Im in it arrives next week be interesting to see how it goes. thanks billIf the price is right, then perhaps the gamble is worth it. I take lots of photos and even so, it takes a lot of work to try and get the colors right. One never quite knows what a coral really looks like based on a photograph. reef lighting is challenging to get colors correct. there are those that are pretty good at capturing accurate color representation and others not so much. On top of that, sometimes fresh out of the ocean colonies look spectacular and then brown out and of course occasionally the reverse is true. Ultimately, it is your dollar and your call.
The frag below was initially a gift from a good reefer friend a while ago. When yellow corals started first started arriving, he was able to acquire a number of different varieties. this one is now starting to take off in my tank
The two corals below, I really like. The dragon looks an incredible blue under reefbrites and the coral beneath it is pretty as well.
Watchguy's SPS Addiction (photo intense)
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Below is Z's paradise. It takes a while for the yellow highlights on the corallites to develop. I have frags that are months old without the yellow. I have lots of corals that take months to mimic their mother colony, the shazam does the same sort of thing as well. With the RRC shazam, you won't see the range of blues or red polyps until it is practically a mini colony. The humilis, rake's unobtainable turns green when fragged for a decent amount of time. Lots of corals seem to take a fair amount of time to achieve their maximal coloring, it requires a pretty mother colony and patience.
Z's Paradise
Z's Paradise
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I have had the following acro for many years. Last year it was down to a few polyps and I almost threw it out. But it has returned from the calcium reactor pile. The polyps are orange/red and i think very cool. Someone asked me if it was ARC Fireworks but i have never seen the arc fireworks in person so I don't really know.
Here is a picture of my colony from 2013, metal halide picture. I did not have reefbrites back then.
And here it is from this week under reefbrites.
Here is a picture of my colony from 2013, metal halide picture. I did not have reefbrites back then.
And here it is from this week under reefbrites.
Glad you are back! Great coral and information. My 300 is finally doing well. I just went with acros that friends have given me, some namers some not. Would love a Cherry Bomb one day. What do frags of that typically run in general? Maybe I can make a trip up to see you next year LOL if they ever let us out!
He's alive! Where you been pal?
He's alive! Where you been pal?
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Thought I would show some reefbrite vs metal halide pictures. Everyone is entitled to their own favorites but I spend more time looking at the tank when the reefbrites are on.
SeaDweller
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MH for the health, growth, and coloration... RB LEDs for the light show.Thought I would show some reefbrite vs metal halide pictures. Everyone is entitled to their own favorites but I spend more time looking at the tank when the reefbrites are on.
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So true. Well, I have had metal halide for so long, I just take them for granted. Not sure other lighting like t5 and leds are any worse or better for growth or color.
The light show from Reefbrites is a pleasure. The coral below comes out so goofy under reefbrites--it ends up looking like its heavily photoshopped and saturated so I am not showing a reefbrite picture because you won't believe it. So this is just the metal halide photo.
Metal halide photo below. Lower right bottom is TSA Peach Princess and it loses the contact battle with the centered coral. Lower left bottom is RRU Pink Floyd.
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Another pretty coral:the first is reefbrites and the second is metal halide.
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I realize I show a lot of lps in this sps forum but hey I have a mix. Below is Tyree Agent Orange, I have had this for lots of years and it has survived tank calamities. Mine does not grow really fast but it has outstanding color. the picture below is with all my lights on, metal halide, t5's and reefbrites. I didn't use an 85b filter because the halides were on. I color corrected this to 20 k in lightroom. I have occasionally seen frags available but most don't quite look like this one. I have never cut frags of mine and considering how slow a grower it is, I don't have any interest in cutting frags. It is on the far right end of my tank and I have allowed it to encrust on the rock work (something I usually never let happen with lps). The picture was through the side glass which is the only area I can get nice pictures through the tank because the front glass is a bow tank. And for those who might ask, no I did not increase saturation or vibrance. This is a really pretty coral in my estimation.
Tyree Agent Orange
Tyree Agent Orange
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I have a lot of monti's and I think they are pretty. Most of mine are in high light although lots of people grow them in low light. I have three or four that are different so I will share them shortly. I got into a faze of metal halide lights on photography and for monti's, it is pretty nice. I don't grow these on the rock work because they grow to fast and are too aggressive. I start them on round disks and let them plate outward. Most of mine are now on 3 inch round disks. The disks are glued to the rock work.
Z's Dream Monti close up to a bit farther away on each picture. On the last picture, midway far left, you should be able to see the edge of the 3 inch disk and note how the monti is plating outward.
Z's Dream Monti close up to a bit farther away on each picture. On the last picture, midway far left, you should be able to see the edge of the 3 inch disk and note how the monti is plating outward.
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JF Beach Bum Monti
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Just to finish up on my monti's
some of these super close-ups are fun because the way the colors swirl is pretty amazing. These are not crisp sharp photos because I hand hold my camera. These corals are all in my display and I have to take top down shots so managing focus while standing on a ladder is an interesting process. These were metal halide shots with reef brites on.
This is my Z's Day Dream monti below. It tends to shift and morph colors over time from very pink to orange yellow with various swirls thrown in.
some of these super close-ups are fun because the way the colors swirl is pretty amazing. These are not crisp sharp photos because I hand hold my camera. These corals are all in my display and I have to take top down shots so managing focus while standing on a ladder is an interesting process. These were metal halide shots with reef brites on.
This is my Z's Day Dream monti below. It tends to shift and morph colors over time from very pink to orange yellow with various swirls thrown in.
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WWC Heartbreaker (metal halides and reefbrites)
Awesome to see your corals. Makes me want to start up an SPS tank again.
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Any time you are ready to restart, my corals are yours
Reef Raft USA Firecracker It is interesting because the acro is growing right into a large lobo but they are not fighting each other.
WOW! You call that interesting but I would call it scary! Haha, that’s a rare sight and an awesome picture. But that firecracker is a crazy awesome piece and I would Hate to see you loose the colony because of a lobo! 
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I would certainly be disappointed if the lobo sent out an army full of mesenteric filaments and destroyed the acro colony. The lobo has tolerated numerous chalices encroaching on it without response. The RRU Firecracker and lobo have been slowly growing into each other so I am cautiously optimistic that peace will prevail. Certainly, whenever I frag the Firecracker, the point of encroachment would be the first frags to be taken. I have also fragged this lobo before.WOW! You call that interesting but I would call it scary! Haha, that’s a rare sight and an awesome picture. But that firecracker is a crazy awesome piece and I would Hate to see you loose the colony because of a lobo!
Fragging the lobo was fascinating because the chunks I removed seemed so huge with large flesh cuts and thick skeletal base (rock). The colony and the frags survived. I have nearly killed this lobo seemingly multiple times but it has been going strong now for probably 5 plus years.
Bizarro Cyphasterea
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the picture below is Z's Paradise with metal halides. The frags get dark and lose their color initially after being fragged. I didn't really appreciate that until I sold a frag to someone who complained it looked just like a plain pearlberry. I have cut some frags and they are sitting in my frag tank to see how long they take to color up. It may take them a while it looks like.
I was initially offended by the response or what I took as criticism but I understand it now. I may have a unique take on frags, if the long established mother colony is pretty, eventually the frags will be. Kind of like Vivid's rainbow and others where the frags turn ugly for a while. Although I have seen lots of pretty colored up frags of different acros from others. Maybe it is just me and my colonies don't take well to fragging.
I was initially offended by the response or what I took as criticism but I understand it now. I may have a unique take on frags, if the long established mother colony is pretty, eventually the frags will be. Kind of like Vivid's rainbow and others where the frags turn ugly for a while. Although I have seen lots of pretty colored up frags of different acros from others. Maybe it is just me and my colonies don't take well to fragging.
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another acro doing well
That last acro is amazing! Thanks for sharing! A few questions - apologies if they've been answered recently: what is your dipping/qt routien for corals as you introduce them to your system? also, any pics of your sump setup and a refreshed FTS?
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