Through the Looking Glass
- Thread starter watchguy123
- Start date
gdemos
New member
Beautiful corals. Thanks for the glimpse into your tank!! What a striking difference in the photos in varying lights. I wish someone like yourself could teach me how to use a camera! Blue lights get a bad wrap for being, well, gimmicky, but I think even the most stodgy of old schooler should have some kind of blue led at dawn/dusk at the least, it is a treat for the eyes. Thanks again!
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mannyhernz
Member
Great pictures been following for a while now. Was wondering...how do you attach your frags to your scape? When i look at your pictures i see no trace of any type of glue...keep posting pics!
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watchguy123
New member
Thank you
It is getting better and better
I forgot until you said it, thank you it is a litho
I have been on a lot of trips this year, something always takes a hit but most things fortunately have kept on ticking
The difference in how photographs turn out based on lighting is mind boggling. I try to color correct the photos to look like they really do under whatever lighting was used either mh, t5's or reefbrites. But the reefbrites show much more color than seen under mh or t5's
The jaw dropper is crazy.
I use BSI glue. I glue the frags to the rock work directly. My technique if you call it that is: I take a dead frag, put some glue on the base of it, rub that onto the rock work where the new frag is going to transfer the glue onto the rock work and rub it in with the dead frag, then place glue on the bottom of the new frag and attach to the glued spot on the rock work. I find that rubbing glue onto the rockwork with an old frag makes the new frag stick more consistently. With a little time and patience, the new frag should encrust onto the rock. Sometimes the frag will still fall off but rarely so. The problem with my technique is that the frag will become part of the rock work and cutting new frags can sometimes be challenging.
I took some more pictures
Reef Raft Canada Wolverine
JF Flame The lighting is reefbrites. This looks more subdued under mh and t5's.
watchguy123
New member
Some more pictures from yesterday, more reefbrite lighting
Z's Pink Cotton Candy
Z's Blue Floyd
Z's Pink Cotton Candy
Z's Blue Floyd
watchguy123
New member
Most of the growth is pretty nice right now. A lot of the mini-colonies have hit that critical growth size where it seems they really do take off.
Even among all the success, there is still that one frag here or there that just won't grow or thrive. I seem to have the tank's parameters stable, I test like a a crazy man at least alk and nitrates. Vigilance seems to be a necessary requirement for reefing. I am impressed with those that are comfortable with eyeballing health but i stopped doing that after my crash some years ago. I prefer to eyeball and test, but lots of ways to reef and everyone has their own style.
Now that I have started photographing with blue leds, I can't stop. I utilize all three lights in my tank, mh, t5's and leds. But led pictures are crazy. I wish I had added them years earlier for dawn dusk. Just love the pop that they create.
Z's yellow eyed jawdropper (branch tip)
Z's yellow eyed jawdropper (top down)
Z's yellow eyed jawdropper (through the glass--one of the few colonies in my bow front that I can actually photograph and get a decent picture)
I promise to get out a metal halide picture of this colony. Although the glow and intensity may not be there, it is incredible regardless of lighting used.
codydemmel4
Active member
as always, very nice tank.
What are you aiming to keep your alk, nitrate and phosphates at? Also are you dosing any amino acids or any other supplements? I just tried to skim through the thread but couldnt find much on this besides alk around 7.8 so just wanted to confirm what you aim for.
What are you aiming to keep your alk, nitrate and phosphates at? Also are you dosing any amino acids or any other supplements? I just tried to skim through the thread but couldnt find much on this besides alk around 7.8 so just wanted to confirm what you aim for.
watchguy123
New member
Thank you.
I keep my alk pretty close to 7.5 dKh through my calcium reactor. I aim for nitrates between 2-5 ppm. I added siporax many, many months ago and it kicked in after about 3 months. I also have a protein skimmer and a refugium with chaeto. Because of the siporax ( I believe), I now have to supplement nitrate with Potassium Nitrate. If I am not consistent, my nitrates drop to zero quickly. It seems to be most noticeable with LPS because their starvation is pretty visible, dramatic and sad. I have been traveling a lot so my nitrates have infrequently risen but more frequently fallen. I am trying to zero in a bit better. My phosphates run 0.3 to .1 ppm, they range a lot. I run GFO most of the time but not always. I am not favorably inclined to supplements or amino acids. I want them to work but am skeptical. And of course I have been tempted and coerced by my want of color. I tried both at different times but just could not tell any improvement. Perhaps that was the length of time I supplemented or perhaps the choice of supplements. Basically, I change 10% water weekly, protein skim, calcium react, nitrate dose via Postassium Nitrate Powder, harvest chaeto and occasionally sacrifice to the reefing gods.
Yes my LED pictures are under my reefbrites only. I have a 180 gallon bow front which is about 6 feet long. I purchased the bow front when I knew less about reefing and nothing about photography. It was a bad choice, unwittingly made. So with the curved front glass, I have three Reefbrite 24 inch XHO to maneuver around the bow and I have a 24 inch reefbrite XHO centered in the back between my two overflow boxes that are located near the sides of the tank. I would have place more on the back but then I would only be lighting up the overflows for no good benefit. My main lighting is via an older Geissman fixture, 3 x 250 watt radiums 20 k metal halides and 4 ATI 80 watt t5 Blue plus bulbs. I did buy a Radion Gen 4 Pro for my frag tank (about 10 gallons of water in a 20 gallon tank)) to possibly replace my 24 inch ATI 8 bulb T5 fixture. Now that I bought this very expensive fixture, I have to make an overly delayed decision if that is what I really want to do.
I guess it is about time I share some metal halide pictures (from this afternoon, and no LEDS at all).
Vivid's Rainbow Delight I fragged a piece for a buddy a while back and it punished me with some loss of color. That is pretty routine for this coral, browning out both frags and mom on cutting. Anyway, it is starting to turn a corner and a hint of what awaits is there, I think.
Z's Blue Floyd Yup, it is still gorgeous under metal halides but you can't see the glowing blue tips without those lovely leds. In my mind's eye, the polyps are redder than in this picture, but if I tweaked the picture, it just started looking funky. So this is the best I could do (but it is not bad)
Purple Monster If you don't have it, you should. It is a classic for so many, many reasons. I had a big colony years ago, cut some frags for fellow reefers, lost it in a crash, but got a frag back of it. I guess this would make this piece the granddaughter of my original mother colony. Although this picture looks oversaturated (promise I never ever adjust saturation), check out the coralline algae, the purple on the algae is pretty spot on and so is this monster.
reefmutt
Active member
Thanks for the rundown on lighting. Classic lighting with the LEDs for added 'wow'
For po4 levels, you wrote 0.3-0.1. Did you mean 0.03-0.01 or are they actually as high as .3??
I know you've detailed this before but since I can't find it and you've been discussing lighting, can you give details on your lighting schedule?
When each light comes on and goes off..
That Z's blue Floyd just completely blows my mind!!
I wish purple monster was more readily availing Canada. A tough coral to find around here.
Mark, you currently have the most outrageously gorgeous corals on the planet!!!
For po4 levels, you wrote 0.3-0.1. Did you mean 0.03-0.01 or are they actually as high as .3??
I know you've detailed this before but since I can't find it and you've been discussing lighting, can you give details on your lighting schedule?
When each light comes on and goes off..
That Z's blue Floyd just completely blows my mind!!
I wish purple monster was more readily availing Canada. A tough coral to find around here.
Mark, you currently have the most outrageously gorgeous corals on the planet!!!
MichaelW
New member
I agree. One of the best collections and great color to all of them. The yellow eyed jaw dropper is just incredible. Never seen that anywhere before
watchguy123
New member
I did indeed miswrite my p04 levels. The correct range that my phosphates
are: 0.03 to 0.1 ppm I use a Hanna ULR Phosphorous checker. I need to track my phosphates more closely and see if they are correlating to my nitrate fluctuations The problem is that it seems to take forever to complete the phosphate test and then make sure those darns vials are thoroughly cleaned and dried. I test nitrates once or twice a week but phosphates like once a month.
Thank you. I share your fondness for Z's yellow eyed jaw dropper. I think the coloring is so unusual and bizarre. However, I understand the concept that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some people ogle over one coral and other find different colors more appealing. Ultimately to each his own
More metal halides, no LEDS, but I don't remember if the t5's were also on
Z's yellow eyed jaw dropper
JF Flame
Z 1
Arkayology
Active member
Your sps are looking great! How's the frag tank doing?
Wiskey
New member
Some more pictures from yesterday, more reefbrite lighting
Z's Pink Cotton Candy
Z's Blue Floyd
That blue floyd is unreal!!!! Where in CA do you live, and do you ever sell or trade frags? I have RR Pink Floyd.
Amazing tank and fantastic photos.
Whiskey
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