Through the Looking Glass

[reefmutt]

Mark, if I'm not mistaken the Hanna checkers have a margin of error of +/- .04 ppm.. your not that far off from Triton, I think.
I used to own 3 ulr Hanna checkers. When I used them, one always gave me a reading around .1 another always said 0 and the third said something in between but closer to the higher level.
I gave up using them for this reason.
I guess between the three, I was probably getting an accurate reading by taking an average but it was a tiresome process.

 

[watchguy123]

Mark, if I'm not mistaken the Hanna checkers have a margin of error of +/- .04 ppm.. your not that far off from Triton, I think.
I used to own 3 ulr Hanna checkers. When I used them, one always gave me a reading around .1 another always said 0 and the third said something in between but closer to the higher level.
I gave up using them for this reason.
I guess between the three, I was probably getting an accurate reading by taking an average but it was a tiresome process.

So what are you using for your phosphate test?

 

[Dapg8gt]

Great pics as usual =)..

(edit :

Fwiw I use Hanna ulr and the Elos professional kit to verify and they are remarkably close on the end result.. Maybe something to look into if you want a double verify situation.. Elos is pretty easy also..

 

[reefmutt]

So what are you using for your phosphate test?

I have been using the Elos high resolution kit for years. Unfortunately, it is no longer available in my area.. I am going to try the Nyos kit which is very similar.

 

[Pife]

Where are you acquiring these beautiful corals that are z's?

 

[watchguy123]

Where are you acquiring these beautiful corals that are z's?

There really is no secret. They all start out as frags. I don't buy colonies, too much potential for pests and more importantly it's not as much fun for me to start with a colony. I started out in the hobby caring only about color and not about names. I did finally get caught up with names for a while. Primarily because I wanted a frag that would grow into exactly like the colony I saw a picture of and although I don't want to admit to it probably some snobbery as well. I've learned a lot over the years about tank to tank differences, morphing corals, corals that grow so slow that I'll never be around to see them into colonies and pretty frags that grow into ugly colonies.

Anyway, if I locate something with potential or atleast I believe or someone suggests it has all kinds of potential and six patient months to a year later, I may end up with a couple of pretty mini colonies and the rest are simply expensive junk that I ultimately cut off of my rock scape. Southern California has so many hobbyists, retailers, wholesalers that it proves pretty fertile ground. But I have had the joy of visiting Florida and Toronto also where there are incredible beauties. I don't have any special connections except for a handful of serious reefer buddies and after buying so many frags over the years, I have made friends with some LFS owners, vendors and even a couple wholesalers. I am crazy about acros. So finally after all these years of being in the hobby, if I find something unusual, and it thrives in my tank, I now may give it a name. Names get maligned and abused by everyone it seems. There are lots of vendors that copy the "name" of a coral from another vendor for a different coral altogether. I originally was going to use numbers instead of names. The naming started as a tongue in cheek sort of thing. What I have learned is sometimes names stick even when you start out calling it Z something.

I find this an extraordinary hobby. We all spend a lot of time with our tank minus our spouses or friends because to them it's often just a fish tank. My wife is extremely supportive but it is not her interest. I think it is pretty cool that through this forum we get a window into so many reefers homes and tanks and make a friend or two along the way.

 

[watchguy123]

One very happy coral, metal halide only lighting for the picture;

Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd



Got this from a my reefer buddy, and I have had it for a while. The base always grows out with that whitish blue color and even the new branching tips but the rest of the coral is not too exciting. I am told to be patient and it will eventually turn a very cool red. Hmmm.., another wait and see coral frag.

 

[biggles]

Wow ! :love2:

I can see the red on the right side of that turd on baby blue thing - keep it away from my Z's Yellow Eyed Jawdropper though - in case it's infectious

 

[reefmutt]

How have you gotten corals from Toronto back home?

 

[slobound]

Great photos, Mark! Love seeing pics of your acros.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[watchguy123]

Has some potential perhaps

 

[reefmutt]

Looks like a red dragon with yellow polyps.
In a month it'll be twice the size.
Please post a growth shot.
I don't think it'll turn into a stunner (compared to many or your corals) but it'll be a beautiful colony.

 

[watchguy123]

How have you gotten corals from Toronto back home?

Getting corals from Toronto requires CITIES permit, that is an incredible hurdle

Great photos, Mark! Love seeing pics of your acros.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you

Looks like a red dragon with yellow polyps.
In a month it'll be twice the size.
Please post a growth shot.
I don't think it'll turn into a stunner (compared to many or your corals) but it'll be a beautiful colony.

It does look like it will grow into exactly what you describe, a red dragon with yellow polyps and yellow tips


Another metal halide picture

Blueberry Wine

 

[Rakie]

Looks like a red dragon with yellow polyps.
In a month it'll be twice the size.
Please post a growth shot.
I don't think it'll turn into a stunner (compared to many or your corals) but it'll be a beautiful colony.

That sounds like an awesome color combo to me ! I'd love to have a snippet of that someday.

 

[reefmutt]

I can't believe how fast your corals are growing!
That blueberry wine is looking fantastic.

 

[watchguy123]

That sounds like an awesome color combo to me ! I'd love to have a snippet of that someday.

When its bigger, I will get you a frag

I can't believe how fast your corals are growing!
That blueberry wine is looking fantastic.

Thank you. The Blueberry wine is one of those frags you have to see in person because the color is so unusual and crazy. It looks like metallic flake to me and the pictures don't seem to show off how pretty it really is.

I almost never take through the front glass photos because my tank is a bow front and most shots won't come out focused very well. Well I guess, the TGC Inferno is situated just right so I got a decent focus on it. I am so unused to this angle and the effect on lighting. In Lightroom, I reduced the exposure quite a bit, even reduced the highlights and reduced blacks. I always temperature adjust to 20,000 Kelvin with metal halides. And this photo was with 20k metal halides only. The yellow tips highlights in the center of the colony didn't come out very well though. Probably because of the flat angle.

I have never seen an acro with this long of white growth tips. The growth tips almost an inch long or so are actually an ice blue color with a hint of purple/mauve in them. Pretty crazy

TGC (ReefRaft Asia) Inferno

 

[reefmutt]

Just more proof that this tank needs to be seen in person!

 

[codydemmel4]

That is some insane growth and colors.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kevlow]

The BlueBerry Wine is incredible. High light of Low?? The picture looks that it might be in a little less light, maybe.

 

[markalot]

Great new pics. I have a completely peach version of a dragon, with white polyps, but it grows fast and does look nice. Mine glows orange under blue LED which adds to the understated beauty of it.

Still, I wanted a red one.