SPS 12.5 Gallon Micro-Reefs Aquariums AIO evolution!

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Using RedSea Alk/DKh to help me reach an 8.0 as my current weekly test show 6.9.  I am getting some nice coraline growth on my rocks.  Been lucky no nuisance algae yet.  Cross my fingers.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Update: approaching 4 months system is finally stable and ready to receive first three SPS corals.

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Update! Who likes videos?

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Here are the stills from the video, enjoy!

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Who likes a barnacle blenny with the head being the size of a pencil head eraser?

 

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

For those that enjoy WIDESCREEN HD VIDEOS..... 🙂 

 

 

[Zer0]

Updates?

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

4 hours ago, Zer0 said:

Updates?

My SPS tank suffered  STN and RTN from one of the frags I bought at Reefapooloza in Orlando.  I had called and went to my LFS and they got me a complete water test, zero phosphates but luckily I had 10ppm of Nitrates or my whole tank would have crashed.

 

I came home with Dr. Tim's Eco-Balance probiotics and bone crushing surgical sears to frag the remaining of my RTN coral and begin dosing.   That was two days ago, and so far, tank is neutral.  NO more RTN or STN at the moment.  

 

There wasn't that much review on the Eco-balance reef safe stuff, but I went with LFS knowledge.  I have videos and pictures to share of what took place, stay tunned.

 

MG

 

p.s

I should of purchased some Coral dip for the frags I purchased at the show, but I was trying to get the best deal leaving the show, I did until the STN showed up on one of the frags and then jumped to my other SPS coral and commence RTN.  That is when I jumped to the LFS for support.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Since having an STN and RTN outbreak in my SPS system, I have managed to keep the corals stable and see them turning around.  I will continue to use the Eco-balance Dr. Tim's solution.  Here is a quick video I made of both my 12 gallon cubes, I inherited my brothers system since he decided it was too much work for him to keep up.  Now I have a twin tower tank with nothing but LPS in it, opposite side of my SPS system!  

 

It is amazing to have each system separated by just my dinning table in the house.  Tell me which one you like more LPS black stand or SPS white stand; both are powered by identical components, AI 16 HD prime and Chill Solutions chiller.

 

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Here is a quick tour of my dinning room in my home that houses my 3 aquariums systems. Nice to have a walk through so you can see how my systems can fit in small spots in your home, in the left corner I have my 12 gallon LPS tank in black acrylic stand.  To the right corner I have my SPS tank in white acrylic stand.  To the far right I have my soon to be 30 gallon Temperate system, I am just waiting for my receiving license to be commenced for by the Department of Fish and Game California. 

 

It has been a patient waiting game to get the approval, I will keep you all updated as you can see the system is full operating awaiting just the live rock, live sand to start the cycle.

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Cyanobacteria showed up, remember new tanks will go through cycles let them run through and fade away.

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Update close ups of my corals...  Not nearly as nice as ZerO's macros but hey its a cheap android phone. 😆

 

[Zer0]

I love it! Everything is super colorful! Definitely diggin’ those blastos! I think I want to get another one.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

38 minutes ago, Zer0 said:

I love it! Everything is super colorful! Definitely diggin’ those blastos! I think I want to get another one.

I am torn between my LPS tank and SPS I go back and forth and those blastos are from Aquashella in Orlando.... 🙂

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Who likes FTS? Between both aquariums, I have approx 20 gallons of ocean water!  Very small micro world, I like to keep in my dinning room.

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Enjoying the white stand on matching white AI 16 HD prime.

 

[Murphs_Reef]

Love the photobomb 😎

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Orphek filter arrived to displace the blues that our smart phones cannot remove.  I was able to capture the real colors of my SPS in just 12 gallons of ocean water, enjoy.

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Orprek sends out a macro lens and my Wheeler Goby came right to the front panel for filming.  

 

[mitten_reef]

On 6/4/2021 at 1:16 AM, Micro-Reefs Aquariums said:

NO more RTN or STN at the moment

in my opinion, and I just wanted to put it out there as I've seen many folks seem to like to throw around the two terms as if they're interchangeable....

• STN (slow tissue necrosis) appears to be reversible in most cases, this is likely caused by slow malnutrition of some form (low N, low P, low light, low flow, etc).  coral tissue shrunk in and tighten up, then slowly recedes, often from the base exposing the skeleton underneath.
• RTN (rapid tissue necrosis) - I have seen my acros and birdnest with tissue literally peeling off the bone by the minute, and gone within hours - some of them were healthy big chunks (birdnest was bigger than a softball), i.e. "rapid".  this would be difficult to reverse course on frags, but you still should try the clip-and-replant rescue.  if you have healthy colonies, you may be able to save a portion far away from where TN is happening.  I would attribute RTN to significant parameter swings, temp, alk, major chemical warfare, etc.

I have gone through both scenarios multiple times in the course of my reef keeping - and these are just MY OWN definition/observation I've come up with. 

 

Tanks are coming along nicely tho, congrats.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

3 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

in my opinion, and I just wanted to put it out there as I've seen many folks seem to like to throw around the two terms as if they're interchangeable....

• STN (slow tissue necrosis) appears to be reversible in most cases, this is likely caused by slow malnutrition of some form (low N, low P, low light, low flow, etc).  coral tissue shrunk in and tighten up, then slowly recedes, often from the base exposing the skeleton underneath.
• RTN (rapid tissue necrosis) - I have seen my acros and birdnest with tissue literally peeling off the bone by the minute, and gone within hours - some of them were healthy big chunks (birdnest was bigger than a softball), i.e. "rapid".  this would be difficult to reverse course on frags, but you still should try the clip-and-replant rescue.  if you have healthy colonies, you may be able to save a portion far away from where TN is happening.  I would attribute RTN to significant parameter swings, temp, alk, major chemical warfare, etc.

I have gone through both scenarios multiple times in the course of my reef keeping - and these are just MY OWN definition/observation I've come up with. 

 

Tanks are coming along nicely tho, congrats.

Very well noted and explained eloquently.  I didn't mean to use the terms interchangeably as I did but what I wanted to let reefers know was this.

 

When I experienced RTN, it was luck that I saw my tank when I did and what I tried to save them, worked with fragging from the very tips of the healthy part that was not near the RTN.  However, it just allowed the good piece of acro to survive another 30 days before my paramenters of water shifted slighty and then the coral started again to go and just got to the point I couldn't frag more. (unblanced system not good for corals to commence a good life)

 

When I experienced STN, I had a longer window to spot it in my system.  I had more good unaffeccted coral to work with and thus look at my water parameters to make them balance again. Those pieces that were fragged from STN, in my tank continue to live and do well.  (Noticed that those SPS that have made it through the RTN/STN  that I witnessed as a reefer in my tank are more resilient and have polpys fully extended and bushy or flesh intack than the others that died. 

 

Conclusion, SPS especially the ACRO family need established tanks to give them best possible chance at growing and surviving.  My 12 gallon is only SPS and I have 6 months of when I started it.  I started placement of SPS at about 3 months into the tank being started.  (Had I waited longer, with more stability I would have better results.

 

What you see from my last video is the true color of each coral and how well it looks.  I have cyano all around areas of rock and base of some of the SPS that are glued to the rock.  I am still trying to balance out my Phosphates and Nitrates, I am running a ULNS and dosing Bright Wells Neo Phos, Neo Nitro.