NanoTopia's ZEOvit 80L [ ]

[NanoTopia]

That is a beautiful Acro right there.

 

I'm a bit new to the Acro scene and I find using coral colors as water quality indicators very intriguing. I have a creamy yellow Granulosa that has developed a green sheen, so based on what you are indicating my nutrients are likely a bit too high even though NO3 and PO4 consistently read '0' (Salifert). I'm thinking that higher nutrient levels are also contributing to washed out colors in my Red Planet, but oddly, my green Milli has the same florescent green as on day one.

 

Thanks Nano sapiens,

 

Likely you are over dosing amino acids, iron, iodine, or another element. Your DOC's are likely not the cause if they are in check. What do you dose besides ALK, Ca, Mg ?

[Nano sapiens]

Thanks Nano sapiens,

 

Likely you are over dosing amino acids, iron, iodine, or another element. Your DOC's are likely not the cause if they are in check. What do you dose besides ALK, Ca, Mg ?

 

Only (2) items:

 

1. Brightwell Zooplanktos-M (has Amino Acids as a component)

2. Iodine (Kent)

 

I'll stop using these for a few weeks and see what happens.

 

Do you know what causes the 'green shimmer' to occur on yellow Acros? If it were increased Zooanthellae then I would expect the coral to 'brown-out' not 'green-out', but perhaps the yellow color is the reason?

[NanoTopia]

Only (2) items:

 

1. Brightwell Zooplanktos-M (has Amino Acids as a component)

2. Iodine (Kent)

 

I'll stop using these for a few weeks and see what happens.

 

Do you know what causes the 'green shimmer' to occur on yellow Acros? If it were increased Zooanthellae then I would expect the coral to 'brown-out' not 'green-out', but perhaps the yellow color is the reason?

 

I couldn't get into it scientifically, but DOC's would likely darken tissue (dark yellow) and the elements will turn it green (green shimmer or hue) more so. Of course this may vary slightly from coral to coral. I would guess stopping the AA and the Iodine will help immensely. It may take a month to get the yellow back. Water changes would speed up the process but not necessary.

 

If you perform regular water changes, your iodine dosing should be minimal to none. This is a difficult element to test for. There are test kits but they are not always very accurate. Iodine should be ~0.06 ppm. Nothing will suffer from not dosing it for a month. I stopped dosing it altogether two months ago. No changes to the reef or inverts.

 

I have used the Brightwell Zooplanktos - M product and I can say it is not very good. Zooplankton should be zooplankton, not zooplankton plus a bunch of other stuff that will OD your tank. I have an issue with most combination products in general. Invest in some Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast, corals love it. Cyclopeze is good too. I find feeding SPS is best once a week, targeting with a basting device. More than once a week is not beneficial for SPS and you end up driving your DOC's up. Once a week with a quality food does the trick.

 

Let me know what happens in a few weeks, I would like to know.

[Nano sapiens]

I couldn't get into it scientifically, but DOC's would likely darken tissue (dark yellow) and the elements will turn it green (green shimmer or hue) more so. Of course this may vary slightly from coral to coral. I would guess stopping the AA and the Iodine will help immensely. It may take a month to get the yellow back. Water changes would speed up the process but not necessary.

 

If you perform regular water changes, your iodine dosing should be minimal to none. This is a difficult element to test for. There are test kits but they are not always very accurate. Iodine should be ~0.06 ppm. Nothing will suffer from not dosing it for a month. I stopped dosing it altogether two months ago. No changes to the reef or inverts.

 

I have used the Brightwell Zooplanktos - M product and I can say it is not very good. Zooplankton should be zooplankton, not zooplankton plus a bunch of other stuff that will OD your tank. I have an issue with most combination products in general. Invest in some Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast, corals love it. Cyclopeze is good too. I find feeding SPS is best once a week, targeting with a basting device. More than once a week is not beneficial for SPS and you end up driving your DOC's up. Once a week with a quality food does the trick.

 

Let me know what happens in a few weeks, I would like to know.

 

Thanks a bunch for all the info

 

As for Iodine dosing, that's a very old habit that I'll have to break. Came from 'back-in-the-day' when Iodine was helpful for 'Shrooms (probably because the old salt mixes were lacking).

 

What I noticed with the Brightwell Zooplanktos - M mostly was an increase in nuisance/slime algae. I stopped using it about a week ago and I'm tempted to toss it. I've used Oyster feast and I believe it is a good product, but it went rancid on me in just a few short months in the frig (maybe I had a bad bottle to begin with?). How long does your last?

 

When I first got my Acros I was spot feeding every day. I then cut that back to 2x/wk since I was seeing some red cyano. I'm now at once a week with 2x/week WC (10% total). CAL and Alk have been rock steady for weeks at 440 ppm and 3.5 meq/l. Mag is kept at 1300 or a bit higher.

[NanoTopia]

Thanks a bunch for all the info

 

As for Iodine dosing, that's a very old habit that I'll have to break. Came from 'back-in-the-day' when Iodine was helpful for 'Shrooms (probably because the old salt mixes were lacking).

 

What I noticed with the Brightwell Zooplanktos - M mostly was an increase in nuisance/slime algae. I stopped using it about a week ago and I'm tempted to toss it. I've used Oyster feast and I believe it is a good product, but it went rancid on me in just a few short months in the frig (maybe I had a bad bottle to begin with?). How long does your last?

 

When I first got my Acros I was spot feeding every day. I then cut that back to 2x/wk since I was seeing some red cyano. I'm now at once a week with 2x/week WC (10% total).

 

Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast should be good for at least three months, maybe more. If you can order cyclopeze frozen you don't have to worry about expiry so much, it should be good for 6-8 months. Feeding corals too often will raise your nutrients through the roof in no time. As you found out. If you run bio-pellets you may get away with some extra feedings. With SPS, it's more beneficial to keep nutrients on the low side than to feed.

 

EDIT: Just checked my bottle of Oyster Feast, it has an expiry date on it.

[Nano sapiens]

Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast should be good for at least three months, maybe more. If you can order cyclopeze frozen you don'y have to worry about expiry so much, it should be good for 6-8 months. Feeding corals too often will raise your nutrients through the roof in no time. As you found out. If you run bio-pellets you may get away with some extra feedings. With SPS, it's more beneficial to keep nutrients on the low side than to feed.

 

For my 12g I need just a tiny bottle of Oyster Feast, then, or it will be a waste. I have been feeding frozen SF Baby Brine and Rods Food (original) to the fish and corals, and while they love it, it clouds up the water pretty good! (I think I'll make Rod's a once-a-month occurrence only). I can get Cyclopeze and that may be the cleanest food.

 

I used to run a very low nutrient system (no fish, very little feeding) for about 8 months. It was so low that my Montis would turn grey and growth was slow.. I noticed that they are a lot happier with more food input lately, but it looks like I'll need to do a balancing act to try and keep all the corals colors good.

 

Thanks again, and I'll let you know how it goes in the next few weeks.

 

PS - Wishing you the best in eradicating those pesky AEFWs!

[buddythelion]

I have the exact same refractometer! What are you using to calibrate it, lovely tank btw. A fan!

[albertthiel]

My new toy ...

 

Milwaukee Digital Seawater Refractometer MA887

 

Man is this thing cool...

 

Glad you like it and get some more accurate readings !

[NanoTopia]

I have the exact same refractometer! What are you using to calibrate it, lovely tank btw. A fan!

 

Thanks for the compliments,

 

I use distilled water at the moment to calibrate. Then I check it with a standard. I also cross check results with a regular refractometer. I do wish the milwaukee digital refractometer rounded to the ten-thousandths instead of the thousandths. eg. 1.0253. But overall I am happy with it.

 

Glad you like it and get some more accurate readings !

 

Thanks Albert, many people underestimate the importance of specific gravity stability IMO. S.G. is really hard to keep stable in a nano, in some cases all you loose 1 cup of water and your SG goes from 1.026 to 1.025. This device will help me stay on top of it with more ease.

 

It was so low that my Montis would turn grey and growth was slow.

 

This was the result of a potassium (K) deficiency. Not a phosphate (PO4) or nitrate (NO3) deficiency.

[Nano sapiens]

This was the result of a potassium (K) deficiency. Not a phosphate (PO4) or nitrate (NO3) deficiency.

 

Correct, since I was hardly feeding the tank it wasn't getting Potassium input for food. Once I started feeding the tank a bit I saw marked improvement in coloration.

[Xanthi]

My new toy ...

 

Milwaukee Digital Seawater Refractometer MA887

 

Man is this thing cool...

 

 

Love this device! remember to cover it with your hand will taking readings..

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert, many people underestimate the importance of specific gravity stability IMO. S.G. is really hard to keep stable in a nano, in some cases all you loose 1 cup of water and your SG goes from 1.026 to 1.025. This device will help me stay on top of it with more ease.

 

Indeed in smaller tanks the fluctuation occurs a lot more rapidly. I keep adjusting mine to 1.025 and the next thing I know it is back to 1.026 or even 1.027 and I do not even have that much evaporation.

 

Thanks for pointing it out

[Nano sapiens]

Indeed in smaller tanks the fluctuation occurs a lot more rapidly. I keep adjusting mine to 1.025 and the next thing I know it is back to 1.026 or even 1.027 and I do not even have that much evaporation.

 

Thanks for pointing it out

 

I typically see no more than 1.0025 fluctuation in a month. I attribute the stability to the gravity fed ATOs which do a fine job of keeping the water level constant and I take the time to get the WC water at the same SG as the tank. Also, I don't have salt spray removing salt from the system or a skimmer which removes some salt water via the collector cup.

[NanoTopia]

Love this device! remember to cover it with your hand will taking readings..

 

It said in the instructions to shade it when in bright light, like sunlight. I will try a series of tests later to see what difference it makes in the reading. Thanks for pointing that out

 

 

I typically see no more than 1.0025 fluctuation in a month. I attribute the stability to the gravity fed ATOs which do a fine job of keeping the water level constant and I take the time to get the WC water at the same SG as the tank. Also, I don't have salt spray removing salt from the system or a skimmer which removes some salt water via the collector cup.

 

That's very little

 

 

Indeed in smaller tanks the fluctuation occurs a lot more rapidly. I keep adjusting mine to 1.025 and the next thing I know it is back to 1.026 or even 1.027 and I do not even have that much evaporation.

 

Thanks for pointing it out

 

Yes you only realize it when your as anal as me and check it so much

 

 

Correct, since I was hardly feeding the tank it wasn't getting Potassium input for food. Once I started feeding the tank a bit I saw marked improvement in coloration.

 

Do you test for potassium?

[Nano sapiens]

Do you test for potassium?

 

No, I don't. But it is my understanding that food is a major source of this element and the graying out of my Sunset Monti was consistent with the lack of this element. That being said, I'd have to have tested for Potasium at the time to be 100% sure.

[NanoTopia]

My Cali Tort is starting to colour up again after being hit by AEFW.

 

 

 

Acan goes nuts for Cyclopeeze

 

[Nano sapiens]

My Cali Tort is starting to colour up again after being hit by AEFW.

 

 

 

Acan goes nuts for Cyclopeeze

 

 

The Tort is looking much better! Good to see. I have an Acan similar to yours that spreads like that. Reminds me a little of 'Seymour' from the Little Shop of Horrors'

[metrokat]

nom nom nom

[albertthiel]

My Cali Tort is starting to colour up again after being hit by AEFW.

 

Looking much better indeed ... and yes that Cyclop-eeze must have some magic stuff in it as corals and fish alike go crazy for it ...

[Nano sapiens]

Speaking of yellow colored Acros, I did a bit of followup on A. granulosa and the variety I have ('Northern Lights Granulosa') is supposed to have teal in the base, yellow/cream branches and purple tips. So, the green color I'm seeing develop is actually normal for this species/type.

 

The frag I received was completely solid yellow/cream which threw me. According to Vivid, this variety develops more coloration under less intense lighting than what is used for your standard variety Acro, so that's probably why it is doing well and coloring up at only 120 PAR.

[NanoTopia]

nom nom nom

 

 

 

Looking much better indeed ... and yes that Cyclop-eeze must have some magic stuff in it as corals and fish alike go crazy for it ...

 

Agreed.

 

 

Speaking of yellow colored Acros, I did a bit of followup on A. granulosa and the variety I have ('Northern Lights Granulosa') is supposed to have teal in the base, yellow/cream branches and purple tips. So, the green color I'm seeing develop is actually normal for this species/type.

 

The frag I received was completely solid yellow/cream which threw me. According to Vivid, this variety develops more coloration under less intense lighting than what is used for your standard variety Acro, so that's probably why it is doing well and coloring up at only 120 PAR.

 

Lighting will affect the coloration of corals, and yes some corals are yellow but with different colour bases and tips. I think some people may have yellow corals in their tanks but just thought they were light green. They won't see the yellow until they lower nutrients and trace elements etc.

[albertthiel]

Speaking of yellow colored Acros, I did a bit of followup on A. granulosa and the variety I have ('Northern Lights Granulosa') is supposed to have teal in the base, yellow/cream branches and purple tips. So, the green color I'm seeing develop is actually normal for this species/type.

 

The frag I received was completely solid yellow/cream which threw me. According to Vivid, this variety develops more coloration under less intense lighting than what is used for your standard variety Acro, so that's probably why it is doing well and coloring up at only 120 PAR.

 

I posted a whole series of article links on corals and coloration on my thread today all by Dana Riddle which you may wish to read if you are interested in what he is stating and has found FWIW

[Nano sapiens]

I posted a whole series of article links on corals and coloration on my thread today all by Dana Riddle which you may wish to read if you are interested in what he is stating and has found FWIW

 

Thanks Albert. I've read through many of Dana's articles on photo-saturation, photo inhibition, pigments, etc. It's very interesting information to be sure.

 

This article is quite good, too. It is more hobbyist experience based than scientific:

 

http://reefbuilders.com/2008/09/03/guide-o...e-vivid-bright/

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert. I've read through many of Dana's articles on photo-saturation, photo inhibition, pigments, etc. It's very interesting information to be sure.

 

This article is quite good, too. It is more hobbyist experience based than scientific:

 

http://reefbuilders.com/2008/09/03/guide-o...e-vivid-bright/

 

Yes I read that one some time ago ... and was kind of shocked by the comments made by one of the readers who goes on and on and on .... and basically disagrees with it all as I am sure you have seen.

 

Glad you read the other ones by Dana ...

[NanoTopia]

NEW Acropora Spp.