Myka's 69 SPS Tank 2015

[reefmutt]

Looks great, Mindy!
Really nice photos.
Corals are really coming around.
Looking forward to seeing your blueberry wine.
Still love your scape.
The shot of the rbta is a really neat perspective.

 

[Myka]

My first set of photos is actually on the previous page!

Oops, too many photos... Did you guys see those ones too?

Nice job Mindy I don't recall seeing a FTS for awhile, always gives perspective on the "big picture"
Cheers,

Thanks Perry. I don't like FTS on young tanks - it's always so underwhelming! :hmm2:

Looks great, Mindy!
Really nice photos.
Corals are really coming around.
Looking forward to seeing your blueberry wine.
Still love your scape.
The shot of the rbta is a really neat perspective.

Thanks Matt. Yeah, they are coming around. :beachbum: The Blueberry Wine hasn't settled in yet. I've been documenting with photos, but I'll wait until it's looking better before I post. :lol2:

 

[BBLINKS]

Nice FTS Mindy!

 

[glaukos]

Tank looks really beautiful mindy and i love your photo skills too!
Amazing pics!
The cleaned up version fts is awesome.

Doesn't the anemone damage that sps above her?

 

[Myka]

Nice FTS Mindy!

Thanks Bblinks.

Tank looks really beautiful mindy and i love your photo skills too!
Amazing pics!
The cleaned up version fts is awesome.

Doesn't the anemone damage that sps above her?

Thanks Mike. That's one good thing about letting it turn into a disaster - the clean up is impressive! :lol2:

Yes, the anemone damages the SPS, but it is M crapitata, so it really doesn't matter. It grows fast, and can handle the damage. Interesting story about the anemone - I've had it since 2007, and it traveled with me when I moved 1200 km (750 mi). It stays pretty small for me, and splits when it gets about the size it is now, so I'm waiting for it to split because it's getting too big. I rarely feed it, and it's always bubbly. It's a great anemone.

 

[Myka]

Woah! My journal was on page 7! How embarrassing.

So today I picked up 3 deepwaters - one swims, two don't. I picked up a Bali maricultured A. tenella that I'm hoping pulls through. When I took it off the mariculture plug (mountain) I noticed that about half of it is RTN'ing. I put the good looking branches on one plug and the poor looking branches on another. It was BIG, so I have many branches. I'm hoping at least one pulls through. The other deepwater I'm not sure on ID - echinata-ish, but not quite. The supplier (Bali maricultured piece) called it "rare staghorn". The deepwater that swims is a Perchlet. Stay tuned for photos tomorrow.

I was on vacation for a week last week and I came home to a few pieces on the sand that have browned out, but all in all the tank is rumbling along just fine.

 

[biggles]

Everything is looking great Mindy, colors are much better

Your sand is staying nice and clean, looks beautiful. Are you doing the full AF Mindy or where are you at with your dosing etc if i can ask.

I need to get some cleaner shrimp now that i'm wrasseless again. I want a blood shrimp and a couple of redlines but at $200 and $150 normally priced they are going to have to wait. We pay a fortune for ornamental shrimp in Aus :hammer:

 

[Myka]

Thanks Andrew! Those pics are from a month ago. Did you see the photo dump from earlier that day on the previous page? I hate it when a photo dump gets split up between pages... :hammer:

Holy crap! That crazy expensive! But you get fresh picked Aussie Acros, so really you're still waaaaay ahead of us on so many levels.

I'm actually gearing back the AF. I feel the Components 1+2+3+ do more than each of the daily dosing bottles, so I'm scaling them back as the bottles run out. I'm curious to see how the tank responds.

Current dosing:

AF Reef Salt
Components 1+2+3+ - 40 mL per day of each

ProBioS 2 drops per night
NP Pro 2 drops per night (I really don't need it)
Coral E 2 drops per night
Coral V 2 drops on odd nights
TLF AcroPower 2.5 mL on even nights
Reef Chili 2 scoops (scoop comes with it) per night
Reef Roids 1 scoop (using above scoop) per night

Fish get a homemade mash that is VERY high in oils.



Near future dosing:

AF Reef Salt
Components 1+2+3+ - 40 mL per day of each

ProBioS 2 drops per night (unchanged)
Zeovit Sponge Power 3 drops per night
Reef Chili 2 scoops (scoop comes with it) per night
Reef Roids 1 scoop (using above scoop) per night

Fish get a homemade mash that is VERY high in oils (I think the corals benefit a lot from this).

I also have 2L Siporax in the sump in a mesh bag for several months now. 100 mL carbon changed every 4 weeks. No GFO.

 

[Myka]

Everyone, meet Pablo. Who knows which species he is without seeing his whole body?

 

[Ebn]

Beautiful and rich colors on those corals.

I'm gonna guess that's a P. pelicieri on the perchlet there?

 

[biggles]

Hey Mindy, thanks for the detailed rundown

You could always go to the component strong which i'm going to do and just use half the rec levels or whatever to make your dosing less element heavy like the 123 is. Just an idea.

Pablo is awesome, like seriously cool looking and not impressed judging by the foul sideways glance we're all getting.........

 

[Myka]

Beautiful and rich colors on those corals.

I'm gonna guess that's a P. pelicieri on the perchlet there?

Yes, you are correct. Pablo is a Pelicier's Perchlet. Wow, that's too many P's. Thanks for the comments on the corals - they are finally waking up.

Hey Mindy, thanks for the detailed rundown

You could always go to the component strong which i'm going to do and just use half the rec levels or whatever to make your dosing less element heavy like the 123 is. Just an idea.

Pablo is awesome, like seriously cool looking and not impressed judging by the foul sideways glance we're all getting.........

Hi Andrew. I will probably switch to the bulk chems and Comp Strong at some point, but for now I'm using up a crazy amount, so it's still affordable to use the 1+2+3+. Of all the AF lineup, my corals EXPLODED with color when I started the 1+2+3+. I'm not sure if there was a lack in the tank previously, or what, but the difference was day and night, so I'll stick with it awhile longer. I just don't like the daily dosing of all the little bottles - that's the part I'm trying to cut down a bit. That's the plan for now - we'll see how it changes in the coming months. :lolspin:

Pablo is absolutely seriously awesome. He just sits there looking smug, then you come up to the tank and he gets all excited about eating (he's a pig) and then it's like he gets embarrassed about being excited and goes back to smug. He's very curious though. Anything new in the tank you'll see him perched nearby checking it out. He swims the tank much less than even a Flame Hawkfish - he only swims for food. No wonder he's so fat. I imagine Pablo will probably eat Streaker (Panamic Barnacle Blenny), but I hope not.

 

[mhucasey]

Everyone, meet Pablo. Who knows which species he is without seeing his whole body?

Pablo don't take crap from no one!

 

[mhucasey]

Yes, you are correct. Pablo is a Pelicier's Perchlet. Wow, that's too many P's. Thanks for the comments on the corals - they are finally waking up.



Hi Andrew. I will probably switch to the bulk chems and Comp Strong at some point, but for now I'm using up a crazy amount, so it's still affordable to use the 1+2+3+. Of all the AF lineup, my corals EXPLODED with color when I started the 1+2+3+. I'm not sure if there was a lack in the tank previously, or what, but the difference was day and night, so I'll stick with it awhile longer. I just don't like the daily dosing of all the little bottles - that's the part I'm trying to cut down a bit. That's the plan for now - we'll see how it changes in the coming months. :lolspin:

Pablo is absolutely seriously awesome. He just sits there looking smug, then you come up to the tank and he gets all excited about eating (he's a pig) and then it's like he gets embarrassed about being excited and goes back to smug. He's very curious though. Anything new in the tank you'll see him perched nearby checking it out. He swims the tank much less than even a Flame Hawkfish - he only swims for food. No wonder he's so fat. I imagine Pablo will probably eat Streaker (Panamic Barnacle Blenny), but I hope not.

I am seeing a big correlation between success with the AF system and use of the components 1,2,3 or the DIY equivalent. Its not super surprising, AF just formulated their own version of the full Balling salts, but it looks like they tweaked the elements just a bit. That constant infusion of the correct trace elements provides the acros with the building blocks they need to protect themselves from overexposure to light by making pigments while they grow.

If I was using 1,2,3 I wouldn't dose any other trace elements, at least to start. In my experience, the Coral A and Coral V(Vitality) are essential, and I have gone to daily doing of those rather than every other day. I'm not as sold on Coral E(as Perry) - I ran out and haven't dosed any for at least a month and I didn't see any negative effect.

 

[Myka]

Pablo don't take crap from no one!

The Tomini Tang and Yellow Coris have been harassing him a bit, but he holds his own. He doesn't fight back, but he's not a slouch either. We started off calling him Al for Al Pacino since Pacino is pretty smug, but hubby and I didn't care so much for the name "Al", so we decided on Pablo Escobar instead because he looks like the epitome of "gangster", and we all know Pablo Escobar is the gangster of all gangsters. :smokin:

I am seeing a big correlation between success with the AF system and use of the components 1,2,3 or the DIY equivalent. Its not super surprising, AF just formulated their own version of the full Balling salts, but it looks like they tweaked the elements just a bit. That constant infusion of the correct trace elements provides the acros with the building blocks they need to protect themselves from overexposure to light by making pigments while they grow.

If I was using 1,2,3 I wouldn't dose any other trace elements, at least to start. In my experience, the Coral A and Coral V(Vitality) are essential, and I have gone to daily doing of those rather than every other day. I'm not as sold on Coral E(as Perry) - I ran out and haven't dosed any for at least a month and I didn't see any negative effect.

Yes, absolutely! The AF balling is tweaked better imo than competing products. I used Fauna Marin Balling Lite on my old SPS tank, and noticed big improvements when I first started, but nothing like the commencement of AF Balling. I haven't used the Coral A yet as I've always subbed the TLF AcroPower since I had a full bottle. I never noticed any difference with the AP on starting or stopping, but I am currently using it. I might stick on with the Coral V, but for now I want to totally move away from the four "AF Coral" additives and see what happens.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

What a beautiful anemone. This is the best I have seen. I hope it will stay where it is.

 

[tmc1313]

The cleaned up FTS looks great! That BTA is incredible. I've always wanted to add one, but never have, for fear it will wander and leave a path of destruction along the way.

 

[Myka]

What a beautiful anemone. This is the best I have seen. I hope it will stay where it is.

The cleaned up FTS looks great! That BTA is incredible. I've always wanted to add one, but never have, for fear it will wander and leave a path of destruction along the way.

Thanks Bulent and Todd! I've had the anemone since 2007, and it is not a mover. It has been on this rock since I set up the tank. I wanted it on this rock, so I peeled it off the other, and put it on this one, and there it has sat. The only time it gives me grief is when it splits and the the little split will move around a bit. It's due for a split - this is the biggest it has ever gotten. It's about 8-9" around right now fully expanded which is pretty big in a tank this size! It has played host to several different pairs of Clowns - even a small herd of juveniles.

2009 with a Percula:

2010 with a Picasso Percula:

2013 with a couple Galaxy Clarkii:

2013 with a pair of Tomatoes:

 

[Myka]

I did the usual monthly smattering of tests...

SG 35 ppt (freshly calibrated w/ solution)
Ca 420 ppm (Salifert)
Alk 6.7 dKH (Salifert)
Alk 122 ppm, 6.8 dKH (Hanna)
Mg 1350 ppm (Salifert)
K 420 ppm (Salifert)
PO4 5 ppb, 0.015 ppm
NO3 2.5 ppm (Salifert) I may or may not have one of the bad test charts...not sure
NO3 0.75 ppm (Red Sea Pro)

So alkalinity has dipped since July 14th was 131 ppm, 7.3 dKH. I see that Ca, K, and Mg are all on the high side. So I'm thinking I need to cease Component 1+2+3+ dosing and allow those to fall. In the meantime I'll bump Alk up with some Sodium bicarb and monitor it daily. That's the right move with the Components right? If that's the case I may need to start dosing some extra sodium bicarb on a 4th doser.

 

[MichaelW]

Yes that's what I would do. Let them fall a bit but just use bicarb to keep alk where it is.. Or bump a bit if you like.
I mix my own components +. But underdose the components strong addition slightly to just ensure I won't be getting any of my traces above acceptable range. I do however need to find the salifert potassium test kit to actually see where I am.