Whites Lights Only. I Dare You ;)

[Rakie]

This whole thread is what reefing looked like when I started back in 2003.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

High whites

Get out of town! That is one seriously colorful tank!

 

[Ty Hamatake]

this no blue view also highlights algae differences and imperfections/challenges in tanks the blue would normally obscure

This is the main reason I wanted to see more tanks under just whites. I've let my side glass go quite a bit, but even now it looks so much worse without the blues on. Lol and my rock...

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Radion G4

Why the frowny face? That tank looks great even under whites!

 

[Ty Hamatake]

White channel only taken with Windows phone. sorry about reflections

Very nice. Did those montis start out as frags? I haven't been able to get mine to whorl or layer like that!

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Here's mines

Now let's see it with just whites!

 

[EriksOasis]

Here is my jbj 45 rimless All In One with aqua illumination prime hd under whites.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

This whole thread is what reefing looked like when I started back in 2003.

I read something a while back where an old school reefer said everyone had brown colonies back then, but they were the size of basketballs. In your opinion, do you think current reefing techniques (lighting, the myriad of additives, etc...) grow corals better or are they a hindrance?

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Here is my jbj 45 rimless All In One with aqua illumination prime hd under whites.

Beautiful! What kind of anthias is that? Lol, also jealous of your mushrooms.

 

[Rakie]

I read something a while back where an old school reefer said everyone had brown colonies back then, but they were the size of basketballs. In your opinion, do you think current reefing techniques (lighting, the myriad of additives, etc...) grow corals better or are they a hindrance?

The two have nothing to do with each other.

Firstly, I'm a millennial so not exactly old -- I started keeping reefs in middle school so I was in the hobby young. I would say it comes down to two things, and add one additional thought.

1) It was the lighting. When I was 12-13 everyone was running 10k MH and actinic VHO T5 (Do they even make VHO anymore?). I remember the debate as early as 2003/4. People couldn't believe T5 could support coral. Then slowly real progress was made with the reflectors. Eventually everyones mind was being completely blown by the fact that T5 was bleaching SPS due to the progress of reflectors.

The next stage in that problem was getting away from pure white light...

2) Back then you went to the store and bought big freaking colonies. You wanted a table? Go buy a 14-20" Table. You wanted another acro? Go buy a giant mature colony.

Frags were around, but when people went to the store "Small" corals were the size of a fist. Some of the smallest corals I ever remember seeing were baseball sized acros. THat was the norm. Considering that acros typically double in size in about a year, it wasn't atypical for people to have large colonies -- because they started as large colonies already.

3) Modern gear is so efficient we have the ability to scrub our tanks sterile, which can be a bad thing. People had better growth because phosphates absolutely increase the speed of coral growth, along with pH. Way back in ye olden times, most people couldn't get their phosphates low.. Now, people get their phosphates to zero and suddenly we have new problems. Go look at the SPS section "HALP CORALS PALE", "NO GROWTH, NO COLOR HELP", etc etc.

Bonus!) LONG TERM Successful reefers don't use a "Myriad of additives". That's new reefers. New reefers can be successful of course, but the longer you do this the quicker you brush off all those products.

The most successful reefs in the world use a skimmer and a calcium reactor. That's it. Stay in the hobby and you'll see those little bottles don't do much. The other edge of that problem is that most people can't tell what these proprietary items are made of, what they do, or how to tell if they're working, not working, or causing problems.

KISS. That's the proper method to reefing. Hasn't changed since I was 12.

 

[b3ja]

My old tank..

 

[EriksOasis]

Beautiful! What kind of anthias is that? Lol, also jealous of your mushrooms.

Lyretail anthias I have two. And those mushrooms have survived three tanks all started as one 6 years ago I’m constantly removing loose ones.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Lyretail anthias I have two. And those mushrooms have survived three tanks all started as one 6 years ago I’m constantly removing loose ones.

Very nice!

 

[trido]

Here is my all white cell phone pic. Snapshot of my apex just for proof.

 

[Vincent cimmino]

 

[Vincent cimmino]

Wait I messed up lol

 

[Vincent cimmino]

that's more like it

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Here is my all white cell phone pic. Snapshot of my apex just for proof.

;Jawdrop That is one gorgeous tank. Well done, sir. I don't know that you even need blues

If you have time, what are the big purple colonies? Left is a staghorn? What about the other three?

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Wait I messed up lol

that's more like it

Lol I was like, this guy is obviously cheating great looking tank!

 

[brandon429]

Rakie I gotta admit that’s a good call. In 2001 my lfs didn’t sell a single frag plug

It was an entire colony. If you wanted a frogspawn, have a tank ready for six full heads. Then things reversed

The six headed frags were all display and nfs.