Mark's 150 gallon SPS heavy reef

[markalot]

Thanks all for the kind words.

I stated a maintenance dose of NOPOX 2 weeks ago, which is 5ml a day for this tank. Water looked murky and the clowns had stopped laying eggs so I figured I might try some carbon dosing to maybe drive the TDS down a bit. Water cleared quickly and skimmate stinks, both expected. Clowns started laying eggs again, might be a coincidence, but acro colors have gone up a couple of notches. All in all very good results so far, I just have to make sure not to go overboard and starve the tank.

The slimer is the first to react to improved water and has started one of it's massive growth spurts. Simply an amazing acro, but it's BIG and getting BIGGER fast.

 

[s2nhle]

Very beautiful.

 

[CoralWealth]

very nice Mark. Did you use NOPOX because you had it around or why did you choose that one?

I want to start doing some carbon dosing to hopefully help bring down my phosphate and especially nitrate level in my tank and I was just going to do the vinegar route but seeing your tank, I am interested in the NOPOX

 

[markalot]

Very beautiful.

Thanks.

very nice Mark. Did you use NOPOX because you had it around or why did you choose that one?

I want to start doing some carbon dosing to hopefully help bring down my phosphate and especially nitrate level in my tank and I was just going to do the vinegar route but seeing your tank, I am interested in the NOPOX

Thanks.

I had it around, purchased before my big crash. I had gone through a bottle and had just started a second one when it all went downhill. Back in those days I would expect near instant results and dosed WAY too much. I still use a drop of PhosphateRx daily as well for the PO4. Both Nitrates and PO4 read limited in this tank but for whatever reason testing those is not really useful at the moment. I would be very careful using anything like this on a tank less than a year old, but I'm not sure why it never seems to work well for me. All my bare rock is covered in either a black green turf algae or Xenia, which may be why NO3 and PO4 read low even though acros are telling me it's elevated.

If the acros pale I will cut back or stop NOPOX, otherwise I will continue with the daily 5ml and feeding twice a week with Reef Chili (I ran out of Reef Roids a month ago).

 

[Tobbe]

looks fantastic!! great work

 

[Tahoe61]

Are you still using the NOPOX? Any chance of getting a FTS please.

 

[markalot]

Are you still using the NOPOX? Any chance of getting a FTS please.

Howdy,

yea, I'm overdue here for some pics I took a few days ago. Still using NOPOX, trying to balance it with PhosphateRx. I had some LPS issues after a few weeks using both so at the moment I'm only using NOPOX. I had managed to knock the Xenia back a bit, they looked stressed, and the acros looked great, but the change was a bit much for an Acan and my big Frogspawn. It's funny how sometimes the acros, when healthy, can tolerate more than some easier corals can.

FTS

Top downs

Same milli, up top under 450 PAR

Palmers Blue, no over a year in this tank, still hates me.

#Katropora

 

[Tahoe61]

Howdy,
It's funny how sometimes the acros, when healthy, can tolerate more than some easier corals can.

Isn't that the truth.

Beautiful update thank you!

Watching the evolution of this tank over years and umm cough cough other forums has been inspirational.

Palmers Blue Milli has always been a must have fantasy coral for me, it's not easy to come by. Battle has it occasionally but the timing is never right for me.

 

[drawman]

Very pretty shots and coral Mark! Keep up the good work!

 

[BigJohnny]

Isn't that the truth.

Beautiful update thank you!

Watching the evolution of this tank over years and umm cough cough other forums has been inspirational.

Palmers Blue Milli has always been a must have fantasy coral for me, it's not easy to come by. Battle has it occasionally but the timing is never right for me.

Wwc sells frags. Just got one from their live sale for $65. Then one of my fish proceeded to knock it off the rock where it was mounted onto the sandbed, where I found it rtnd. Good times

 

[Monkeytank]

Looks awesome! I have a question for you, in my tank a lot of the sps that are close to each other fight. I don't see any of yours fighting. Any idea what the difference is?

 

[markalot]

Isn't that the truth.

Beautiful update thank you!

Watching the evolution of this tank over years and umm cough cough other forums has been inspirational.

Palmers Blue Milli has always been a must have fantasy coral for me, it's not easy to come by. Battle has it occasionally but the timing is never right for me.

Thanks. I was told the Palmer's Blue looks better as it ages. It's at least growing now and the new branches do look a little blue, but so far mostly bleh.

Very pretty shots and coral Mark! Keep up the good work!

Thanks drawman!

Wwc sells frags. Just got one from their live sale for $65. Then one of my fish proceeded to knock it off the rock where it was mounted onto the sandbed, where I found it rtnd. Good times

I moved mine once and it broke in half , which set it back a few months, or a year. It's so SLOW for me.

Looks awesome! I have a question for you, in my tank a lot of the sps that are close to each other fight. I don't see any of yours fighting. Any idea what the difference is?

Thanks Monkeytank. They fight, if it's really bad I usually move or cut branches that are touching. The big Valida wins all wars so far, and you can see where the pink lemonade (if that's what it is) and the Valida met, with the valida doing what it always does, casually encrusting over and killing anything it touches.

I try an only put my hands in the tank once a month to trim Xenia and stop any bad fights.

 

[s2nhle]

Wow, very healthy sps

 

[Tahoe61]

Dang you make Valida look good!

Is that a Hawkins Enchinata below the SSC and above the Palys? Do you ever see any day time PE?

 

[A_game43]

Really great to see the tank now after a mini crash/pest removal & rock work. The 1st acro pic looks really sweet. I run T5 (6bulb) and two BML as well over my 120g tank and really like the look.

 

[914joe]

Beautiful!!! You have a lot to admire... Thanks for sharing

 

[markalot]

Wow, very healthy sps

Thanks. I do dose AF Vitality (Vitamins) 2 drops daily but I have no way of knowing if this improves health or not.

Dang you make Valida look good!

Is that a Hawkins Enchinata below the SSC and above the Palys? Do you ever see any day time PE?

That's a Lokani of some sort. I bought it an a few others at a going a store that was changing owners. It was in horrible shape but alive, and survived my tank crash without losing any flesh. Now that the tank is healthy it's losing flesh where shaded. More irony. The picture above it was sold to me as Hawkins, but actual lineage unknown. I see PE when I feed and huge PE at night, but for the most part no for both of those. The Lokani has monster clear polyps at night.

Really great to see the tank now after a mini crash/pest removal & rock work. The 1st acro pic looks really sweet. I run T5 (6bulb) and two BML as well over my 120g tank and really like the look.

Thanks. I miss BML, now they are all in the POT growing business and have renamed themselves. Good on them for making money, but when these lights die there si no replacement unless I can talk Dave at NanoBox into building a giant strip light for me.

Beautiful!!! You have a lot to admire... Thanks for sharing

Thanks Joe.

 

[revhtree]

Just gorgeous!!!!!

 

[marvelousone]

Did you change your light fixture. If you did why.

 

[markalot]

Did you change your light fixture. If you did why.

Hey marvelous.

From when? I've been running the NanoBox hybrid for over a year now, before that is was a 6 bulb T5 unit. I've got BML strip lights in front of and behind the main light to add some blue and violet, but those have been up since I first went to T5.