Palting's 150 SPS dominated mixed reef

Palting · Sep 30, 2013

Okay, this will serve as Sept/Oct FTS update. If you click on the direct link below the FTS, you'll go to the full size photo and you'll see the STN damage, as well as the recovering areas. On a happier note, you'll see that the softies and LPS did not care about the low alk and have continued to grow,

http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab71/Kalawing/Aquarium3/2013-910_zps37706aa9.jpg~original

Flameback Pair · Oct 12, 2013

I'm excited because I will order a BM doser this week. I wish I did it before the price went up.

120spsking · Oct 13, 2013

Palting · Oct 14, 2013

Yup, the BM doser is nice, good bang for the buck even with the new price. I have mine set to make 24 small doses a day.

Thanks, 120spsking. The tank is slowly recovering. The old saying, "Nothing good happens fast in reef keeping", has proven true in my case. One week of inattention, and STN peaks about 2 weeks later. Only bad things happen fast. It has taken 6 weeks before I could see any noticeable recovery. Recovery is progressive, but slow. I am hoping I can see a fully recovered tank before Christmas, almost 4 months after the STN.

revhtree · Oct 14, 2013

Can't wait for new pics!

ehutchby · Oct 14, 2013

nice thread. tagging along..

Flameback Pair · Oct 14, 2013

Are those Koralia powerheads and do you run them on a wavemaker?

Palting · Oct 15, 2013

Thanks for the responses. I'll take an October update FTS when I get home later today. Yes, those are Koralia Evo 1500 gph powerheads. Specs are in my sig. No, they are not on a wavemaker. They are running continuously and have been doing so for over 3 years now. They are oriented in such a way that all the flows cross so that the resultant flow is chaotic and random.

TrishW · Oct 15, 2013

I couldn't see any of the photobucket pics. Why not just upload them to the site so that your thread isn't "broken"?

Palting · Oct 15, 2013

Sorry about that, Trish. I've uploaded large file photos to photobucket, so each click bring my count up quickly and I hit the max bandwith by mid month. Something I did not realize would happen. Anyhow, too much work now to re upload, so I guess I'll just upload directly from now on. Temporary fix is I went Photobucket Plus for a month. You can also click on my avatar to get to my album.

Well, here's my first attempt at a direct upload. FTS update for October, 2013:

eliramos · Oct 15, 2013

did you change your lighting early on? it looks so much better in your recent pics

Palting · Oct 15, 2013

Okay, so now on to the experiment comparing coral where I chopped off the parts with STN and the same coral where I just left things alone. I've come to the conclusion that it's a wash either way. Once the STN stopped, coral started slowly growing back. In the areas where I chopped off the STN, the coral developed growth buds quickly but length has been lost due to the chopped off skeleton. On the areas that were left alone, algae grew on the bare skeleton, but the coral tissue is growing and now pushing the algae back. It seems slower, but there is no loss of coral length as the coral grows over the old skeleton.

Here is Acropora yongeii. You can see combination areas of new buds where I had chopped off STN tips, as well as areas of re-growth over what was once algae covered tips.

Here is Acropora tenui. All the tips developed STN, then subsequently covered with algae. Now this one I did not chopped anything off. You can see where the coral tissue has pushed the algae back, and there are now bluish growing buds.

Palting · Oct 15, 2013

eliramos said:
did you change your lighting early on? it looks so much better in your recent pics

The MH lights were confusing the auto setting on the DSLR, and as result the prior photos looked washed out. I've been experimenting with manual exposure settings, and I've started to bracket the photos. I ended up with photos closer to real.

birdladiusa · Oct 18, 2013

there is hope for me, nice job

Palting · Oct 19, 2013

Thanks. The key is to find the STN cause. Mine was easy, as the only thing that changed in the last 3 years in my tank was the low alk from me forgetting to turn the doser back on for a week :squigglemouth: . If you find what caused yours and correct it, definitely there is hope for your tank.

Flameback Pair · Nov 2, 2013

Do you ever use a clean-up-crew?

Palting · Nov 3, 2013

I have a few hermits, cleaner shrimp, and 2 long spine urchins. I do have a lot of other critters that live in the rocks and substrate, though. Lots of worms, stars, etc., and these IMO are the true CUC.