Through the Looking Glass
- Thread starter watchguy123
- Start date
watchguy123
New member
Well I have been running my frag tank for I believe about three years and in the last six months, it has finally paid off. It is keeping frags healthy and growing with great color. It is a separate system. My display tank is in a spare bedroom/playroom and my frag tank sits on the bathroom counter in that bedroom. It is 24 x 21 by 10. There is no skimmer, no overflow, no sump, just a rectangular acrylic box. I run an ATI 8 bulb blue plus T5's over it. I have a doser, ceramic blocks in it, no sand, an ATO, a small bag of carbon, three frag racks and a bunch of frags and that is it. For 2 1/2 years, I was frustrated by it and thought about tearing it down, but patient and perseverance has paid off in the last six month. It holds about 10 gallons of water in it and I change 5 gallons out weekly. I think if all the frag racks, frags, and ceramic blocks were out it would be approximately 20 gallons or so to the brim.
So here are some metal halide pictures only.
Z's Favorite
Blueberry Wine
I have had this frag for two years and virtually no growth. Always polyp extension but no growth. Finally!!! A vertical branch has appeared, yay.
reefmutt
Active member
Cherry blossoms in the spring.. love it!!
Mark what is your photoperiod for all lights?
watchguy123
New member
Reefbrite XHO's: 11 am to 2:30pm and then 7:30 pm to 9 pm.
T5's : 12 to 8 pm
MH: 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Reef Raft Canada Shazam
Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd
This is from a second colony of Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd lower down in the tank, it doesn't seem to make any difference in the coloring or health.
watchguy123
New member
I got the following I think a year plus ago. Just sat there for a while but starting to spread its wings ever so slowly. Metal halides only.
Reef Raft Canada Cherry Bomb
My gyre does it what it was cleverly designed to do but it sometimes causes this wind swept growth appearance in some colonies. Good old fashioned:
Pink Lemonade
Reef Raft Canada Cherry Bomb
My gyre does it what it was cleverly designed to do but it sometimes causes this wind swept growth appearance in some colonies. Good old fashioned:
Pink Lemonade
watchguy123
New member
Woke up and decided to take some pictures this morning before the day really got started with boring stuff, there is a mix of lighting in these. I realize I am repeating and repeating pictures of the same corals, but these are many of my favorites. More to follow down the road.
Reef Raft Asia Diablo
Snuck in a couple chalice pictures
Reef Raft USA Medusa
Z's Prize
Reef Raft Asia Rays Rainbow
This one was so hidden between other colonies, I couldn't get enough light on it to focus very well plus its tiny
Z's Yellow Eyed Jawdropper
TGC Inferno
Reef Raft USA Orange Passion
Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd I reduced the clarity to get a different kind of picture, it is kind of cool, maybe
Reef Raft Asia Diablo
Snuck in a couple chalice pictures
Reef Raft USA Medusa
Z's Prize
Reef Raft Asia Rays Rainbow
This one was so hidden between other colonies, I couldn't get enough light on it to focus very well plus its tiny
Z's Yellow Eyed Jawdropper
TGC Inferno
Reef Raft USA Orange Passion
Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd I reduced the clarity to get a different kind of picture, it is kind of cool, maybe
SchnitzelReef
Active member
You take the best pics mark!! Corals look great, Like always.
Usernam Invalid
New member
Love seeing your pics don't worry about repeat pics there are so stunning it doesn't matter. Amazing how saturated your Corals are with great PE.
Any chance can get a recent FTS
Any chance can get a recent FTS
reefmutt
Active member
Reefbrite XHO's: 11 am to 2:30pm and then 7:30 pm to 9 pm.
T5's : 12 to 8 pm
MH: 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Reef Raft Canada Shazam
Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd
This is from a second colony of Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd lower down in the tank, it doesn't seem to make any difference in the coloring or health.
Very interesting! A fairly short photoperiod. 10 hours of light only with only 5 hrs of mh. Hm..
I am going to grudgingly reduce my photo period..
What do you do in the mornings and at night?? How do you LIVE without being able to see into your tank until 11am or after 9pm??? - a bit of a joke but not entirely.. those are prime viewing hours for me- evenings, anyways..
watchguy123
New member
Thank you, aiming to have my tank as pretty as yours, eventually
Ahh, colors. Theee reasons for good color saturation. 1) I have a bow front so all my best pictures are top down. It is unintentional (because of the bow front glass) but top down pictures is like cheating a bit. The colors always are more accentuated, vibrant and saturated top down. So although I get frustrated by the huge limitations of a bow front tank, ultimately top down really is a benefit. 2). Any of the pictures with blue LEDs are going to be extremely vibrant and saturated because that is part of the "pop" of blue LEDs 3). Final reason: I got very lucky and have found some gems. I am now on my sixth and final Pink Lemonade frag. None of the others matured into the colors I expected and I removed them. Of course there are reef keepers that can color everything and anything. I'm one of those guys that needs to find a frag from the prettiest mother colony. I've grown to care much less about colors on a frag, I care much more what the mother looks like. I prefer good genes to reefkeeping skills.
My tank is six feet wide and it takes a lot of maturity to get a pretty "FTS", full tank shot. I'm not there yet
Some of the prettiest tanks that I have seen have the shortest photoperiod. Ten hours is certainly not short but 5 hours of mh's isn't long. Actually if it wasn't for viewing pleasure, I'd run my t5's and mh at the same time for 6 hours only. But even with 10 hours of lighting, I'll occasionally cheat, take a sneak peak in the early morning or late evening
watchguy123
New member
Well, thought I'd share some relatively new pieces, although they are baby size (metal halide only pictures):
Reef Raft USA Godzilla
Reef Raft USA CJ Pinky
Reef Raft Canda Wolverine
This one below I have had for a while, I think I can say it is now mini colony size. It looks much more outstanding in blue leds, but here it is under metal halides only. It is not too common
Reef Raft Canada Ultimate Orange Passion
Reef Raft USA Godzilla
Reef Raft USA CJ Pinky
Reef Raft Canda Wolverine
This one below I have had for a while, I think I can say it is now mini colony size. It looks much more outstanding in blue leds, but here it is under metal halides only. It is not too common
Reef Raft Canada Ultimate Orange Passion
tmantaylor18
Active member
You've got some of the best colors on the forum!
reefmutt
Active member
Mark, every photo of yours is amazing not only because of the crazy nice acro porn but your carraline algae is always pristine. There is never even a hint of nuisance algae and the corraline is thick, luscious and looks like it has been poured over your rocks like liquid cotton candy love...
You have by far the most outstandingly perfectly healthy beautiful corals around, right now!
I want you to start shipping me your water change water!
You have by far the most outstandingly perfectly healthy beautiful corals around, right now!
I want you to start shipping me your water change water!
watchguy123
New member
thank youYour Acropora collection is absolutely awesome! Nice photos, keep em coming
thanks
It is always nice to be recognized for the coralline algae. LOL
Granulosa, just starting to have the tips change from dark green into something prettier. A ways to go though
Another little frag, I think its cool how it is stinging the coralline algae as its base continues to spread and grow.
Here is another (time after time) picture of my JF Flame. It looks a little overexposed. It is cool looking anyway.
watchguy123
New member
Another little frag starting to show some promise, the bright pink stuff to the right is D-d epoxy that I have a pretty monti (not pictured) growing on. I have two montis in my tank but both are growing on epoxy to make sure I can remove them before they attach to rock work. Montipora just don't play nice with acropora
Purple Monster
Purple Monster
SchnitzelReef
Active member
Gorgeous as always!!
aquavista99
New member
Looking amazing as usual, Mark! Keep up the outstanding work :thumbsup:
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