Sierra_Bravo's "What did I get myself into??" 120g in-wall build thread

[WallyB]

I placed a frag of Forest Fire digi (left) next to CB's Bubblegum digi as a little experiment. The hope was that they would intertwine, but so far they keep a small but respected distance between them as they grow.

That's amazing....wonder if they sense each other chemically and keep distance...or is it flow and similar grow style....

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I'm noticing that my anthias male gets so aggressive sometimes chasing females that they accidentally break off the tips of coral branches. This is my first rodeo and I've only been blessed with having corals with multiple branches the last 6 mos or so, but I'm assuming this happens frequently the more room that the corals take up, correct?

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Three month's growth on Pink Cadillac. This guy looks promising!

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

In a recent previous post I had mentioned that I wasn't overly concerned about overcrowding, but looking at how things are growing I'm considering whether I want to rearrange some things and cull the ones that never took off. Probably my worst crowded are these four: RR the Vinh, PC Rainbow, Garf Bonsai, and sarmentosa on the 11 o'clock of the bonsai. The Garf bonsai has encrusted WAY more than I ever thought it would and the PC Rainbow is beginning to show a lot of lateral branching about to occur. Unfortunately, the PC rainbow grew over a gap and is actually spread 60/40 on two different rocks so it's not going anywhere. The sarmentosa and Garf bonsai are firmly encrusted on one solid large rock (done that way before I knew better). Everything else I can move around pretty easy.

I might try to move some stuff around one of these weekends that I'm not at the daughter's volleyball tournaments.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I decided that I'm going to do some re-arranging this weekend to open things up a bit. In preparation, tonight I removed my Battlecorals "I Heart the Monster Hero" tort and cut it into some nice frags to sell locally.

 

[Janci]

That is well cut and fragged.
You did not take out the max as the frag shapes are pretty and not microscopic.
Good job.

(I understand that cutting smaller makes more frag plugs, more putty, more glue, bigger frag rack.... more job. LOL)

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

That is well cut and fragged.
You did not take out the max as the frag shapes are pretty and not microscopic.
Good job.

(I understand that cutting smaller makes more frag plugs, more putty, more glue, bigger frag rack.... more job. LOL)

Thanks, Janci. I wasn't looking to maximize what I could get money-wise. I cut them the way I'd like to get them myself. I have two LFS stores here that I work with. One trades frags for store credit and the other gives cash. Neither has a great selection of acros so if I can provide them with a nice frag to offer their customers it makes for a good relationship. I also have sold and even given away through the local forums and Facebook to local hobbyists. It's nice to finally have enough growth to help contribute to the supply here in my area.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I've had some liverock in my sump since I started the tank. I took a piece out to break for a filler and this bivalve was in one of the cavities. It's lived down there under the chaeto all this time. I have no idea what species it is. I moved it up to a dark area of my display where I can watch it and see how it does.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

 

[BantyRooster97]

Love the red dragon! I've had frags of it several times, grows like crazy. But if anything goes wrong in the tank, it has always been the first to die. Good indicator of an issue though... but I can never get it to recover once it starts to go down hill.

Tank looks great!

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I bought a used Nikon D5300. I can't for the life of me figure out how make it do what I want it to! This is the first picture I took that I liked and I don't even know how I got to here because it definately doesn't look like what it did in live view. I used Raw Therapee to change the white balance and exposure values.

 

[sean84115]

I bought a used Nikon D5300. I can't for the life of me figure out how make it do what I want it to! This is the first picture I took that I liked and I don't even know how I got to here because it definately doesn't look like what it did in live view. I used Raw Therapee to change the white balance and exposure values.

I have the same camera, what is it that you are having trouble with?

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I have the same camera, what is it that you are having trouble with?

Thanks, but I'm truly at Photography 101. . . like where you have to walk me through what exactly an aperature does. All I've ever used before is my phone and point and shoots. I'm in the process of reading threads and researching to get to a level where I can even ask questions, but I appreciate the offer!

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Not exactly worthy of Reefkeeper Monthly but not bad for a first try. If nothing else, at least my Vivid Rainbow Delight is starting to finally color up!

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

For documentation purposes: Today I managed to drop a 304 stainless steel washer into the tank - probably a size 8. I don't expect it to cause any issue, but I 'm recording that it happened just in case.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

RR The Vinh doing well:

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Weird things you do when it's late and you can't fall asleep: Inventory of the corals in my 120 gallon:

Acropora:
A. Speciosa unnamed
ASD Rainbow Milli
BC "I Heart My Monster Hero" tort
BC Grapejuice
Boom Corals "Acro J"
CC Needle in a Haystack
CR Electric Myagi Tort
DaM milli
Farmer Ty Blue Lemonade
Farmer Ty Bluebonnet Bottlebrush
Farmer Ty Ectoplasm
Farmer Ty Efflo
Farmer Ty Eternal Flame
FHC Do-Si-Dos
FHC Red Rage
Garf Bonsai
Ge Purple Orchid
Green Slimer
Hawkin's Echinata
Jason Fox Fox Flame
JG Yellow
Ora Borealis
Ora Chips
Ora Pearlberry
Oregon Tort
Palmer's Blue Milli
PC Rainbow
Pink Sarmentosa
Poto Tweedy Bird
RR Flavor Parade
RR Pink Cadillac
RR Red Diablo
RR The Vinh
RR USA Wolverine
Snipers Blue Bubble Yum (BC Snipers Blue Something or Other)
TCK Dragonfire
Tubbs Mystic Blue
Tyree Red Dragon
UC Bali Shortcake
UC Strawberry Shortcake
Unknown "Iridescent" (similar to Pearlberry)
Vivid Rainbow Delight
WWC Juicy Fruit
WWC Yellow Tips

Other SPS
Cornbred's Bubble Gum digi
Forest Fire digi
Jedi Mind Trick monti
Montipora spongodes
Tubbs Stelleta
Tyree Rainbow Stylo
Tyree True Undata


LPS
Blue Eye favites
Gator Echinata
Jason Fox Day-Glo Favites
Laker's Scroll Coral
"Splatter" War Coral Favites

 

[WallyB]

Weird things you do when it's late and you can't fall asleep: Inventory of the corals in my 120 gallon:

Acropora:
A. Speciosa unnamed
ASD Pink Lights
ASD Rainbow Milli
BC "I Heart My Monster Hero" tort
BC Grapejuice
Boom Corals "Acro J"
CC Needle in a Haystack
CR Electric Myagi Tort
DAM milli
Farmer Ty Blue Lemonade
Farmer Ty Bluebonnet Bottlebrush
Farmer Ty Ectoplasm
Farmer Ty Efflo
Farmer Ty Eternal Flame
FHC Bonsai
FHC Red Rage
Garf Bonsai
Ge Purple Orchid
Green Slimer
Hawkin's Echinata
Jason Fox Fox Flame
Ora Borealis
Ora Chips
Ora Pearlberry
Oregon Tort
Palmer's Blue Milli
PC Rainbow
Pink Sarmentosa
Poto Tweedy Bird
RR Flavor Parade
RR Pink Cadillac
RR Red Diablo
RR The Vinh
RR USA Wolverine
Snipers Blue Bubble Yum (BC Blue Something or Other)
TCK Dragonfire
Tubbs Mystic Blue
Tyree Red Dragon
UC Bali Shortcake
UC Strawberry Shortcake
Unknown "Iridescent" (similar to Pearlberry)
Vivid Rainbow Delight
WWC Juicy Fruit
WWC Yellow Tips
YG Yellow milli

Other SPS
Cornbred's Bubble Gum digi
Forest Fire digi
Jedi Mind Trick monti
Montipora spongodes
Tubbs Stelleta
Tyree Rainbow Stylo
Tyree True Undata


LPS
Blue Eye favites
Gator Echinata
Jason Fox Day-Glo Favites
Laker's Scroll Coral
"Splatter" War Coral Favites

WOW!!! Great collection.

Now a matching Photo of each with the Name

 

[WallyB]

Three month's growth on Pink Cadillac. This guy looks promising!

ok. This proves my Frags are growing too slow. My pink Cadillac hasn't done that much in 9 months+.
However it just, JUST started encrusting like yours a bit faster for some reason.

Remind me again what your Phosphate level is.
I am convinced my P (which was at 0.3 and then 0.4 for a long time is my growth retardant),

I now 100% stopped feeding corals (powder foods, etc) , and P dropped to 0.35 in a week...which could explain the beginning of growth startup.
The only food now in my tank are fish poo, and Live Copepods.
Hoping P continues to drop to a stable 0.1

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

ok. This proves my Frags are growing too slow. My pink Cadillac hasn't done that much in 9 months+.
However it just, JUST started encrusting like yours a bit faster for some reason.

Remind me again what your Phosphate level is.
I am convinced my P (which was at 0.3 and then 0.4 for a long time is my growth retardant),

I now 100% stopped feeding corals (powder foods, etc) , and P dropped to 0.35 in a week...which could explain the beginning of growth startup.
The only food now in my tank are fish poo, and Live Copepods.
Hoping P continues to drop to a stable 0.1

I've backed off a bit on feeding Reef Roids and Reef Chili also. I was starting to get green cyano on the sand, and that seemed to correlate to my phosphates moving above .05 for any extended period of time. Mine fluctuate quite a bit, but have never been higher than .08 and generally stay in the .01 to .04 range. I have a high bioload for a 120 at seventeen fish.

From what I've seen how one person's frag of "X" grows does not necessaily mean what the next person's frag of "X" will do and probably comes down to a multitude of variables. I have examples of stalled frags, some of which eventually took off and others that never did. I just recently started selling the ones that just don't seem to want to grow to local hobbyists for next to nothing. Hopefully they have better luck and then I can get a new coral.