Nano sapiens Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 ^^ Nice! Are you noticing more pigment overall or more intense coloration (or both?) with the increased K? Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 ^^ Nice! Are you noticing more pigment overall or more intense coloration (or both?) with the increased K? Not sure about pigment but coloration is more intense on some corals, too early to draw any conclusions. I'm going to hold out at 420 for a while then maybe make an increase to 430, not yet decided. August 5th, when I picked it up (400ppm K) This was a top down on Sept 6th (400ppm K) And today (420ppm K) Colours just seem a little more vivid overall, at least to my eye. Growth on this coral has been stellar. Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 It's always interesting to see that such small changes can have a significant impact. Seems to be especially true in a ULNS system where parameters are tighly controlled to begin with. Link to comment
Chris! Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Not sure about pigment but coloration is more intense on some corals, too early to draw any conclusions. I'm going to hold out at 420 for a while then maybe make an increase to 430, not yet decided. August 5th, when I picked it up (400ppm K) This was a top down on Sept 6th (400ppm K) And today (420ppm K) Colours just seem a little more vivid overall, at least to my eye. Growth on this coral has been stellar. Definitely looks very happy. Alot of really nice growth for only 2 months!! Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 very pretty highlighter tip acro. Those are my favorite colors in combination -- spring-like -- makes me happy just to look at. It's hard to tell from pics, do you think the color change is from increased purple pigments or from the continued lightening of zoox? Both? The brown under the green and violet sheen is less and less is why I ask. Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Definitely looks very happy. Alot of really nice growth for only 2 months!! Thanks, seems to be a really fast grower, probably the fastest growing coral in my tank right now. very pretty highlighter tip acro. Those are my favorite colors in combination -- spring-like -- makes me happy just to look at. It's hard to tell from pics, do you think the color change is from increased purple pigments or from the continued lightening of zoox? Both? The brown under the green and violet sheen is less and less is why I ask. Well it looks to be a transition of pigments and a loss in some areas for sure. I attribute this to the low nutrients mainly but it is the additives I use that bring out it's best IMO. This coral is getting a lot of light and flow as well and that might be contributing to the colour. You can't see it in the last picture so much but the base and areas not receiving as much light are more green. It will be interesting to see how this coral develops as it grows out a bit more. The blues/purples have really intensified (on all my corals) since increasing potassium to 420ppm from 400ppm. All other parameters are at NSW levels. Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 I have decided I am sticking with KZ Reefers Best Salt and just bought another box. Main reasons, it mixes up so clean and fast, it is very well balanced for NSW levels, corals love it. It is a bit more than other brands but a box lasts me 6 months so it is justified. If I had a 300 gallon tank I would probably not use RBS salt however. I traded some frags in to the LFS for a sweet $300 credit on the weekend, bought supplies and a couple replacement T5 bulbs. Potassium is hovering around 415-420ppm now for over a week, corals look brighter, growth has increased, especially on the Montipora's. I think I will just keep it in this range and not risk bringing it any higher. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Hey there Christine. Thank you for sharing your K info and pics. Four questions: What test kit are you using to test K? I have the salifert and am pretty sure it's crap. How fast is your tank consuming K? What product are you using to maintain K (I'm assuming K balance, but the regular or strong?), and how much do you dose to maintain levels? Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Hey there Christine. Thank you for sharing your K info and pics. Four questions: What test kit are you using to test K? I have the salifert and am pretty sure it's crap. How fast is your tank consuming K? What product are you using to maintain K (I'm assuming K balance, but the regular or strong?), and how much do you dose to maintain levels? I use both the RedSea and Salifert, the later is more general but fairly close to the RedSea results. I am currently adding 1mL of K-Balance a day to maintain 415-420ppm K. So it seems to be using a lot of K. If I slack off dosing for a few days it drops down to 405ppm, much to my surprise. I use alternately, KZ K-Balance and Brightwells Potassium (hydrous), the later is more concentrated IMO. The Brightwell's is increasing K at double the rate of K-Balance but K-Balance contains other beneficial ingredients so alternating seems to be a good option. Every tanks consumption rate will be different so generally I would dose 1mL/25 gallons each day of Brightwells and see where that takes you based on your testing. You might double that if you need to increase levels but I would break it up into 2 doses (am/pm). Potassium is a strong ion and can really shock some organisms if increased at a rapid rate, it is safer to increase gradually, 2ppm a day. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I've used the elos potassium+ previously, and i really think it was a great product, it just didn't last very long (8months). Maybe that is a long time in the trace element world, but hopefully KZ K-Balance Potassium Concentrate will last me a tad longer. Currently dosing 5mL of that per week, versus the 15mL of Elos i was dosing before (to achieve the same effect). Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Great SPS shots nice cluster of color? Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted November 2, 2014 Author Share Posted November 2, 2014 Some closer upers Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Holy bananas!!! Nice macros! Love that first blue one especially. Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Holy macro,absolutely stellar photos as usual Link to comment
Arkayology Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Not sure about pigment but coloration is more intense on some corals, too early to draw any conclusions. I'm going to hold out at 420 for a while then maybe make an increase to 430, not yet decided. August 5th, when I picked it up (400ppm K) This was a top down on Sept 6th (400ppm K) And today (420ppm K) Colours just seem a little more vivid overall, at least to my eye. Growth on this coral has been stellar. I wish I could get a frag! Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 I wish I could get a frag! If I could ship it to you, I would only charge you the shipping cost Link to comment
Arkayology Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 If I could ship it to you, I would only charge you the shipping cost Thanks for that! I wish it were possible. I really like the blue with the green tips on that coral. It looks fantastic. How is your tank doing? I guess it is pretty much on cruise control? Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 Thanks for that! I wish it were possible. I really like the blue with the green tips on that coral. It looks fantastic. How is your tank doing? I guess it is pretty much on cruise control? Ya, cruise is right, everything doing quite well actually. I'm completely bored with this tank, LOL, 3+ years now. I need a new project but have no place for it, what to do Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Get a bigger DT !!!!! Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Ya, cruise is right, everything doing quite well actually. I'm completely bored with this tank, LOL, 3+ years now. I need a new project but have no place for it, what to do LOL, try 6-1/2 years What keeps my tank interesting for me is that I think of it more as an ecosystem than as just an assemblage of coral specimens. As such, when I see a new sponge show up or discover some other organism that I thought was lost (or hadn't seen before) it keeps it interesting. Then there's also the challenge of keeping a small nano in excellent condition well beyond the typical lifespan But, there are times when I do think about a new project, too... Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Sorry everyone, only time for one picture update, I am very busy these days. Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year to everyone ! This purple Millepora has come a long way over the years, the colour is looking really good right now so I thought I better snap a pic before something happens, LOL. Link to comment
SouthFlorida_Tron Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 ITS SO FUZZY!!! Link to comment
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