Who here has bought JF Frankies Gumdrops SPS?

[2Sunny]

Has anyone bought and grown out a piece of JF Frankies Gumdrop? If so can you share a photo? Here is the photo from the website. With 20 plus years experience I am fully aware that corals look different in different tanks and often morph colors, but a) I'm pretty good at growing colorful SPS that look like the mother colony, b) I am also a decent photographer, c) I have essentially the same lighting as Jason, and d) even as a tiny frag the coral never came even close to the picture below. My point is I don't mind a coral that is hyped as long as the basic colors are there. As an example here is my newly acquired WD frag which does in fact have the colors advertised, and with a little photo editing can be made to look not unlike some of the online photos.

I guess in the end I'm wondering if I got a frag of something else by mistake that's why I'm hoping someone has a colony and a photo so I can compare.

My new WD frag.

and my best photo edited version of my Gumdrop colony.

 

[2Sunny]

Looking over his site, I'd say my coral looks an awful lot closer to the Superman Table which was 60% less in price.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Yea the gumdrop looks more like acropora anthocercis and your coral does look more like the Superman. The anthocercis is really similar but has chunkier branches. In lower light it should show lots of the green in the base kinda like a red planet. Colonies of this coral are imported all the time and can be had for the same price as a 1/2” nub from Jason though. I see why some might find it nice to have lineage but with such a common coral i wouldn’t care and would just get a colony. I could be wrong with my ID though but it looks pretty close from what I can tell.
I would contact Jason and see what he thinks maybe you did get the wrong coral.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

He has also sold frags called frankies red table, maybe he mixed up the two corals he got from whoever Frankie is.

 

[2Sunny]

Yeah, totally agree with the colony over frag. Actually I got the frag the same time I got two different colonies from LA and started a thread to show what one could do with the "no name" colony. Both colonies are super nice now, BUT from what I can tell unless you have a friend at the docks when the corals come in, one can not get corals with anything other than white or brown polyps. It's all about the polyp color with these crazy "named" corals or so it seems to me.

"Estomago" heh? As in the movie or the literal translation or the innuendo or maybe you're a chef?

Here are 2 I got as colonies from LA about the same time. Honestly WAY nicer than the JF Frag colony, BUT brown and white polyps so not as interesting to most folks.

 

[2Sunny]

Here's a broader view of two LA colonies plus the JF Gumdrop in the top left. The LA colonies were less than half the cost of the Gumdrop frag.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I like all three of them honestly, especially the first pic with the more delicate branches. My screen name was just a bad inside joke, I would change it but never really think about it, my name is Paul though. I really liked your old tank, do you have an updated thread?

 

[2Sunny]

I've been going back and forth as to whether to resurrect the old thread or start a "redo" thread. Obviously I'm about year one into building a new reef. Based on previous years I think I should hit a zenith with this reef in about 2 years.

Any thoughts as to resurrect or new?

I do very much enjoy sharing thoughts as I go, discussing problems, and showing pics. Looking over my old thread on RC, I feel sad that I didn't try harder to stabilize and keep my reef from 2011. The colonies just got too dense and I started to lose corals for seemingly no good reason. That's reefing I guess.

 

[Big E]

I really like that color mix you have going in that right hand group of corals.

I think a redo would be nice with a link to your old thread on the first post.......................either way you need to post more everywhere. I enjoy your insight, pics, ect.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

What lights are you running right now 2sunny?

 

[2Sunny]

I really like that color mix you have going in that right hand group of corals.

I think a redo would be nice with a link to your old thread on the first post.......................either way you need to post more everywhere. I enjoy your insight, pics, ect.

Thanks. Yeah,I like my right side, but I have a hole on the left that needs filling, and I'm scouring the inter-webs for the right coral. I'd like a micromussa or such, but for some strange reason I have a terrible time keeping that kind of coral so I may go with a Humilis instead.

However, you guys have inspired me to start a new "rebuild" thread. I'll start this morning

What lights are you running right now 2sunny?

I have 2 ATI Powermodules. As per the experience of the venerable SPS nut BigE, I run the T5s for 8 hours straight. I do like a dawn/dusk 'cuz I do most of my viewing at night so I ramp the LEDs using just blues for dawn/dusk and then mix in 100/50 blues/whites just before the T5s turn on. I was running the same light mix as Ed of Blue+/Coral+ for the last couple years, but after watching the Jason Fox interview video and the latest BRS spectrum video I recently switched to a Blue+/True Actinic 50/50 mix and upped my white LED before the T5s turn on. I hadn't previously been using the white LEDs. I realize they are not covering the whole tank with the bandwidth represented, but with the lights set at 10 inches above the waterline I get a really nice spread and a look that mimics my favorite bulb, the MH Radium. In fact I actually went so far as to rehang my old Giessman and run Radiums along side the Powermodule just to see. The difference in color was almost imperceptible plus both sides had the same shimmer. In terms of viewing versatility plus coral growth I don't know of many fixtures that can beat the Powermodule. Of course that comes with a price. I have recently realized that one could buy the undimmed MUCH cheaper ATI 8 bulb T5 without LEDs and then simply place Reef Brite strips on the side and that is WAY cheaper and allows for essentially the same look, the only caveat being one needs a controller to dim the LEDs. Anyways, bet you're sorry you asked that question

Joe

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Man I wish I could afford a pm fixture, they are top of the line nice. Also a humilus is a statement piece for any tank imo and an awesome choice. Not many people keep them or can keep them. I am really sad not more people are interested in the reefcrest acros like it.

 

[techdef]

Hey, pretty bad pic here, sorry, the Frankies is in bottom right corner. It’s based out now and starting to sprout upwards after sitting for quite some time. It’s colored as advertised so far! Bright green with red bushy polyps.
Pretty high up under kessils. About 400 par and like 1’ away from a gyre that blasts it.

PS: pride and joy A. Robusta in the background!

 

[2Sunny]

Yeah, I had a argument via email with JF as I am convinced that either what I have is not Gumdrops and/or his photo on his website is not representative of the true coral because whatever I have growing in my tank certainly is nice and colorful, but it looks NOTHING like the Gumdrops photo on JF's website, and I have the same lighting.

I definitely need to learn more about photography because my old school skill can not produce the type of pictures you see today with colors that are super vibrant like those consistently produced by Micheal Vargas: