Watchguy's SPS Addiction (photo intense)

CoralWealth · Nov 3, 2017

well your corals are insanely nice so you obviously know what you are doing.

Can you post a full tank shot?

watchguy123 · Nov 7, 2017

codydemmel4 said:
well your corals are insanely nice so you obviously know what you are doing.

Can you post a full tank shot?

Not quite ready for a full tank shot yet, still some months away from that.

Z's Pink Cotton Candy

Reef Raft Canada Orange Passiona and Reef Raft USA Pink Floyd

watchguy123 · Nov 13, 2017

stylaster · Nov 14, 2017

beautiful corals and pictures! I gotta ask what or who is Z?

watchguy123 · Nov 14, 2017

stylaster said:
beautiful corals and pictures! I gotta ask what or who is Z?

Z is perhaps the best sps Coral whisperer that I’ve ever seen. His Coral mastery is legendary. He is my four year old grandson.

Naming corals started as a tongue in cheek response to all the crazy names and vendors habits of copying and appropriating names. Then one of my corals got named by a vendor and I decided I would be more possessive of some of my rarities. Funny thing is names stick, it’s fascinating.

BigJohnny · Nov 14, 2017

Sweet sticks! So, are all of the "Z's" corals wild or maricultured pieces you've grown over the years? Where do you get them?

Also which coral was named by which vendor and what'd they name it?

julioperez · Nov 14, 2017

stylaster said:
beautiful corals and pictures! I gotta ask what or who is Z?

LOL I wanted to ask the same question but didn’t want to sound dumb...

watchguy123 · Nov 14, 2017

BigJohnny said:
Sweet sticks! So, are all of the "Z's" corals wild or maricultured pieces you've grown over the years? Where do you get them?

Also which coral was named by which vendor and what'd they name it?

I actually was flattered that someone thought enough of one of my sps to brand it. There really is no point in sharing the name.

I’m not sure I think all that differently about wild vs maricultured. Both come out of the ocean and once they leave their home, they end up pretty quickly into the wholesale/retail stream. I also don’t know enough about laws related to capturing wild coral. I don’t know if that is legal or ecologically responsible.

I am a pretty serious in only collecting frags from tank grown/raised mother colonies. Too much failure with fresh ocean raised coral. Too much risk with colors fading as well as failure to thrive.

I think many of us who have spent years collecting end up discovering special relationships. Some of those relationships are from just making friends in the reefing community, some from vendors where we have been consistent customers and being attentive.

BigJohnny · Nov 14, 2017

watchguy123 said:
I actually was flattered that someone thought enough of one of my sps to brand it. There really is no point in sharing the name.

I’m not sure I think all that differently about wild vs maricultured. Both come out of the ocean and once they leave their home, they end up pretty quickly into the wholesale/retail stream. I also don’t know enough about laws related to capturing wild coral. I don’t know if that is legal or ecologically responsible.

I am a pretty serious in only collecting frags from tank grown/raised mother colonies. Too much failure with fresh ocean raised coral. Too much risk with colors fading as well as failure to thrive.

I think many of us who have spent years collecting end up discovering special relationships. Some of those relationships are from just making friends in the reefing community, some from vendors where we have been consistent customers and being attentive.

I only wanted you to name it/vendor because I think that's cool and am curious what acro it is. I didn't mean it in a negative way.

So your "z" corals are aquacultured corals that likely already had names?

watchguy123 · Nov 14, 2017

BigJohnny said:
I only wanted you to name it/vendor because I think that's cool and am curious what acro it is. I didn't mean it in a negative way.

So your "z" corals are aquacultured corals that likely already had names?

Oh, no, no no. I never saw anything negative in your question.

No, none of Z's corals have had names before. Z's should be original, well as original as one can say. Obviously, lot of corals in the ocean and I would not expect the colonies that my frags came from are the only ones that were in the ocean.

Acro maniac · Nov 15, 2017

Just curious what your maintanence routine looks like? Do you blow out your rocks or just swap out water? Are you concerned with drtritus removal? If so, how do you attack it?
Thanks
Ryan

watchguy123 · Nov 19, 2017

Acro maniac said:
Just curious what your maintanence routine looks like? Do you blow out your rocks or just swap out water? Are you concerned with drtritus removal? If so, how do you attack it?
Thanks
Ryan

I do about 10% water changes weekly. I have a 7x16 inch 200 micron filter sock I change out twice weekly, if I forget then only once per week. I empty the protein skimmer weekly. I clean the glass weekly. I blow out the rock probably once and at the most twice a year. Although detritus will build up on the rock work, with all the flow, fish, and clean up crew, whenever I do get around to blowing it off the rock it just doesn't seem all that much or bad. My filter sock keeps the sump pretty darn clean so I don't really worry about detritus accumulation.

Both of these two shots are metal halides with t5's. I have taken so many pictures of both of these montipora and I don't know why, but I have the hardest time capturing the colors accurately. This may have been my best effort to date.
A pretty monti or two:

Z's Dream Monti

Acro maniac · Nov 19, 2017

Awesome specimens and thans for the insight

skilos1 · Nov 20, 2017

Very Nice looking!!

watchguy123 · Nov 21, 2017

Acro maniac said:
Awesome specimens and thans for the insight

thank you

skilos1 said:
Very Nice looking!!

Appreciate the positive feedback.

I don't know what species Z's Favorite is. It has a highly unusual growth pattern and almost impossible to frag without getting tiny little pieces. It looks great under metal halides or t5s or Blue Leds, it just looks good in my opinion.

Z's Favorite (metal halides).

Z's Favorite (blue leds close up view)