be dreamy, so would a 10ft face breaking on that beautiful reef, I will surf in Fiji before I leave this earth To be able to fish, dive, and surf...:love2: My surf buddies who have been say it is a trip of a lifetime, I must go!!! Indo and Tahiti are next

I've never been surfing, but now you have me intrigued! I wonder if there will be surf areas near our dive resort? We're going to Waiyevo, Taveuni Island, Fiji. (I say "we're", but I'm not confirmed yet...!)

 

[plyle02]

You're welcome. So far so good.



I've never been surfing, but now you have me intrigued! I wonder if there will be surf areas near our dive resort? We're going to Taveuni Island, Fiji. (I say "we're", but I'm not confirmed yet...!)

They hold a pro contest in Fiji annually, actually coming up in a month or so. It is on the island Tavarua, and has a perfect wave that is a reef break. That is probably where I will want to surf and snorkel, I would say dive, but I am not certified and the reefs are shallow there anyway

 

[Myka]

They hold a pro contest in Fiji annually, actually coming up in a month or so. It is on the island Tavarua, and has a perfect wave that is a reef break. That is probably where I will want to surf and snorkel, I would say dive, but I am not certified and the reefs are shallow there anyway

I love going to local events when I'm traveling! One of the more interesting events I went to was Festival de Cedral in El Cedral, Cozumel, Mexico.

http://www.cozumelinsider.com/cal04elcedral

The webpage makes the festival sound inviting, but it was obviously a local festival, not a tourist festival, and we did not feel welcome. We only saw 3 other non-locals, and we got lots of dirty looks and the odd rude comment. We stayed anyway, put on a friendly smile, and it was definitely an experience! :beachbum:

 

[Myka]

So I'm considering swapping out my lighting, but I'm not sure exactly what to buy...

I'd like to run either a 1x 250w or preferably a 1x 400w SE Radium. I want it to be a fixture I can hang from the ceiling, not a canopy. It needs to have lots of spread though because the tank is 36" long. I'd also like (4) T5 bulbs, preferably on two switches. I was looking at the Sfiligoi DSE fixtures which would be 2x 250w which I suppose is another option, but it doesn't come in 36". A friend of mine is selling a 24" Sfiligoi 1x 400w fixture. I'm not sure if 24" would cut it though.

Thoughts?

Also, I picked up some exciting new frags in the last week from a couple sources. They're getting dipped right now, and will be in my display tonight. I tried taking pics, but my QT just has actinic over it, and it's tough to get any decent shots. :lol:

 

[reefmutt]

So I'm considering swapping out my lighting, but I'm not sure exactly what to buy...

I'd like to run either a 1x 250w or preferably a 1x 400w SE Radium. I want it to be a fixture I can hang from the ceiling, not a canopy. It needs to have lots of spread though because the tank is 36" long. I'd also like (4) T5 bulbs, preferably on two switches. I was looking at the Sfiligoi DSE fixtures which would be 2x 250w which I suppose is another option, but it doesn't come in 36". A friend of mine is selling a 24" Sfiligoi 1x 400w fixture. I'm not sure if 24" would cut it though.

Thoughts?

Also, I picked up some exciting new frags in the last week from a couple sources. They're getting dipped right now, and will be in my display tonight. I tried taking pics, but my QT just has actinic over it, and it's tough to get any decent shots. :lol:

I'm a firm believer in multiple point sources of light to reduce shadowing, I'd advise two mh over one.
My tank is 26 inches deep and I run 3x 150w. (Plus 6 t5) Granted a couple corals appear to be wanting more intensity but most are quite happy with the light. For your situation, I'd go with 2 mh bulbs instead of one and I think 400w is overkill.
I know it won't be easy to find a single fixture that will fit your tank and have 2 mh inside but there's my 2 cents.
But Mindy what don't you like about the ATI? Aside from the lack of MH shimmer..
Looking forward to the new frag pics!

 

[bitwise]

Thanks for the QT explanation. I'm tagging this.