Mammoth Nano SPS Reef

Dugless · Apr 30, 2019

Still encrusting and maybe a smidge more color. I'm anxious to see this one's growth formation.

BC Cemetery Party

Dugless · May 1, 2019

I had to hound Adam a few times to get this one. I'm glad I did. It is getting more colorful with time.

BC Frankenberry

bubbaque · May 1, 2019

Is it the original? I know there is a 2.0 version out there that is nice.

Dugless · May 1, 2019

bubbaque said:
Is it the original? I know there is a 2.0 version out there that is nice.

That is a good question. I received my frag last fall, so I suppose Adam would know better than anyone. I didn't even know there was a 2.0.

bubbaque · May 1, 2019

Dugless said:
That is a good question. I received my frag last fall, so I suppose Adam would know better than anyone. I didn't even know there was a 2.0.

I know @therman has both versions. He may share a pic of each or give his thoughts on them.

therman · May 1, 2019

Frankenberry v1 is quite old, and more of a darker wine red color with some blue-green undertones. If you got it last fall it's almost certainly v2, and that's what it looks like in the photo...it is a brighter tomato red to pinkish, with light blue tips in its prime.

PaulPerger · May 1, 2019

How about a FTS... It's been a while. Just went through this entire build thread. Going to follow. Awesome looking corals!

SneakyTortuga · May 1, 2019

I feel like there is no way this actually a nano reef tank! Too many corals. I feel bamboozled! I 2nd the need for a a FTS [emoji6]

SeaDweller · May 1, 2019

Dugless said:
I had to hound Adam a few times to get this one. I'm glad I did. It is getting more colorful with time.

BC Frankenberry

I have therman’s frankenberry 2.0. It’s nice, mine is a reddish color, but that magenta-y color of yours is nice!

Ling_Thing · May 1, 2019

ok its time for some pics of the camera equipment your using, i don't know if im more impressed with your photography skills or your coral growing skills...

Dugless · May 1, 2019

Ling_Thing said:
ok its time for some pics of the camera equipment your using, i don't know if im more impressed with your photography skills or your coral growing skills...

I'm learning the photography part as I go. I use a Nikon D750 with a Tamron 90mm VC macro lens (F017). I think the lens really is the champion for getting nice crisp shots as it has a stability mechanism to eliminate blur. Every shot I take is hand held and rarely is an image unusable because of blur. I shoot with a larger aperture (f4.5) to allow for the most amount of light with a quick shutter speed (1/200) and a lower ISO (250). Unfortunately it is a delicate balance as the larger aperture limits the depth of field, but for small frags this is okay.

The tube I use to shoot top down pics is from Building an Obsession. I like this tube because it attaches by screw to the tripod mount. This allows the lens to operate freely and focus as needed without being hindered by the weight of the tube. It also gives me the freedom to toggle the different settings available on the body of the lens without obstruction.

The last key to the puzzle is editing in Lightroom and Photoshop. I do my best to edit the pics accurately. I'm lucky enough to have a good amount of experience in this arena as I do graphic design for a living. I have spent thousands of hours in Photoshop. I'm fortunate to be comfortable enough to edit pictures quickly and with decent results.

Dugless · May 3, 2019

A fairly recent frag I picked up from Bubba. I spotted this coral in the background of one of his pics and bothered him for a frag. One of the better, if not the best source for frags I've discovered. His honesty and concern for the resulting frag success is top notch.

TCK New Dragon

bubbaque · May 3, 2019

Dugless said:
A fairly recent frag I picked up from Bubba. I spotted this coral in the background of one of his pics and bothered him for a frag. One of the better, if not the best source for frags I've discovered. His honesty and concern for the resulting frag success is top notch.

TCK New Dragon

Thanks bud. I’m glad they are doing well for you.

Jaysushi · May 5, 2019

@Dugless Man I am having some serious sps envy from your tank lol. I started adding a few pieces of sps in early March of this year and they are slowly encrusting.
I need to hit up @bubbaque for some frags since he also lives in FL!

Dugless · May 6, 2019

A quick full tank shot. Unfortunately not much to see other than a bunch of small frags.

drawman · May 6, 2019

Dugless said:
A quick full tank shot. Unfortunately not much to see other than a bunch of small frags.

Looks very nice and clean. Great job!

bubbaque · May 6, 2019

I agree. Very nice and clean setup. How long has your tank been up and running? Did you start with dry rock?

Dugless · May 6, 2019

bubbaque said:
I agree. Very nice and clean setup. How long has your tank been up and running? Did you start with dry rock?

I'm using Real Reef rock, it is man made. I placed that in a Brute can and cured it for 5 months. The aquarium start date was January 2018. I moved the rock in at that time and shortly after introduced some pods. The first fish hit the water in February. I tested things with a couple frags early on and didn't have enough success to be confident enough to introduce more coral until September. I struggled with any kind of coral color or growth for the first 9 months. Some of my corals are still stunted from the struggles of these first few months.

I still think there is room for improvement and I don't consider the tank to be fully established yet. It will most likely be years before things hit their stride. In my previous setup I had 250lbs of nice 10yr old fiji rock that provided so much biodiversity and I think that rock was responsible for a lot of my success.