TigerLily Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Nice picture update. Could you move the bleached brain to the far left where the leather is? It seems to have the most shadows which might help. Is it eating? It is not eating. Actually, I have never seen it eat really. I've tried to feed it in the past, but it doesn't put out feeders and react like the red brain does. When I bought it from the LFS, it was "recovering." The store owner said it looked really terrible when he got it from a customer's tank and was on the mend. He had it for several months before he felt comfortable selling it. I got a discount and It actually kept improving and started looking really nice in my tank - it's been in there for 6 months or so and looked nice until recently. You can see it next to the red brain in my signature picture - nice and puffy, decent color. It may be a hopeless case, but I have moved the green brain to the back of the tank and put a dishtowel on my screen top to shade it as much as I can. Here's the set up now... Hopefully my pavona won't get too angry with the lighting situation - my humongous red mithrax seems to like the new arrangement. This is his side of the tank and he's got to investigate. 3 Quote Link to comment
kimberbee Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 OMG HE IS HUMONGOUS!!! 3 Quote Link to comment
owenj Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 OMG HE IS HUMONGOUS!!! This that red mithrax is a monster! Hope your brain pulls through...take that however you will . Sorry the NPS gorg didn't make it 1 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Thanks! I think it's a light issue, but it *is* awfully close to that toadstool. I'm going to move it into a back corner on the other side of the tank to try to address both issues at once. Thank you Gena! I did try to push it under an overhang there, but it is still getting a good amount of light. I'm going to do a little rearranging and send it to a back corner to see if that helps! I hope I can get mine to turn around like you did. How much light does it get without the towel? I'd be afraid it's too shaded now. You probably don't even need the towel with it being in the back corner. Mine took a few weeks to start gaining back it's color. Feeding it will help too. If it doesn't send out it's feeders, maybe squirt some liquid smelly stuff on it first, like phyto or selcon, to wet it's appetite . It will also eat the liquid phyto. I'd give it a shot. But I'd definitely remove the towel if it's already not getting direct light in that corner. Seems like a pretty shaded spot. 2 Quote Link to comment
TigerLily Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 what are your parameters, what kind of lights and schedule? I moved this over here so that my katropora question wouldn't clog up your thread. Lights - Nanobox Quad set at 80/120 whites to blues. I just this week turned them down because of the brain that is having trouble. I run them 10 hours with an hour sunrise/sunset on either end. Params - They are pretty consistent - pH: 8.1, NH3/NH4 - 0, NO2 - 0, NO3 ~ 20. Temp is 80 and Salinity 1.025. I try to keep KH around 8.7, Ca around 400 and Mg around 1400 (I've tried multiple test kits, I don't dose Mg - it's just high!) I test no more than once a week and I dose manually Parts A & B of Red Sea Reef Foundation. I know I need to be more consistent. I'm afraid to test or do anything to my tank regarding phosphates since I crashed it in November. I have algae, but it's nothing my urchin can't handle. I use Acropower when I think of it and feed pretty haphazardly - pellets, crushed flake, reef roids, oyster feast, phyto etc. Once a week, the night before my water change (4 gallons at a time) I feed extra heavy and include frozen in the mix. I think that's it… Thank you for any input! 2 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 What is your phosphate level out of curiosity? I think everything is in line, If you have high phosphates and nitrates, running a high alk and calcium supports growth. You certainly have the temperature to support high alk/calcium and the feeding regimen. You could try very very small increases till you reach 9 alk, 420 calcium to see if that jump starts the Kat. IMO doing nothing is fine too, stability is key. 1 Quote Link to comment
TigerLily Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 What is your phosphate level out of curiosity? I think everything is in line, If you have high phosphates and nitrates, running a high alk and calcium supports growth. You certainly have the temperature to support high alk/calcium and the feeding regimen. You could try very very small increases till you reach 9 alk, 420 calcium to see if that jump starts the Kat. IMO doing nothing is fine too, stability is key. Thank you! Last time I checked phosphates with the Hanna checker it was about .34 and I decided that I'd rather rely on a visual check of algae than a number on a checker. I haven't checked it in a while - since I'm not likely to do anything about it anyway. I'll do it tomorrow though when I'm doing my testing. So, I think what I will do is work on consistency and inching Ca and alk up slowly. I may also go to twice a week water changes and a little more feeding if I can keep everything else constant. Here's a side by side of the Kat. Today is on the right and the left was about a month and a half ago. There's definitely been change and lots of encrusting, just nothing really up or out. 4 Quote Link to comment
kimberbee Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I have a little frag that's been encrusting but not growing up/out. Frustrating. I wish I could speak coral and tell it to get branchy!! 5 Quote Link to comment
TigerLily Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 I have a little frag that's been encrusting but not growing up/out. Frustrating. I wish I could speak coral and tell it to get branchy!! It is frustrating, isn't it!?! 1 Quote Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I see that from my bonsai- branches are slowly growing but it is encrusting like crazy - growth is growth though- gotta love it! ? 1 Quote Link to comment
TigerLily Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 I see that from my bonsai- branches are slowly growing but it is encrusting like crazy - growth is growth though- gotta love it! Very true - I have good color in my tank and some growth, even if it's not the kind of growth I want. I need to be happy! Off to check my parameters and do a little dosing. 2 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 It is frustrating, isn't it!?! Totally. Why do they take soooooo loooooooong to grow. It looks like everyone else has frag to full colony overnight. 3 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 My red mille has been growing for about 8 months and only encrusts. It likes to tease me by throwing up little bumps that look like they might be new branches...but nooooooo. 1 Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 OMG...That Mithrax is huuuuugeee. 1 Quote Link to comment
TigerLily Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Where is the time going?!? I bought a few new corals this month - a pretty dragon scale milli, a pokerstar monti that is big and healthy looking but a totally different color than advertised, and a green cap that suffers from the same problem - big and healthy looking but not the bright green that was advertised. We will see how the colors progress in my system. The fish and other inhabitants are all doing well - except for the green brain, which is definitely on its way out. Here is the April FTS and a few closer shots. Right side - my big feather duster is still kickin'... The yellow and peach dragon and my green green katropora in the middle of the tank. The left side - my birdsnest is doing really well and growing. I accidentally fragged my purple cap, so I have little pieces stuck all over now. You can see the "green" cap that looks really yellow and even orange up at the top - but it has nice PE so we will see what happens with the color. And just in case anyone was wondering… this little algae eating slug is still going strong. I see him every couple of days. My kids call him "the poop." 8 Quote Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 great pics! tanks looking fantastic. dragon scale Mille - I am so jealous - such a beautiful coral. Hope yours does better than mine 1 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Everything looks gorgeous! Sorry about the green brain. Seems like once they start going it's so hard to stop it. At least your pink one is open and amazing . 1 Quote Link to comment
TigerLily Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 great pics! tanks looking fantastic. dragon scale Mille - I am so jealous - such a beautiful coral. Hope yours does better than mine Thank you! Oh no! Did you have a dragon scale that went bad? I'll have to go look again at your thread. You must have received a bad frag. You have the magic touch when it comes to growing beautiful corals!!! Everything looks gorgeous! Sorry about the green brain. Seems like once they start going it's so hard to stop it. At least your pink one is open and amazing . Thanks! Yes, the green brain is still in the back corner limping along, but I'm not holding out much hope for it. There's been no improvement and it seems to have lost all of its red coloration. Just green and skimpy. I'll keep it back there until the end just in case it decides to rally, but I doubt it will. 1 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 That slug is too cute. Are your powerheads covered? 1 Quote Link to comment
nidding Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 You got some really nice corals piling up in that tank 1 Quote Link to comment
onefang Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I don't typically like to use this word, as it has been horribly overused by jive-talking teenagers.. but your tank is epic. My brain overloads because every inch of it is a focal point. Nice work! I am noticing all the people with catbeard avatars have nice tanks.. maybe I need to catbeard too. That's really the secret to reefing. 2 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I am noticing all the people with catbeard avatars have nice tanks.. maybe I need to catbeard too. That's really the secret to reefing. do it do it do it 2 Quote Link to comment
owenj Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I spy the calk bass tank is looking fab. 2 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 love that new FTS! 1 Quote Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Thank you! Oh no! Did you have a dragon scale that went bad? I'll have to go look again at your thread. You must have received a bad frag. You have the magic touch when it comes to growing beautiful corals!!! yes- sad but true- I had a nice dragon scale frag - about a week in it started to STN so I snapped the tops off and made two frags. One STN a few days later while the other one last about two more weeks- then STN . No idea what happened- everyone else was happy and doing well. I'll try another one- just love how they look ? 1 Quote Link to comment
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