Sunday Morning AMA with Joseph Caparatta, 6 years Anniversary

[uniquecorals]

We just celebrated the 6 years anniversary of UniqueCorals.com with a LiveSale, it was really fun and we had a wonderful turnout.

Want to know more about that special coral you snagged? Where to put it and what light does it like? Or you have a tank issue that could use some help on?
For this special occasion, Joe will be here 9am-10am Sunday morning (Pacific Time) to answer any and all reefing related questions. Tap into his decades of knowledge and experience in this hour!

(Joe is also a speaker at this year's MACNA conference, and he was a speaker at the RAP New York conference of 2018, so he knows a couple of things here and there ;Cat)

 

[uniquecorals]

Starting in 1.5 hours =)

 

[joefishUC]

Happy Sunday reefers. I have my coffee and a keyboard. Anyone here to talk corals?

 

[uniquecorals]

Hi Joe!

 

[uniquecorals]

Thanks for chatting with us.
Can you tell us what flow and light the Amazaballs Goni likes? =)

 

[Rispa]

Hi I picked up an Elegance last night and decided to try that instead of a nem for the clownfish I plan to get in a couple of months . What food and light should I provide to keep/make the coral look as vibrant as it does in Unique's tanks?

 

[joefishUC]

Thankfully this goniopora has been extremely easy to keep and frag thus far. All the frags we have made have healed beautifully. Flow and light is typical for most gonioporas. Moderate to bright in terms of light intensity and gentle but alternating for flow. This strain is new to the hobby, coming from Australia in slightly cooler water. Once we learn a bit more about the specific locals from which they are collected we will share with all.

 

[joefishUC]

Hi I picked up an Elegance last night and decided to try that instead of a nem for the clownfish I plan to get in a couple of months . What food and light should I provide to keep/make the coral look as vibrant as it does in Unique's tanks?

Great pickup. The elegance we have been bringing in are from Australia and are very hardy in terms of placement. In Australia they have been dubbed the beginner coral due to their hardiness. I would put it in the sand and feed it every few days with a good coral food. Mysis shrimp and small pellet coral foods work well. You might want to turn your flow off while feeding so the food doesn't blow around.

 

[Rispa]

Great pickup. The elegance we have been bringing in are from Australia and are very hardy in terms of placement. In Australia they have been dubbed the beginner coral due to their hardiness. I would put it in the sand and feed it every few days with a good coral food. Mysis shrimp and small pellet coral foods work well. You might want to turn your flow off while feeding so the food doesn't blow around.

Thanks! Also it off curiosity how often do you feed your frag tanks for optimal growth when you have a variety of different coral types?

 

[joefishUC]

As far as lighting is concerned with the elegance really any good coral light should work fine. To make the colors pop, you would certainly want to run more of a blue spectrum.

 

[joefishUC]

Thanks! Also it off curiosity how often do you feed your frag tanks for optimal growth when you have a variety of different coral types?

We feed our frag tanks several times per day simpy because we don't have that many fish in them. The corals consume the nutrients so fast that if we don't feed this much the po4 and no3 levels drop too low for us and the corals wash out in appearance. Our systems are different than typical hobbyist tanks where the volume is much smaller, waste accumulates much faster and the bioload is higher due to the presence of fish. When you are feeding your fish daily, it is almost common to not have to feed your corals separately.

 

[uniquecorals]

What is the advantage/disadvantage of running your skimmer all the time?

 

[joefishUC]

What the advantage/disadvantage of running your skimmer all the time?

Most people think of skimming as essential to a reef tanks success. While this certainly can be a justified view, it is many, many factors, all contributing to a complex system that really gets the credit. I view a skimmer as nothing more than a tool in the reefers toolbox.

The advantages include increasing the system's ability to maintain pH, increased bioloads, waste product removal and boosted ORP. The downside is that in removing waste rather unselectively it can easily outstrip the tank of vital nutrients and even trace elements (Iodine for example). Typically a good system is designed to use a skimmer 24/7 so results can be more predictable.

 

[ZAB]

Hey Joe..
I have a red sea reefer 525xl reef aquarium..lotts of sps,2 large clams(5-6 inches each)from unique corals...doing very well so far..am currently dosing 150 ml 2-part daily..Was looking at a destaco calicium reactor..witch size would you recommend for my reef tank....

 

[joefishUC]

Hey Joe..
I have a red sea reefer 525xl reef aquarium..lotts of sps,2 large clams(5-6 inches each)from unique corals...doing very well so far..am currently dosing 150 ml 2-part daily..Was looking at a destaco calicium reactor..witch size would you recommend for my reef tank....

Hi ZAB. There is a line of Dastaco reactors called the classic that are suitable for smaller systems that we currently aren't importing at the moment. I am not exactly familiar with which size would fit your system the best. The smallest unit we import is the A-2 which is rated for 300 gallon systems. Typically a system of roughly half that size (150g) would be the size tank you could run this unit on without issue. The reason we only cater to the larger size tank system at this point in time is due to the high import pricing and white glove customer service we offer for the line.

 

[joefishUC]

We do plan to bring that line in this fall however since demand has been stronger. I still feel that dosing (Triton four part for example) has many advantages, especially for smaller systems, over running a calcium reactor.

 

[ZAB]

Thank you for your input..on the fence with the triton method ....I have been using zeovit for about the last 3 years..maybe time for a change..
thanks again for your time.Joel

 

[Rispa]

What are the most common ways to dip corals? What is the best way?

More specifically what's in or not b in the water? How long do you leave them in? Etc.

 

[Abhishek]

Hi Joe ,

First of all congrats frags on successful 6 years .
I have 2 questions :-

1. When will there be an avaibility of OG and Solomon Islands PM ? Since you grow both , what are the differences between them ?

2. I am looking at a larger 200 gallon setup with 48 in x36 in x 22 in height tank - acro dominated only . Thinking of 2 panta rhei ecm 42s along with my tunzes .
How do you think the Panta Rheis are different compared to vortechs and tunzes ?Are they even worth in smaller tanks less than 6 feet in length ?

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[joefishUC]

Thank you for your input..on the fence with the triton method ....I have been using zeovit for about the last 3 years..maybe time for a change..
thanks again for your time.Joel

If the system is running well for you and you find the maintenance not too bad then don't fix what isn't broken! But yes, if you wanted to try a reboot, Triton is an awesome way to go. I'd be happy to coach you through it when you are ready!