My SPS Colonies & Frags

[kevlow]

Looking good, what are you using for flow? The colonies and frags look good. Love the new frag, got some potential.

Thank you Sir.
My flow is moderate. I need to improve in my 80g diplay. The return pump is an Ecotech M1 rutrning nearly wide open. But it splits and serves both tanks. The display also has an MP40 at 3/4 power.

The 40g frag tank is only 8" deep. It has two MP10s running on reefcrest mode at 3/4 speed. They are placed on opposite sides to conflict with each other. It has two more jets to just push some water around the dead spots. There are three return pipes coming from the shared pump.

I need to buy one more MP40 for the display and mount it opposite the first one.

 

[captan42]

beautiful! Where did you get those square rock cubes your frags are sitting on?

 

[kevlow]

beautiful! Where did you get those square rock cubes your frags are sitting on?

Cheap stuff from Home Depot.
The small frags are mounted on 2"x 2" ceramic tiles. The kind that come in a square foot sheet all connected by little rubber tabs. The whole sheet costs $1.98. Sometimes I cut the bottom of the frag plug off , leave the frag on the circular disk, and glue that to the 2"x 2" tile.

The larger colonies are mounted on granite or marble 4" x 4" tiles. They are about $4.00 for a pack of 8.

These protect the frag from damage caused by bulldosing snails that push them into other corals. The big tiles allow me to pick up entire colonies to trim and frag, or just to clean algae and detritus. I found I can move corals to new positions for better light and flow without causing damage trying to tear apart a reef display.

This system has worked very well for me since growing corals is what I like; and not so much creating realistic looking reef.

Thank you for the kind words.

 

[kevlow]

The tiles also allow me to stack them to adjust their height relative to the corals surrounding them. This helps compensate for crowding due to growth, and varying growth rates.

 

[RtomKinMad]

Beautiful coral!

 

[kevlow]

Beautiful coral!

Thank you, kindly. Hope all is well in Green Bay.

 

[kevlow]

Another little fraglett percolating in the shallow tank.
2018-07-10_06-02-31 by kev low, on Flickr

 

[kevlow]

Mr Sarmentosa did nothing for more then 8 months or so. Now he started growing, polyping, and fluffing up nicely. He even got his pink tips. For now he stays in the shallow tank.

_DSC2681 by kev low, on Flickr

 

[kevlow]

This guy has not turned out to be a beautiful as I once thought it would be. He looked better in the frag tank when he was small. I bought it as a powder blue mille. It changed colors a few times and has settled on the least desirable version. It sits in a prime place so I am thinking about demoting it or sending it back to the frag tank when something more worthy can take its place. But it is very healthy and resilient so I don't want to give up on it just yet.
_DSC2930 by kev low, on Flickr

Not and acro or mille but still a good looking coral. Ponape.

_DSC3074 by kev low, on Flickr

 

[kevlow]

Not an sps at all but one of the few lps that I kept. Blastos up close.

_DSC2876 by kev low, on Flickr

 

[happyhourhero]

Really great looking corals! Super vibrant with fantastic coloration. Well done!

 

[kevlow]

Really great looking corals! Super vibrant with fantastic coloration. Well done!

Thank you Sir.
I have been a follower of both your current and past tanks. You pull off a true mixed reef as well as any one can.
As I stated in the beginning of this new thread, a friend brought a real camera. For the first time I have quality pics instead of my garbage cheap cell phone pics. A quality camera makes an incredible difference. I am going to have to keep inviting them and their camera over, or break down a buy one myself. lol.

 

[ikolbaba06]

I’m liking the pics! I’ve just discovered those hd tiles and love the idea especially for frag grow out. Very easy to cut from and move around. Keep it coming!

 

[kevlow]

I’m liking the pics! I’ve just discovered those hd tiles and love the idea especially for frag grow out. Very easy to cut from and move around. Keep it coming!

Thank you kindly.
I don't think they could possibly work any better. The small 2x2 tiles have a shiny finish on the top side. So, I flip them over to the unfinished bottom side so the glue sticks better.

 

[danreefman]

Corals look good. Where's the full tank shots?

 

[Nimitz87]

amazing setup.

do you sell any frags locally?

 

[kevlow]

Corals look good. Where's the full tank shots?

Thank you and I will see if I can get a current one including the lighting. I would rather get a shot with my friends camera. I am now spoiled and do not like my cheap $50.00 android phone pics.

 

[kevlow]

amazing setup.

do you sell any frags locally?

Thank you.
No I don't sell anything. I am purely in this for the enjoyment [and of course the anguish and torment]. I have been known to share and trade, but never sell. If you are local then PM me . I just fraged back a lot of sps pieces and then gave away nearly all my lps. Then I accidentally fraged some more while cleaning and rearranging. lol.

 

[kevlow]

Corals look good. Where's the full tank shots?

Here are some bad cheap phone shots to give an idea of the set up. The lights are 14 1/2" above the display tank and 17" above the frag tank waterline.
2018-07-16_06-45-16 by kev low, on Flickr

A little closer
2018-07-16_06-49-14 by kev low, on Flickr

and traditional fts.

2018-07-16_06-51-01 by kev low, on Flickr

 

[kevlow]

Sorry for the glare!