Show me your mature icefire echinata
- Thread starter reefmutt
- Start date
Logzor
New member
Parameters are nothing exceptional...nowadays ~77F, Ca 415-430ppm, 7-9dKH, Mg 1280, monthly ~15% water changes. Geo 624 Ca Rx w/ Tropic Eden media and NeoMag, AquaC EV-180 on about 300g total system. Don't test for phosphates, nitrates, etc. No pellets, resins, carbons, or additives. DIY Cree LEDs over everything that have been running for 4-6 years depending on the fixture. NLS pellets and formula 2 flake in auto feeders, plus daily feedings with DIY blender food.
Honestly that coral survived a major system issue for close to a year that killed off 80% of my other Acropora. It quit growing and had a little base recession, but was otherwise unaffected. First and foremost was a bad expired Ca test kit that was reading 360-380ppm, when it was actually over 550ppm. As a result I was constantly fiddling with my Ca Rx, dosing Ca and Alk and finally said screw it and nearly tore down the system. I suspect I had other issues from well water and a move, plus neglect due to more complicating factors life threw at me at the time.
I do not slight purplereef at all for the size of the frag...at the time it was a VERY hard to come by coral and for the price it was generously sized for a frag with lineage
This was also before the Aussie imports were common and a true echinata was a very scarce coral.
Logzor...I am really surprised at the growth form of yours. Everyone I have known with the original Aquascene Icefire gets tight bushy growth, I have only gotten mine to branch out a bit with very low non-turbulent flow. I have another smaller colony with less flow that is stretching a little more. Are you sure of the lineage on yours, and if so, what kind of flow does yours receive? Mine came from a T5 tank that also had bushy growth.
Here's another view from the same date:
Honestly that coral survived a major system issue for close to a year that killed off 80% of my other Acropora. It quit growing and had a little base recession, but was otherwise unaffected. First and foremost was a bad expired Ca test kit that was reading 360-380ppm, when it was actually over 550ppm. As a result I was constantly fiddling with my Ca Rx, dosing Ca and Alk and finally said screw it and nearly tore down the system. I suspect I had other issues from well water and a move, plus neglect due to more complicating factors life threw at me at the time.
I do not slight purplereef at all for the size of the frag...at the time it was a VERY hard to come by coral and for the price it was generously sized for a frag with lineage
This was also before the Aussie imports were common and a true echinata was a very scarce coral.Logzor...I am really surprised at the growth form of yours. Everyone I have known with the original Aquascene Icefire gets tight bushy growth, I have only gotten mine to branch out a bit with very low non-turbulent flow. I have another smaller colony with less flow that is stretching a little more. Are you sure of the lineage on yours, and if so, what kind of flow does yours receive? Mine came from a T5 tank that also had bushy growth.
Here's another view from the same date:
No secrets, just system instability ;P
Kidding aside, it has taken off in the past year since I stabilized parameters. Low flow, high light.
Logzor...gorgeous tank BTW! I thought you tore down though? Didn't you sell off a bunch of high end stuff a while back?
markalot
...
Thanks. The only surprise for me is the calcium reactor, since I've heard so many nightmare stories about them. Any reason to prefer that over two part? It's unclear to me which is riskier; a calcium reactor with a co2 issue or something going wrong with a doser.
Beautiful piece!
Logzor
New member
Parameters are nothing exceptional...nowadays ~77F, Ca 415-430ppm, 7-9dKH, Mg 1280, monthly ~15% water changes. Geo 624 Ca Rx w/ Tropic Eden media and NeoMag, AquaC EV-180 on about 300g total system. Don't test for phosphates, nitrates, etc. No pellets, resins, carbons, or additives. DIY Cree LEDs over everything that have been running for 4-6 years depending on the fixture. NLS pellets and formula 2 flake in auto feeders, plus daily feedings with DIY blender food.
Honestly that coral survived a major system issue for close to a year that killed off 80% of my other Acropora. It quit growing and had a little base recession, but was otherwise unaffected. First and foremost was a bad expired Ca test kit that was reading 360-380ppm, when it was actually over 550ppm. As a result I was constantly fiddling with my Ca Rx, dosing Ca and Alk and finally said screw it and nearly tore down the system. I suspect I had other issues from well water and a move, plus neglect due to more complicating factors life threw at me at the time.
I do not slight purplereef at all for the size of the frag...at the time it was a VERY hard to come by coral and for the price it was generously sized for a frag with lineage
Logzor...I am really surprised at the growth form of yours. Everyone I have known with the original Aquascene Icefire gets tight bushy growth, I have only gotten mine to branch out a bit with very low non-turbulent flow. I have another smaller colony with less flow that is stretching a little more. Are you sure of the lineage on yours, and if so, what kind of flow does yours receive? Mine came from a T5 tank that also had bushy growth.
Here's another view from the same date:
It surprised me too, getting such long branches rather than becoming a dense colony. This might be due in part to the flow in the tank, which is strong current directly above the colony. So over the past 4 years it's had almost no direct flow. This has recently changed since adding the Maxspect Riptide, the colony is now getting more bushy in some areas. I'll follow up in a few months, quite frankly, the colony doesn't have much choice but to grow more dense. It's surrounded on all sides
The colony is getting relatively low light since it's at the bottom of the tank, perhaps the branches are growing up and out to find better PAR. From what I've seen, in MH and LED tanks SPS seem to grow more dense, since the light tends to be more focused. I think the even spread of T5's results in slightly different growth patterns.
Regarding linage, you never know, I acquired mine from Kurt locally but I'll ask him where he originally got it.
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Logzor
New member
Thank you! That may have been Aquavista who did a big system breakdown before moving to a new home. Mine has been steadily growing with minimal fragmentation
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Kaman8
New member
Thanks , hope it will start to grow soon.
strike2867
Member
Here is my FTS, the Icefire is left of center:
Bringing this thread back from the dead. How is this tank not TOTM every month?
I need to find out more about this tank. 
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