45 Gallon Shallow Reef Build

[CBonito]

They kinda have that look but I think Fruit Loops have a yellow ring and the ring in those looks green to me. But it might just be the lighting?

Orange, super yellow and blue center. Could they be rastas? I'm going to peroxide dip them and put them in some light.
I can't see how it would be a tank condition or anything like that. It's probably just that they want more light and they are in a darker area. I've had them for well over a year, so I'm not worried about them dying. I'll know if they're happy or not happy with something I do.

...tis better to do something!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

^ I bought those blue hornets and the other ones like 1.5 years ago. They were like 3 polyps on a plug.
Now look at them! I bought some Bam Bams at the same time...they're still like 3 polyps on a plug. what the heck???
I dunno. I need the Bam Bams to do the same thing those did.

I am having a similar issue in my tank. Daisy Cutters, Utter Chaos, and Purple Monsters are growing well...every other variant is the same polyp count or less than when I bought them...

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

I'm no pro at Zoa IDs but I'm thinking maybe Fruit Loops?

I would say Fruit Loops as well!

Stock internets photo

 

[CBonito]

I'm no pro at Zoa IDs but I'm thinking maybe Fruit Loops?

Me neither. I'm an idiot with them and a lot of things.

6 months in the future when someone asks me what coral I have I'm gonna say "Well, you see it...it's blue acropora with pink tips." because I'm not going to even remember the name. I'm bad with stuff like that.

 

[CBonito]

I would say Fruit Loops as well!

Stock internets photo

Nailed it!!!

They're small too with the random one that doesnt even want to come out. Look at it. It's like "but there's some dummy staring at us!"

 

[CBonito]

Nailed it!!!

They're small too with the random one that doesnt even want to come out. Look at it. It's like "but there's some dummy staring at us!"

Actually WB nailed it, but you are both right.
Fruit Loops - There is just no other Zoo for me.

 

[TheWB]

Actually WB nailed it, but you are both right.
Fruit Loops - There is just no other Zoo for me.

I can't take credit, it was @tbrown who first called it. I couldn't tell. I'm no Zoa ID credit stealer, LOL

 

[tbrown]

Don't give me credit! Now everyone's going to start asking me for Zoa IDs!

 

[CBonito]

Don't give me credit! Now everyone's going to start asking me for Zoa IDs!

You're who I'm going to send them all to!

"If they multiply like herpes, they're the cheap ones, and if they take 5 years to turn from one to two, they're the snobby ones!"

 

[CBonito]

Just some shots I liked. I think tomorrow I'm getting off my butt and getting 2 more female lyres. long as they're larger than the redbelts, they're not getting bothered and the color just brings a completely pleasant atmosphere to the tank. Anthias are one of my favorites.

Check out my Aussie Gold. It's been baking up there in the light for a 2-3 days now and the colors are already coming in strong. It's growing too. So there are going to be multiple branches on that one soon I guess. I figured this would be a really slow one, but we'll find out. What's cool about that one is how the colors show strong in daylight.

If you look down to the right of my aussie gold, that's my judge judy HAHA!!! It looks like a dog turd.
But the base green color is getting strong and I see the very light pink coming in on the tip. It's also growing a new branch at the base, so that's cool and it's starting to grow over the putty. It's going to be nice.

My digitata on top is going through changes. It arrived pink with yellow tips, then sort of faded which I think was just the stress of being in a different tank now, but if i look at it from the top down, you can see that lightening they get just as they are about to explode into growth...so it is growing. What it will look like remains to be seen.
I think if I wanted it to have the colors it should have, it would need to be lower. But we'll just leave it and see what happens. If it's growing it's ok.

Another one that looks really good is my rainbow rommel. I'm thinking that one is going to start growing soon too.

My green slimer which will be an important part of the tank is growing upwards, but I'm still waiting to see any encrustation on the base yet. I mean, it's only been a few days since they were moved up, so it'll happen. I want this coral, my candlelight stag, my teal stag and a really sweet indo purple tip stag to be kind of the large centerpiece corals.

Everything is running good. I have like no concerns at the moment. Just need to keep things where they are.

ph peaked at 8.45 today which is fine with me. ORP around 405 which is surprising. Good water movement, good oxygenation, lots of current.

I think the tank is getting like 180 watts of light total right now at peak. I am starting to shift the peak spectrum whiter, not because I like it, but because it's correct.

It's going to be so cool with the 10 more acros I have coming. The right side of the tank is visually boring and I'm gonna fix that. In whiter light the 3 stylophora colonies there have a nice contrast, but in bluer light it all disappears, so we'll fix that.

Does anyone put their Acans on their rocks? I''ll have to see what spots I have after all the stags I have coming are put in. I'm tired of them being knocked over, but I've been feeding them and there are all new heads forming under the existing ones. It's shocking. They're going to get big so I'm not buying more of those. I have like 9 of them.

And a useless top-down but it shows the nice footprint this tank has and the room and rock structure i have. This is why I think I can have more fish. There's more footprint which I believe to be a lot more important than height.
It gives more territory.

I love to just stand here like an idiot and ponder what it's going to look like when everything grows in. I get a lot of inspiration from other members, and I've constructed my own vision for this tank out of all of that. How to bring that awesome big tank scape and appearance into a smaller tank.

 

[CBonito]

This is my replacement teal stag by the way. I stayed true and even though I killed the last really nice one, this one is even better and it will be fine. Looks like a nice specimen. It's coming with all the others.

This place not only distributes ORA and others, but it also sells frags from local reefers, so they always have cool and interesting stuff. This one is going center stage and it's going to be nice. It already looks like a nice piece. That's another thing...all their frags are nice pieces.

Give it up for my replacement teal stag!!! It's righteous!

 

[tbrown]

Just some shots I liked. I think tomorrow I'm getting off my butt and getting 2 more female lyres. long as they're larger than the redbelts, they're not getting bothered and the color just brings a completely pleasant atmosphere to the tank. Anthias are one of my favorites.

Check out my Aussie Gold. It's been baking up there in the light for a 2-3 days now and the colors are already coming in strong. It's growing too. So there are going to be multiple branches on that one soon I guess. I figured this would be a really slow one, but we'll find out. What's cool about that one is how the colors show strong in daylight.

If you look down to the right of my aussie gold, that's my judge judy HAHA!!! It looks like a dog turd.
But the base green color is getting strong and I see the very light pink coming in on the tip. It's also growing a new branch at the base, so that's cool and it's starting to grow over the putty. It's going to be nice.

My digitata on top is going through changes. It arrived pink with yellow tips, then sort of faded which I think was just the stress of being in a different tank now, but if i look at it from the top down, you can see that lightening they get just as they are about to explode into growth...so it is growing. What it will look like remains to be seen.
I think if I wanted it to have the colors it should have, it would need to be lower. But we'll just leave it and see what happens. If it's growing it's ok.

Another one that looks really good is my rainbow rommel. I'm thinking that one is going to start growing soon too.

My green slimer which will be an important part of the tank is growing upwards, but I'm still waiting to see any encrustation on the base yet. I mean, it's only been a few days since they were moved up, so it'll happen. I want this coral, my candlelight stag, my teal stag and a really sweet indo purple tip stag to be kind of the large centerpiece corals.

Everything is running good. I have like no concerns at the moment. Just need to keep things where they are.

ph peaked at 8.45 today which is fine with me. ORP around 405 which is surprising. Good water movement, good oxygenation, lots of current.

I think the tank is getting like 180 watts of light total right now at peak. I am starting to shift the peak spectrum whiter, not because I like it, but because it's correct.

It's going to be so cool with the 10 more acros I have coming. The right side of the tank is visually boring and I'm gonna fix that. In whiter light the 3 stylophora colonies there have a nice contrast, but in bluer light it all disappears, so we'll fix that.

Does anyone put their Acans on their rocks? I''ll have to see what spots I have after all the stags I have coming are put in. I'm tired of them being knocked over, but I've been feeding them and there are all new heads forming under the existing ones. It's shocking. They're going to get big so I'm not buying more of those. I have like 9 of them.

And a useless top-down but it shows the nice footprint this tank has and the room and rock structure i have. This is why I think I can have more fish. There's more footprint which I believe to be a lot more important than height.
It gives more territory.

I love to just stand here like an idiot and ponder what it's going to look like when everything grows in. I get a lot of inspiration from other members, and I've constructed my own vision for this tank out of all of that. How to bring that awesome big tank scape and appearance into a smaller tank.

My Micromussa Lordhowensis (previously called Acans) are on the lower rockwork in shade.

 

[JoJosReef]

You're who I'm going to send them all to!

"If they multiply like herpes, they're the cheap ones, and if they take 5 years to turn from one to two, they're the snobby ones!"

Apparently @tbrown 's snobs caught the herp.

 

[JoJosReef]

I am having a similar issue in my tank. Daisy Cutters, Utter Chaos, and Purple Monsters are growing well...every other variant is the same polyp count or less than when I bought them...

Seems like some of the bulletproof ones just don't work in some people's tanks. I've got a couple that are sitting months without sprouting a polyp. Alive, but clearly not interested in reproduction.

 

[tbrown]

Which ones?

 

[CBonito]

Seems like some of the bulletproof ones just don't work in some people's tanks. I've got a couple that are sitting months without sprouting a polyp. Alive, but clearly not interested in reproduction.

Exactly. That's what these are doing. They're really small and few.

 

[CBonito]

Which ones?

Those are wild.

 

[TheWB]

Which ones?

I really feel like you should send me some of those. @tharbin has my address. I’ll be standing by.
Seriously though, that’s a gold mine, not that you don’t already know.

 

[CBonito]

"Yeah, I'll give you one...for your rolex."

 

[tbrown]

"Yeah, I'll give you one...for your rolex."

Actually, I'm considering posting a "colony" of 15+ for trade for a Hydros X4/XP8 Control pack...