Pictures of SPS over 7 years old please

[p stegmaier]

I am currently starting to rebuild are system after a two year tear down due to pilot error, AEFW and all the other reef invaders. We permanently build this system in our home, hoping to grow a long lived captive reef. I am starting to have my doubts about longevity in SPS. Please help with new inpirational pictures and advice.

pre death

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

you gotta have a good regimen for new corals. I play fast and lose, but I dip EVERYTHING that goes into my tank, then I visually inspect every frag, sometimes with a magnifying glass (my 20/10 vision usually is fine) Then I take some toenail clippers and cut at anything weird on the plug. I also only get frags from vendors I trust and can see lots and lots of feedback from as well as pictures of their facility. I talk to them too.

If i was pro, I would remount EVERY coral I get and house it in a QT tank prior to introducing it into my systems. I have picked up 100 frags maybe over the past 3-4 months and have received no hitchhikers except one micro brittle i saved from the dip. I've killed hundreds of pods, astrinia stars, stomella and vermetid snails. You just have to be up on what you get. I also get small SPS frags vs colonies as they are a lot easier to inspect and I'm a terrible reefer that doesn't keep my parameters perfect all the time (colonies RTN a lot more often when introduced than frags)

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

PS, he only coral have lost so far is a purple haze encrusting monti that I bleached, but it might come back. Plus my blue voodoo got comped by a blenny for a month until the blenny starved, I think it will be all the way dead in a few weeks. Just go slow and have alot of safegaurds against critters! Beautiful tank btw!

 

[Amphiprion]

It wasn't 100% "sps," but my old reef housed such corals for well over 7 years (even at the date of this pic):

 

[p stegmaier]

I think my biggest problem was wild colonies, I dipped and inspected all but obviously didn't get an egg tucked in a tight spot. Thank you for sharing I hope others will follow.

 

[wickedfish]

What is that stuff?

 

[fishdoc11]

I still have corals I aquired ~ 9 years ago. Most SPS I have I have had for at least 5 or 6 years. They have been restarted from frags a couple of times during moves and one AEFW episode when I lost all of my SPS but they are still with me

 

[rigleautomotive]

I have many over 10 years but here is a few I can find pics of easily

This validia is over 10 years old

Sarementosa table in back is over 10 also

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I am currently starting to rebuild are system after a two year tear down due to pilot error, AEFW and all the other reef invaders. We permanently build this system in our home, hoping to grow a long lived captive reef. I am starting to have my doubts about longevity in SPS. Please help with new inpirational pictures and advice.

pre death

beautiful aquarium!
(My wife agrees)

Never give up.
We've all had many and various setbacks at one time or another. Scleractinian ("stony" corals) are some of the most amazing and beautiful animals on the planet IMO. Their fragility is worth the risk of growing them in an aquarium and (furthermore) makes them that much more desirable to pursue IMO.

fwiw the "oldest" corals in my system include a 14 year or so old Acropora. Scleractinian corals can and do outlive many (most?) other reef animals if you can keep environmental conditions optimal.... something you obviously already know.

 

[p stegmaier]

What is that stuff?

ACRO EATING FLAT WORM EGGS

My favorite attribute of the AEFW is it's ability to absorb or eat (not sure which) the coral's zooxanthea alive (if I understand this correctly) and mask itself making it nearly impossible to spot. At that point they already have offspring that are ultra microscopic and also able to reproduce even then.

I derived at this after removing and quarantining 20 small colonies for a year. I researched all the way back to TRACY GRAY'S tank to find some resources to fight the micro reef terrorist.

I basted the corals daily and preformed weekly dips, a variety of TM PRO Coral Cure, ReVive, Coral RX, and even the debated fluke tabs.

About 7 of the sps pieces found new homes so I could take a several year mental and financial break.

 

[p stegmaier]

beautiful aquarium!
(My wife agrees)

Never give up.
We've all had many and various setbacks at one time or another. Scleractinian ("stony" corals) are some of the most amazing and beautiful animals on the planet IMO. Their fragility is worth the risk of growing them in an aquarium and (furthermore) makes them that much more desirable to pursue IMO.

fwiw the "oldest" corals in my system include a 14 year or so old Acropora. Scleractinian corals can and do outlive many (most?) other reef animals if you can keep environmental conditions optimal.... something you obviously already know.

Thank you for the encouraging words .
Gary your tank is one of my favorites on Reef Central!

 

[p stegmaier]

The correct use of the English language

The correct use of the English language

I started a thread without checking for typing errors (our not are), this has always bothered me, anyway LOL:rollface: Thank you for the solid examples it won't offend me if others are willing to share.:thumbsup:

 

[TheDean]

Thank you for the encouraging words .
Gary your tank is one of my favorites on Reef Central!

It's nice to see people in it for the longhaul. Beautiful tank, I'm sure the next system, even with the very same equipment, will be even better. Keep faith.

 

[p stegmaier]

I have many over 10 years but here is a few I can find pics of easily

This validia is over 10 years old

Sarementosa table in back is over 10 also

Amazing growth, coloration. I would be happy to have corals that looked half as nice as yours. Thank you for sharing!

 

[phenom5]

Wow. That is a stunning tank. Good luck with the rebuild, you should definitely start up a thread about it (if you haven't already).

As far as the longevity goes, I think SPS can and are being kept long term. There are so many things that can cause a disaster, but the reward is worth it.

 

[p stegmaier]

Wow. That is a stunning tank. Good luck with the rebuild, you should definitely start up a thread about it (if you haven't already).

As far as the longevity goes, I think SPS can and are being kept long term. There are so many things that can cause a disaster, but the reward is worth it.

Thanks for the words of encouragement.
I'm shooting for christmas with a cycled tank. I will be starting a rebuild thread in the LTF around the same time. I want to be able display pictures of all the modifications to the original system and why I did it.
This will include lots of pictures to give the advice givers a better understanding of what they are actually giving advice on. Besides I start to go cross eyed after several hours of strictly reading RC page content with no pics!

 

[p stegmaier]

ACRO EATING FLAT WORM EGGS

My favorite attribute of the AEFW is it's ability to absorb or eat (not sure which) the coral's zooxanthea alive (if I understand this correctly) and mask itself making it nearly impossible to spot. At that point they already have offspring that are ultra microscopic and also able to reproduce even then.

I derived at this after removing and quarantining 20 small colonies for a year. I researched all the way back to TRACY GRAY'S tank to find some resources to fight the micro reef terrorist.

I basted the corals daily and preformed weekly dips, a variety of TM PRO Coral Cure, ReVive, Coral RX, and even the debated fluke tabs.

About 7 of the sps pieces found new homes so I could take a several year mental and financial break.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

nice system!

You can't possibly tell me that you'd convert to softies! :lolspin:

 

[p stegmaier]

Gary I am avoiding it at all costs.

Here is one more picture while the system was still running. The room has being added onto and I have reconfigured some equipment.
It is a very slow rebuild process on a 33 year old construction workers budget, not to mention trying to contain our 2.5 year old boy, and convincing my wife that I won't repeat the same mistakes!

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

holy smokes, man.... !