Acropora Adventures and Other Anecdotes

OnPointCorals

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Alright guys. This thread has been a long time coming. I have gotten many times “why don’t you share more pictures”. So here I am.

I have been trying to decide if I should start this thread in the build area or here in the SPS section. As the build is long done and seeing where this is going to be more a picture share / growth progression documentation I opted for right here in the SPS Forum.

As you can assume, I keep mostly SPS (mainly Acropora). I will quickly detail my latest system. Feel free to ask any questions. Hopefully, we can learn from each other.

I will label this System 1 as I have another system being built which will be System 2. I will document some of that in this thread as it progresses. Should be interesting.

System 1 (Will be 2 years old in January):
  • 225 Gallon Custom Eurobraced running external overflow (Synergy) bean animal configuration (72”x30”x24” high)
  • 60 Gallon Frag Tank (48”x24”x12”)
  • 20 Gallon standalone refugium growing Cheatomorpha (When it decides to be happy)
  • 40 Gallon sump
I’ll detail more of the equipment in future posts. I have been in the hobby around 6 years and this is my 3rd System I have set up. More on that later for now let us get to a few pics, shall we.

What better place to jump this off than with some smoothies / deepwaters:

Start with a classic, you can never go wrong with the ORA Hawkins:
ORA_Hawkins-8003.jpg



This following Acro is growing more pinker than others I see pics of. It is just starting to take off, but Adam got me started with a very fair sized piece.
BC Angelica:
BC_Angelica-8000.jpg


This one I always assumed was a smoothie, but I'm not 100% positive on that.
BC Cemetery Party:
BC_Cemetery_Party-8011.jpg


This one I am really falling in love with. It is a recent (under a year) wild Indo Granulosa.
I have named it Granny's Raspberry Pie:
Wild_Granulosa-7870.jpg
 
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OnPointCorals

OnPointCorals

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As promised, here are the specs of my system.

1. Lighting:
Display tank 72x30x24:
• 4 Radion XR30 Pros G4 (oriented front to back because of the 30” depth of display tank)
• 60” Aquaticlife hybrid fixture with 24” brackets running 2 Blue+, 1 Coral+, 1 True actinic. All ATI bulbs.
Frag Tank 48x24x12:
• 3 Radion XR15 Pros G4
• 2 Kessils 360
• 48” Aquaticlife Hybrid fixture running 3 Blue+, 1 Coral+. All ATI Bulbs.
Refugium:
• 300 watt Mars Hydro grow light

2. Wavemakers:
Display tank:
• 5 Mp40s running various programs throughout the day
Frag tank:
• 2 Jebao CP 150
• 1 Jebao SOW15
Refugium:
• 1 Maxijet 1200

3. Return Pumps:
• 1 Jebao DCP10000 (goes to the display tank)
• 1 Jebao DCP10000 (goes to the manifold: UV Sterilizer, Chiller, Carbon reactor + Frag tank)

4. Overflows:
Display tank:
• Synergy Shadow overflow 16” (Bean animal)
Frag tank:
• Eshopps Eclipse Medium (Herbie)
Refugium:
• Dual Durso
*Note frag tank drains into Fuge drains into Sump

5. Full Apex 2016 with many add on components

6. Coralbox wifi doser (Alk, CAL, KALK, Acropower)

7. BRS Carbon Reactor

8. Reef Octopus Regal 250int

9. Avast Kalk Stirrer

10. AVAST skimmate locker

Few pics of the system:
System_documentation-8024.jpg


System_documentation-8028.jpg

System_documentation-8029.jpg


System_documentation-8031.jpg
System_documentation-8033.jpg
 
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OnPointCorals

OnPointCorals

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Looks amazing!
How’s the hybrid lighting? I think I’m about to add T5s to my radions too
Love those fixtures. Led with supplemental t5 in general I can’t imagine running anything else.
I am coming from ATI Sunpower with Reefbrites. I used that on my previous system and started this system (first 8 months) with a sunpower.
I have no comparison of just LED as I never ran that.
 
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OnPointCorals

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Sweet acros and system; love the sump and simple principals

Yes I try to keep it what I would call simple plus lol. I mostly, I guess, keep it simple although I’m not immune to the occasional trial of a product or two.
I try to not rush to chemical remedies. I’ve been in the hobby long enough to double, triple check and not to react quickly.

My system is long ready to switch to a calcium reactor but I’m still 2 part dosing. I have a large stoney coral load.

My calculated full system water volume is 310 gallons.

My dosing regiment consists of:
* 300ml ALK daily
* 300ml Calcium Daily
* 5000ml saturated Kalk via doser -> stirrer Daily
* 15ml Acropower daily
* 3 capfuls of coral amino dosed manually every 3 days mixed with reef chili
* Magnesium dosed when needed usually only once a month
* 35 gallon water change every other week using regular instant ocean

To go on record I’d like to mention I feel that Kalkwasser is absolutely key. PH matters, don’t let them tell you anything to the contrary. Also, I’m sure it helps to reduce the 2 part dosing a bit.
 

Ashish Patel

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Yes I try to keep it what I would call simple plus lol. I mostly, I guess, keep it simple although I’m not immune to the occasional trial of a product or two.
I try to not rush to chemical remedies. I’ve been in the hobby long enough to double, triple check and not to react quickly.

My system is long ready to switch to a calcium reactor but I’m still 2 part dosing. I have a large stoney coral load.

My calculated full system water volume is 310 gallons.

My dosing regiment consists of:
* 300ml ALK daily
* 300ml Calcium Daily
* 5000ml saturated Kalk via doser -> stirrer Daily
* 15ml Acropower daily
* 3 capfuls of coral amino dosed manually every 3 days mixed with reef chili
* Magnesium dosed when needed usually only once a month
* 35 gallon water change every other week using regular instant ocean

To go on record I’d like to mention I feel that Kalkwasser is absolutely key. PH matters, don’t let them tell you anything to the contrary. Also, I’m sure it helps to reduce the 2 part dosing a bit.


Great stuff. I've kind of figured out what works for me and what doesn't so going to stick with dosing Acropower, SR, iodine (every 4 days) Kalwasser I hope will be the final and last thing I will ever have to do to get faster growing acros. My previous sump had a build in ATO with a very tight space and lid so did not feel comfortalbe using Kalk in system. Now I get to have a ATO barrel reservoir to dump Kalk and a space for easy cleaning.
 
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OnPointCorals

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For today a couple pics:

This one has been my most stubborn piece owned to date. I have had this 3 years and it has stalled out multiple times. I have nipped and cut it trying to induce growth but nothing until now. Will it keep growing? I hope.

BC Bubblebath Unicorn
8/22/2018
5B02BC62-B1B1-488F-B350-AE2F8A4B25C0.jpeg

10/18/2019
DDA401DF-460D-4E0B-AB5D-1BB52DED47AF.jpeg

10/21/2020 (It's growing and coloring up, <fingers crossed>....never give up):
BC_BBU-7837.jpg


and let's do a colony pic.
This is one nice milli that not a lot of people seem to have. It probably could use a little less light to get those real orange tips that it is known for.
ARC Ultra Milli:
ARC_Ultra_Milli_Mother-7821.jpg

ARC_Ultra_milli-8084.jpg
 
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Great looking setup - I have a fairly new piece of the Bubblebath Unicorn too. It's interesting to see which frags just want to wait forever to grow or get colored up.
 
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OnPointCorals

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Here we go! Some more pics:

This Tenuis is settling in. I think it likes its placement.
Tyree Superman Tenuis:
Tyree_Superman_Tenuis-8066.jpg


Colony Pic. Another classic that doesn't seem to be around much lately.
Copps Hulk Milli:
Copps_Hulk_Milli-8072.jpg


This one I just got in 4 days ago. I got high hopes for it.
CC Pink Highlighter:
CC_Pink_Highlighter-8073.jpg
 
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OnPointCorals

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Figure I can share my parameters. People often ask.
Alk 8.8 - 9.5
Calcium 390 - 450
Magnesium 1385 - 1450
NO3 5 - 20
PO4 .03 - .08

Also as far as media I use very little to none. Filter socks I run for 2 days after water changes that is it. GFO I never run and will never run it again if I can help it. Carbon I run occasionally in very small amounts for very short periods of time. Anecdotally there is something sps do not like about running carbon 24/7. Others disagree, this is my opinion through observing over the years.

Got some pics for you all.

This one was sold to me as RMF Flavor Parade. I am pretty sure the guy who sold it to me mixed it up with something else. It has similarities to the PC Superman. I call it The Man of Steel:
Man_Of_Steel-8075.jpg


This is the nicest shortcake I have owned.
BC Hyperberry
BC_Hyperberry-8085.jpg


..and finish with a modern classic. I had big colony of this in my old system. It was one of the few casualties during transfer. I got it growing again.
Fox Flame:
Fox_Flame-8082.jpg
 
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OnPointCorals

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So there's a story on this one. Placement is important. It is on the top / end of a branching rock that pokes right out into the open swimming water column. Great for flow, bad for abuse by clumsy tangs. The top has been chopped off two times, never to be found again. Its healed mostly and starting to grow again. I would move it but its fully encrusted down the branch rock. And now it looks to have some minor tip damage again :(.

BC Space Laser:
BC_Space_Laser-8093.jpg


Here are two wild Indo millepora. Not real unique but looking pretty good. Similar but different.
Indo_Milli1-8099.jpg


Indo_Milli2-8100.jpg
 
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OnPointCorals

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The day wouldn't be complete without a pic.

Ya, I wish mine looked like that Reef Builders pic also.....but I love the blue polyps.

RRC Pink Cadillac:
RR_Pink_Cadillac-8110.jpg

RRC_Pink_Cadillac_Mother.jpg

Still would love to hear some Oyster Feast feedback also.
 
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A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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