Sweet Reef Corals Eye Candy Thread

[Sweet Reef Corals]

That’s what I’ve been waiting for. What’s this one?

Cpt Crozier

I’ll have a pic of a new Jumanji as soon as I get some time. I lost the original but was able to get another. All I can say is don’t trust ICP tests to help you with dosing any trace elements.

 

[chipchipbro]

Cpt Crozier

I’ll have a pic of a new Jumanji as soon as I get some time. I lost the original but was able to get another. All I can say is don’t trust ICP tests to help you with dosing any trace elements.

Best advice ever!
I never dose any traces according to ICP

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Cpt Crozier

I’ll have a pic of a new Jumanji as soon as I get some time. I lost the original but was able to get another. All I can say is don’t trust ICP tests to help you with dosing any trace elements.

Sorry to hear that but glad you found another one. Where did you find one? Not many of those around

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Best advice ever!
I never dose any traces according to ICP

I was kinda trying to follow what Shane SBB was doing a while back. I ran an ICP and was 0 on Iodine, Manganese and very low on Potassium and Strontium. So I got the ATI supplements and started with half of the recommended dosage listed on the ICP. I dosed twice a week and kept track of my dosing numbers. Once a month I’d send a new ICP in and check results and bump up the elements because I was always 0 or very low for those same elements. Basically the dosing “appeared” to have no effect on the numbers at all. Well those numbers were simply wrong and as we all know, by the time the acros started showing stressors, it was too late. I lost several high end pieces. That was about mid 2022. I’ve quit dosing everything at this point (except for the trio) and I just do religious once a week water changes now. It convinced me to quit chasing that little bit of extra umpf in the corals. Well, things have never been better now…

 

[chipchipbro]

I was kinda trying to follow what Shane SBB was doing a while back. I ran an ICP and was 0 on Iodine, Manganese and very low on Potassium and Strontium. So I got the ATI supplements and started with half of the recommended dosage listed on the ICP. I dosed twice a week and kept track of my dosing numbers. Once a month I’d send a new ICP in and check results and bump up the elements because I was always 0 or very low for those same elements. Basically the dosing “appeared” to have no effect on the numbers at all. Well those numbers were simply wrong and as we all know, by the time the acros started showing stressors, it was too late. I lost several high end pieces. That was about mid 2022. I’ve quit dosing everything at this point (except for the trio) and I just do religious once a week water changes now. It convinced me to quit chasing that little bit of extra umpf in the corals. Well, things have never been better now…

Thats absolutely accurate to what ive experienced.
Imo, some elements are comsumed instantly and ICP always show 0 or lets say too low...
If you constantly dose this elements, sometimes I think you have just a trace overdose, right?

The best thing ive experienced so far is the Modern Reef Proportional Consumption system and weekly to bi.weekly 10-20% WC's.

Imo chasing single elements according to ICPs most likely leads to stressed corals.

Tbh. I dont know the reef moonshiners system.. but some have success and I think its also a method to single dose elements. For me, its not worth the hassle.. as religious WC's shown the best results ever with happy corals.

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

I wholeheartedly agree with you on “For me, its not worth the hassle.. as religious WC's shown the best results ever with happy corals.”!!

 

[BirdFish5000]

I'm terrible with SPS as it is, and definitely worse when I try any sort of additives. Nowadays, my tank is just very high flow (six powerheads in a RS250), highlight (300 sand bed, 600 top of rocks), a lot of fish, a big algae scrubber & skimmer, and that's it. Might finally be seeing the light of day. Simplicity it is!

 

[i cant think]

I'm terrible with SPS as it is, and definitely worse when I try any sort of additives. Nowadays, my tank is just very high flow (six powerheads in a RS250), highlight (300 sand bed, 600 top of rocks), a lot of fish, a big algae scrubber & skimmer, and that's it. Might finally be seeing the light of day. Simplicity it is!

Additives have caused my SPS reef to gain Cyano and a multitude of other algae… I no longer add Reef Roids as my Cyano issue is on the rise.

 

[BirdFish5000]

Today's po4 at 0.12, but no3 at 0.25. Turned my skimmer a good bit drier.

 

[KK's Reef]

So happy to have this gem growing good for me again!

JF HOMEWRECKER

Here’s a new one that I just upgraded the plug on. Even though you can’t see it in this pic, it’s starting to get the flame at the base of the polyps. So excited to see what this one turns into in a few more months.

TSA KING CARAÇAO

What happened to your JF Homewrecker before?

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

What happened to your JF Homewrecker before?

About 3 yrs ago I had an amazing, thriving stick collection with my 2 largest colonies being the HW and the RRU Orange Passion (still trying to get this one). I added a 7’ frag tank onto the system and with that came an explosion of uglies. The worst being GHA. It was taking over everything and I couldn’t get in front of it. So against all the horror stories I got a sea hare. He was doing a bang up job and all the sudden a wrasse killed him. Well, it’s true what they say about Sea Hares, it released a toxin into my system that wiped out 75% of my SPS

I was able to get a nice frag back in Aug 2022 and a couple more in November. They’re all doing fantastic!

 

[KK's Reef]

About 3 yrs ago I had an amazing, thriving stick collection with my 2 largest colonies being the HW and the RRU Orange Passion (still trying to get this one). I added a 7’ frag tank onto the system and with that came an explosion of uglies. The worst being GHA. It was taking over everything and I couldn’t get in front of it. So against all the horror stories I got a sea hare. He was doing a bang up job and all the sudden a wrasse killed him. Well, it’s true what they say about Sea Hares, it released a toxin into my system that wiped out 75% of my SPS

I was able to get a nice frag back in Aug 2022 and a couple more in November. They’re all doing fantastic!

Thanks for sharing. The Homewrecker is one of the sticks in my tiny tank and the only one I"m having trouble with. It was a bright green frag when I got it back in August of 2022. It's been slowly getting paler and paler. Still have PE at night, but it almost looks bleached and the tissue looks wrinkly.

It's still on a frag plug on the sand bed. It gets around 260 PAR (guestimate based on BRS video of the lights that I have) and also low flow. I've upped the flow last week and will glue it down to the top of the rocks for more light intensity. I dose Acro Power and phyto MWF. Water change every Sunday.

Any tips to help it recover? Funny thing is, it's right next to an SC Orange Passion frag and that frag is doing extremely well.

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Thanks for sharing. The Homewrecker is one of the sticks in my tiny tank and the only one I"m having trouble with. It was a bright green frag when I got it back in August of 2022. It's been slowly getting paler and paler. Still have PE at night, but it almost looks bleached and the tissue looks wrinkly.

It's still on a frag plug on the sand bed. It gets around 260 PAR (guestimate based on BRS video of the lights that I have) and also low flow. I've upped the flow last week and will glue it down to the top of the rocks for more light intensity. I dose Acro Power and phyto MWF. Water change every Sunday.

Any tips to help it recover? Funny thing is, it's right next to an SC Orange Passion frag and that frag is doing extremely well.

I would ditch the aminos. That would be on my short list of why it’s struggling. If you can’t test for it, you shouldnt dose it, in my opinion. Yes, I have broken that rule several times and I’ve paid dearly for it lol. Also, what are your nutrient levels? Does it bottom out often? I keep mine steady at .08 & 20

 

[KK's Reef]

I would ditch the aminos. That would be on my short list of why it’s struggling. If you can’t test for it, you shouldnt dose it, in my opinion. Yes, I have broken that rule several times and I’ve paid dearly for it lol. Also, what are your nutrient levels? Does it bottom out often? I keep mine steady at .08 & 20

Last week's test, PO4 was .10. Usual range is .08 to .12. Sometimes it gets down to .04 when I don't feed the tank as much that particular week.

Alk range is 7.60 to 8.20.

I don't test for nitrates.

 

[bubbaque]

I was kinda trying to follow what Shane SBB was doing a while back. I ran an ICP and was 0 on Iodine, Manganese and very low on Potassium and Strontium. So I got the ATI supplements and started with half of the recommended dosage listed on the ICP. I dosed twice a week and kept track of my dosing numbers. Once a month I’d send a new ICP in and check results and bump up the elements because I was always 0 or very low for those same elements. Basically the dosing “appeared” to have no effect on the numbers at all. Well those numbers were simply wrong and as we all know, by the time the acros started showing stressors, it was too late. I lost several high end pieces. That was about mid 2022. I’ve quit dosing everything at this point (except for the trio) and I just do religious once a week water changes now. It convinced me to quit chasing that little bit of extra umpf in the corals. Well, things have never been better now…

How long did you actually dose before issues showed up?

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

How long did you actually dose before issues showed up?

I believe it was happening so slowly that I didn’t notice it for about 3 months. My buddy came over one day and said the sticks looked kinda pale. A month later I started losing random stick colonies. After I realized it was likely due to the trace dosing, it took 2.5 months of weekly 15% water changes with a couple 30% WC’s thrown in before I started seeing really good color and growth return.

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Finally got all my January/early February shipments out earlier this week so I pulled out the DSLR to play around a bit.

First thing I wanted to check was the growth rate on the Homewrecker

1-19-23 photo

2-16-23 photo

I’ll take that growth rate any day! Not only is it growing really well, it is also coloring up beautifully. Check out the pinks coming in on this closer shot below.....

In all honesty, I don’t think things have been any better in my system than they have been for the last 3-4 months and I am super thankful. The system has been humming so well that even this piece has exploded with color and popped several branches. This coral has been dormant since I got it back on 5-7-21. It slowly encrusted the plug over that time but that was it until recently. It’s even getting some color coming in at the base of the polyps. I’m super stoked to watch this one develop....it’s supposed to be a looker

RRC MARDI GRAS

**note: I still struggle with photographing predominantly blue corals. The pic just doesn’t begin to do this one justice

 

[biecacka]

looking good man! glad to see the tank turning around for you buddy.


corey

 

[Joe462]

Finally got all my January/early February shipments out earlier this week so I pulled out the DSLR to play around a bit.

First thing I wanted to check was the growth rate on the Homewrecker

1-19-23 photo

2-16-23 photo

I’ll take that growth rate any day! Not only is it growing really well, it is also coloring up beautifully. Check out the pinks coming in on this closer shot below.....

In all honesty, I don’t think things have been any better in my system than they have been for the last 3-4 months and I am super thankful. The system has been humming so well that even this piece has exploded with color and popped several branches. This coral has been dormant since I got it back on 5-7-21. It slowly encrusted the plug over that time but that was it until recently. It’s even getting some color coming in at the base of the polyps. I’m super stoked to watch this one develop....it’s supposed to be a looker

RRC MARDI GRAS

**note: I still struggle with photographing predominantly blue corals. The pic just doesn’t begin to do this one justice

Thats great to see and hear. In the last month my stuff has really started come around. that mardi gras looks like a winner

 

[BirdFish5000]

Holy smokes, that has to be one of the fastest growing Homewreckers I've ever seen