Myka's 69 SPS Tank 2015

[sahin]

Corals are looking better for sure! Keep up the nice work. You've picked up some baddass pieces :beer:

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Mindy, I am very much looking forward to seeing that OP, fantastic and blueberry wine growing in an aquaforest tank. I have all three from March, as well.. My OP never really kept the orange polyps and mr. Fantastic is only a couple weeks old... Waiting on that piece. My blueberry wine is doing well, it really reminds me of a tri colour only with another shade of blue/purple instead of green. Seems like a fast grower once established.
Looking really good so far.

 

[Myka]

Thanks Matt! The OP and the Blueberry Wine are actually from March's supplier - we did a frag swap. The Fantastic I did buy from March along with that sweet Aussie Echinata and a few others. The OP is so fuzzy you can hardly see the coral under the polyps, bt the polyps seem to be greening. I'm going to move it soon into a higher light area.

 

[biggles]

Hot damn i would love to get my hands on some of your yummy frag collection Mindy....... the Blueberry Wine is ridiculously saturated with awesome pigment

I normally hate green acros but this one is bloody nice :twitch:

I have a very similar bright pastel blue colony, awesome acro to add a real eye catching bright pop to an area in the scape. Yours looks beautiful

 

[gtareef]

Nice stuff Mindy! LOL

 

[Myka]

So on Wednesday I did a 15-gallon waterchange with 1/2 AF reef salt and 1/2 AF probiotic reef salt. I also started NP Pro 1 drop per night. 24 hours later 2 pieces RTN - a mini colony and a frag of the same mini colony. WTH??? Anyone think there is a correlation? That's the only change in the tank. The mini colony did get dropped on its head for a few hours (stupid urchin), but I don't think that's enough to RTN. :sad2:

Otherwise, the tank continues to improve week by week. I'm getting a lot more color in the corals, and seeing noticeable growth now. The patch of hair algae has been turning white and dying off slowly.

There was a big color spike in the corals when I switched out one of the Blue+ bulbs for an Actinic (dusk/dawn position). I actually think this improved coral color more than the switch to AF did. :lol: I don't just mean aesthetically either, the corals are more colorful with the white lights on.

Hot damn i would love to get my hands on some of your yummy frag collection Mindy....... the Blueberry Wine is ridiculously saturated with awesome pigment

I normally hate green acros but this one is bloody nice :twitch:

I have a very similar bright pastel blue colony, awesome acro to add a real eye catching bright pop to an area in the scape. Yours looks beautiful

Thanks Biggles! There are a few nice pieces in the tank now. That poor pastel blue colony faded away to dead. There are just a couple surviving nubs that look better, then bleach, then look better, then bleach.

Nice stuff Mindy! LOL

 

[Reefvet]

So on Wednesday I did a 15-gallon waterchange with 1/2 AF reef salt and 1/2 AF probiotic reef salt. I also started NP Pro 1 drop per night. 24 hours later 2 pieces RTN - a mini colony and a frag of the same mini colony. WTH??? Anyone think there is a correlation?

Unless the salt combo mixed to an alk shift that was extreme that shouldn't matter. -NP Pro is just a large molecule carbon, so it takes longer to break down than vinegar or vodka, but you didn't add enough to do much of anything.

So if the colony and frag both RTN'd that indicates a stress from something that happened days/weeks earlier or a deficiency in light/nutrients.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

K 460+ ppm ?? (S)

The potassium I'm not sure if it's accurate. I'm not specifically adding any potassium other than whatever may be in Component 1+2+3+. I've only used the test kit a few times, and found it very easy to use - got the same answer 3 times. That was 420 ppm on Apr 14th (I was using AF salt at this point, but this was before I started the full AF program). I tested K twice today. The first time I screwed up and added 1 mL reagent 2 instead of 0.5 mL. So I got to 35 drops and I was like...uh??? So I retested, noticed my error, and the second time I got the color change possibly as early as the 3rd drop (470 ppm), but definitely by the 4th drop (460 ppm). I found the color change hard to see because I wasn't expecting it so quick. I'll retest sometime this weekend when the vials are all cleaned up.

Salifert potassium test kit measures potassium 20 ppm too high when I test my FM multi-reference solution. My previous test kit was the same.

The other thing that may interfere test results is the nozzle of the K-3 dropper bottle. Do you clean it with a clean tissue paper before each test (as per the instructions)? Instructions also state that "Do not put the cap back on the K-3 bottle until the test has been fully performed".

I hope this helps.

 

[Myka]

Unless the salt combo mixed to an alk shift that was extreme that shouldn't matter. -NP Pro is just a large molecule carbon, so it takes longer to break down than vinegar or vodka, but you didn't add enough to do much of anything.

So if the colony and frag both RTN'd that indicates a stress from something that happened days/weeks earlier or a deficiency in light/nutrients.

Thanks ReefVet, that's pretty much what I was thinking too. The colony (and resultant frag) were new in the system - added April 30th and showed up in rough condition. Both has improved significantly since being added so I thought they were in the clear. Maybe not. I'm hoping a tip or two might survive - it's not done RTN'ing yet.

Salifert potassium test kit measures potassium 20 ppm too high when I test my FM multi-reference solution. My previous test kit was the same.

The other thing that may interfere test results is the nozzle of the K-3 dropper bottle. Do you clean it with a clean tissue paper before each test (as per the instructions)? Instructions also state that "Do not put the cap back on the K-3 bottle until the test has been fully performed".

I hope this helps.

Thanks Bulent, that's good to know. I'm going to send in a Triton test one of these days, and I'll make sure Potassium is one of the tests I do with the same sample. I do clean the K3 bottle and leave the cap off.

Thank you. Yes, it is. Majority of my corals except a few are from wild-collected colonies.

I have never seen a Microclados with blue tips before. It must look really nice. I will search your tank thread to find its picture.

Bulent, here's a pic of mine. It's just the new growth tips that have blue tips (on the right side and the bottom left). I should take a new picture - there are lots of new growth tips these days.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Bulent, here's a pic of mine. It's just the new growth tips that have blue tips (on the right side and the bottom left). I should take a new picture - there are lots of new growth tips these days.

This is a really special coral, which I have never seen in the flesh before. I had already looked at your thread, but can't quite remember seeing it. Thank you for pointing out.

 

[Myka]

This is a really special coral, which I have never seen in the flesh before. I had already looked at your thread, but can't quite remember seeing it. Thank you for pointing out.

Thank you Bülent. I will take a new pic just for you. It's starting to really take off in the last couple weeks. New growth tips everywhere.

 

[fishcatdog66]

That Microclados is stunning.

 

[mhucasey]

Wow, that's a beauty!!!:inlove:

 

[Myka]

Pictures from today!

Here's a close up of some growth tips on the Microclados:

Here is Thing One, she's fat and ready to spawn tomorrow with her partner Thing Two. Don't tell her I called her fat. The RBTA is much pinker than the photo shows. I seem to never be able to get it right.

Some flubber...


Rainbow Trachy. Even though it's not the most flattering photo since it's not very puffy, but the color is really accurate, and I can't usually get it right, so I WIN!

 

[Myka]

Here are some comparative photos from May 13th and today May 28th.

Sorry, the white balance isn't quite the same in each set of photos, you'll have to use your imagination a bit.

Strawberry Shortcake
May 13

May 28 (some nice white growth tips top left and bottom left)

Garf Bonsai
May 13

May 28

Hawkin's Echinata
May 13

May 28

No name Tort
May 13

May 28

Caroliniana
May 13

May 28

 

[JohnnyHildo]

they look awesome!
color sure has improved, especially on that hawkin's.

 

[mhucasey]

Here are some comparative photos from May 13th and today May 28th.

Sorry, the white balance isn't quite the same in each set of photos, you'll have to use your imagination a bit.

Strawberry Shortcake
May 13

May 28 (some nice white growth tips top left and bottom left)

Garf Bonsai
May 13

May 28

Hawkin's Echinata
May 13

May 28

No name Tort
May 13

May 28

Caroliniana
May 13

May 28

Those are some serious color improvements! Well done and congrats!

 

[plyle02]

WOW! You have nutrients in the water now don't you, lol.. The colors have improved significantly and show beautiful saturation. Great job Mindy! When you break out the camera next time, would you get us a FTS? Cheers

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Pictures from today!

Here's a close up of some growth tips on the Microclados:

I wish I had this coral in my tank. Thanks for sharing.

Regarding the recent latest photos, I agree that colour improvement is very significant. Congratulations. What did you change between 13th May and 28th May?

Cheers

 

[chercm]

Is acropower better ???


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