Sk8n Reefer Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Great pics of the brittles- I rarely get to see mine with their full bodies out Water change. Then all 500 brittle stars climbed up high and did this. Clown has seen too much Had to take em to the next page? nice clown pic too 3 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Woah! That is so cool to see! Amazing photos! Also, I love the look on that clowns face. He's like "Ack! Get a room!" 2 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I love the pic of the clown. Quote Link to comment
MikeTR Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 That is pretty cool to see. That would be an all out massacre in my tank with all the wrasses. There are plenty of them in there, I see the occasional arm waving in the current. You are going to have a bunch more it seems. Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Great pics of the brittles- I rarely get to see mine with their full bodies out Had to take em to the next page nice clown pic too Thanks! It was incredible experience - I've never seen anything like it before. There used to be two types of brittle stars. The red striped ones and smaller solid white ones. I never see the little white ones anymore, but the arms of the others are waving in the current everywhere you look. Guess that means there's plenty food to go around! Woah! That is so cool to see! Amazing photos! Also, I love the look on that clowns face. He's like "Ack! Get a room!" Isn't that the truth?! Cracked me up when it appeared on the LCD. I love the pic of the clown. :-) Thanks Mark! That is pretty cool to see. That would be an all out massacre in my tank with all the wrasses. There are plenty of them in there, I see the occasional arm waving in the current. You are going to have a bunch more it seems. I keep looking for them, but nothing yet. I'll mail the wrasse food if 10,000 suddenly appear. :-) Chemistry/dosing question for everyone. I've been neglecting testing the tank for other hobbies. Everything is looking really good so wasn't too worried about it. Last Mag test was 12/19 at 1320. Tonight's read 1200. Is there an upper daily limit for Magnesium dosing? The BRS calculator agrees with my math that tank needs about 212 mL. I added 20 mL tonight hoping that's not too much at once? 3 Quote Link to comment
Arkayology Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Chemistry/dosing question for everyone. I've been neglecting testing the tank for other hobbies. Everything is looking really good so wasn't too worried about it. Last Mag test was 12/19 at 1320. Tonight's read 1200. Is there an upper daily limit for Magnesium dosing? The BRS calculator agrees with my math that tank needs about 212 mL. I added 20 mL tonight hoping that's not too much at once? 20ml is a lot for a tank your size, but probably won't hurt anything. I have read however that some people have experienced some color less with raising mag too high/quickly. I usually add about 5ml of BRs mag at a time to keep my levels around 1300. 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Whoa, I never saw a brittle star spawn and I have lots in my tank. That is so cool! 2 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 20ml is a lot for a tank your size, but probably won't hurt anything. I have read however that some people have experienced some color less with raising mag too high/quickly. I usually add about 5ml of BRs mag at a time to keep my levels around 1300. Whoops. Glad I asked. Was about to put more in until I remembered the mantra sllllloooooooooowwwwwwww changes. Everything looks OK just now as I got home, so maybe I'll give it a few days to settle in before dosing more. Crossing fingers that my neglect style of reefing is growing hardier corals. :-) Whoa, I never saw a brittle star spawn and I have lots in my tank. That is so cool! I believe Mr Microscope mentioned it could be temperature change that got them fired up. It happened after waiting 3 months to do a water change, then using cold water. 2 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Whoops. Glad I asked. Was about to put more in until I remembered the mantra sllllloooooooooowwwwwwww changes. Everything looks OK just now as I got home, so maybe I'll give it a few days to settle in before dosing more. Crossing fingers that my neglect style of reefing is growing hardier corals. :-) I believe Mr Microscope mentioned it could be temperature change that got them fired up. It happened after waiting 3 months to do a water change, then using cold water. That is fascinating! 1 Quote Link to comment
owenj Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 This thread is so techy my brain is going to explode those brittle star pics though...whoa! So cool. 1 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 That is fascinating! Live long and prosper ;-) This thread is so techy my brain is going to explode those brittle star pics though...whoa! So cool. Sorry bout that - I can't stop asking 'why' and 'how' :-) Its beauty, in a way, how things work 3 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 20K LOKANI UPDATE Dosing iodide is still working! For the first time ever, there's even new growth. :-) Before: 9/8/14 12/10/14 3/14/15 3 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 FOREST FIRE DIGI GROWTH 9/8/14 12/10/14 3/14/15 RED PLANET RECOVERY 9/8/14 12/10/14 3/14/15 GARF BONSAI RECOVERY 9/8/14 12/10/14 3/14/15 -- the first light purple sprouts appearing STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE RECOVERY This one has been super slow since it's coming back from literally just a handful of polyps. 9/8/14 12/10/14 3/14/15 GREEN PSAMMOCORA 12/10/14 3/14/15 5 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 BRANCHING CYPHASTREA GROWTH 10.30.14 3.14.15 color is back, starting to branch RAINBOW STYLO 10.30.14 3.14.15 ORA PINK STYLOPHORA 10.30.14 browned out pink stylo is above and left of the frag disk/fish. Rainbow stylo is above the flasher wrasse. 3.14.15 6x larger and top cap is finally pink 4 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 BOB MOORE FRAG SWAP 2.24.15 FTS once they're glued down! yellow millepora, yellow aussie acro, Joe the Coral orange psammacora 5 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Geez, what you do to us w/ your pictures!!!! 2 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Nice growth chronicles. 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Such amazing growth. It seems you have the right formula! 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Growth pics are fascinating. Those acros are prospering! Remind me, are you using a straight Iodine, or Lugols? 1 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Geez, what you do to us w/ your pictures!!!! Aww, thanks! But it's also you finding so much beauty in coral that makes that connection, ya know? Nice growth chronicles. Feel like I finally unlocked Acropora Level in this game. hope it lasts for a while Such amazing growth. It seems you have the right formula! Gotta say it's satisfying after puzzling and puzzling for years over what I was doing wrong to finally get somewhere. Even better to find water changes are rarely required! LOL Growth pics are fascinating. Those acros are prospering! Remind me, are you using a straight Iodine, or Lugols? Can you believe it? In my tank, even. Still shocked, it's been so long trying without success. I think your suggestion to limit alk swings by .25 KH was a key turning point. Fauna marin trace also. I was using Lugols since it is partially potassium iodiDe (what Christine recommended to bring back the blue/purples). Supplement #3 in Fauna Marin Balling lite additive includes iodine so Lugals dosing is on hold. 4 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 that's awesome Feel like I finally unlocked Acropora Level in this game. hope it lasts for a while Even better to find water changes are rarely required! LOL Dirty tanks FTW. What does your Alk stay at? 1 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 that's awesome Dirty tanks FTW. What does your Alk stay at? True story! Dirty, dirty tanks. Target is RSC alk (7.8-8.2) Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 So I've been reading up on why my RSM could grow such hot corals, and even though I had substantial nitrate and phosphate control and export with my reactors, oversized skimmer, fuge etc, there was still plenty to make it a constantly dirty system. At the time my alk was on the 9-10 range. That was the key. Dirty tanks should have high alk, low nutrient systems should have close to NSW levels of alk. In my current tank I am slowly aiming to raise the alk to 9. 2 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 So I've been reading up on why my RSM could grow such hot corals, and even though I had substantial nitrate and phosphate control and export with my reactors, oversized skimmer, fuge etc, there was still plenty to make it a constantly dirty system. At the time my alk was on the 9-10 range. That was the key. Dirty tanks should have high alk, low nutrient systems should have close to NSW levels of alk. In my current tank I am slowly aiming to raise the alk to 9. Yep, true story from what I've studied. Higher nutrient systems are in balance with higher alk, etc. Also photoperiod: higher nutrients and ions ==> longer photoperiod = more growth potential Here's what has me targeting 8.0 alk: --I do a water change about every 2-3 months now. It's usually 5 gallons (20-25%). If I target a higher 9-10 alk level, then there's a big alk drop each water change (RS blue bucket). If I switch back to RSCP with the same target, there's an alk spike. No more spikes or drops if possible! -- I think my system-wide nutrients are actually in the lower range. Tests are almost always 0-1 nitrates and ~.03 phosphates. Plus it takes about 3-4 days for the green film to build up on glass. -- a few pages back I posted all my research about 2-part dosing and the best chances for keeping ions balanced -- another thing that lets me go months without water change. For this recipe, all the major ions, including alk, Ca, Mg need to stay close to sea water levels -- dosing is every 2 hrs. Here's the cool thing about that: any swings are much smaller than .25 KH --and-- the coral are free to use up as many ions and nutrients as they need continuously, with everything replaced at the rate it's used up. So, no need to keep nutrients and alk higher for growth. Make sense? --photoperiod is from 5am to 10pm, with 4 hr morning ramp and 5 hr evening ramp. That's really looooong. Possibly why nutrients are low - all the growth cleans out the water. 2 Quote Link to comment
owenj Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 That growth! Those colors! Looking really nice. Quote Link to comment
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