Birdsnest Growth shots

[bwest]

I posted a picture a couple months ago in a thread but couldn't find it, so I'll start a new one. Here's a new group of progression pictures for my pink birdsnest.

Does anyone else's grow this fast? I think it's ridiculous, but in a good way.

http://www.canonography.com/photos/477385323_xER4E-L.png

[GSMguy]

T5 that's it, I'm switching to t5 ASAP.

[swhaley40]

bwest, I used to think my bird's nest grew fast, until I saw this. My grows at about half this rate. I just upgraded to a constellation though, so once the corals settle in..maybe mine will get here.

[bwest]

Yeah, I used to be all about halides on my past tank, but decided to keep down the heat on this one, and go T5. So far I have absolutely no regrets.

I'll try to get some progression of my other corals up tonight.

In the meantime here's a FTS taken today after doing a little fragging:
http://www.canonography.com/photos/477406721_MkfGv-L.jpg

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14442798#post14442798 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
T5 that's it, I'm switching to t5 ASAP.

Haha. Yeah you don't get the shimmer of halides but I personally don't miss it.

[ngn8dogg]

I bought a tubs a few months ago from a fellow reefer and its growing at the rate yours is too under my t-5s. I have to frag it up every month . its already made me a good amount of money

[1fishkeeper]

I got about the same amount of groth from mine in the same time. Now Im having to frag it off because it did grow so fast. Thats some great shots of it growing.

[Salty Prata]

That growth is friggen sick.

[jaxspsreef]

No kiddin, that's some amazing growth!

[bwest]

Ok here's another sequence of pics. This is my valida. I believe it's a tricolor, but doesn't completely show it.

http://www.canonography.com/photos/477502025_zRBXD-L.png

[JAG107]

your growth is unbelievable! You have some amazing flourishing going on

[spleify]

Awesome growth!!!

Thanks for sharing.

[bwest]

Thanks all for the comments.

Here's one more for tonight of a green stag. It is green, even though it looks sorta brown in some photos. I must also note that this particular coral was moved around a bit, and had an accidental minor fragging at least twice from what I can remember :).

http://www.canonography.com/photos/477533071_eUU53-L.png

[swhaley40]

Pm sent

[belgian_waffleman]

Definitely not as impressive as yours:

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/waffleman01/birdsnest.jpg

for me, my digitatas are out of control!

regards,
Waffleman

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14445588#post14445588 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by belgian_waffleman
Definitely not as impressive as yours:

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/waffleman01/birdsnest.jpg

for me, my digitatas are out of control!

regards,
Waffleman

Nice Waffleman, still looks good. Thanks for sharing. What kind of lighting do you have, and deep is it placed into the tank?

I also agree, my blue polyp digi has been crazy. I'll post up a sequence of that too.

Anyone else feel free to post up any progressions that you have as well. Doesn't necessarily need to be of a birdsnest.

[belgian_waffleman]

I had it on the sand in the 90g under T5's see pic 1&2. In January I moved it up a bit and it's now about 8" from the surface.

This is my bulb combo:
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/waffleman01/90Gbuild/pictures.jpg
The reflectors were not installed yet when I took the picture.

Waffleman

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14445420#post14445420 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by swhaley40
Pm sent

Replied back

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14445673#post14445673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by belgian_waffleman
I had it on the sand in the 90g under T5's see pic 1&2. In January I moved it up a bit and it's now about 8" from the surface.

This is my bulb combo:
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/waffleman01/90Gbuild/pictures.jpg
The reflectors were not installed yet when I took the picture.

Waffleman

Thanks. And Wow, you have a lot of blue in there.

[mischief nite]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14442798#post14442798 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
T5 that's it, I'm switching to t5 ASAP.

I'm with ya:eek1:

[sfsuphysics]

Growth shots always amazed me sometimes, when you look at a coral you tend not to notice it until you look back at pictures you took in the past, then you're floored with how much it grew and/or colored up.

September 2008
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9118/acronormprostrataln5.jpg

January (late) 2009
http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/5038/p1240001gt2.jpg

[RobbyVonAwesome]

Wow, those are impressive timelines. The growth is incredible! I'm glad to see it; I've got a new set of bulbs coming next week that's very similar to yours.

[belgian_waffleman]

bwest,

I tought it would be a lot of blue as well, but the net result in the tank looks more like a 12K Reeflux bulb that I used to have.

Waffleman

[saltwatermadnes]

bwest-
Which bulbs are you using and how many watts?
I as well recently switched from halide to T5 and Im really glad I did, its easier to manipulate the color/spectrum.

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14453317#post14453317 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltwatermadnes
bwest-
Which bulbs are you using and how many watts?
I as well recently switched from halide to T5 and Im really glad I did, its easier to manipulate the color/spectrum.

They're the standard Current 39w bulbs from the fixture, 3- 10k and 3- 420nm. Total of 234w.

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14450045#post14450045 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sfsuphysics
Growth shots always amazed me sometimes, when you look at a coral you tend not to notice it until you look back at pictures you took in the past, then you're floored with how much it grew and/or colored up.

September 2008
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9118/acronormprostrataln5.jpg

January (late) 2009
http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/5038/p1240001gt2.jpg

I somehow missed this post until now. That growth is amazing for 5 months! Congrats

[sfsuphysics]

Well things changed between the two shots, went from long slender tank to more squarish changing the flow pattern quite a bit, lighting changed from really long photoperiod MH in lumenarc style reflectors to short MH photoperiod in DE reflectors with t5s taking the additional load and a much reduced but more bluer intensity, overall tank volume almost doubled, skimmer went from ASM G3 to BM250. And most of the growth in fact happened in the past 3 months, little secret I left out, I've had that coral since 2007, absolutely horrid growth up until then.

So yeah conditions changed definitely for the better for everything in my tank.

[Ibhar]

when the time comes to replace your bulbs try a couple of the T5 ATI aqua blue plus and ATI aquablue special......check the propagation forum for "coral maternity in portugal" to really understand the colors they can create...... i switched from generic daylight and actinic to the ATI's and within a couple of days the colors emerged and its amazing

[sfsuphysics]

yup, I went from 250w- 14k Hamilitons w/ lumenarc reflectors on for 9 hours a day, to 14k Phoenix bulbs in cheapy DE reflectors (hellolights) on for 5.5 hours but then I managed to throw some ATi blue plus T5s over the tank, along with UVL SuperActinic bulbs, and needless to say I get some pretty fantastic colors.

[bwest]

Thanks for the advice. I'll have to try that when I change them out. I also think I'm going to reduce the photoperiod a bit. I've been running it for 13.5 hours a day :)...oops. So yesterday I changed the timer to cut it back to 10.5.

[sfsuphysics]

There was a thread, I think in this forum, that asked that same photoperiod question. My thinking on the subject is in the wild corals are not lit with bright light 12 hours a day even though the sun is in the sky that long, so I tried to reduce the time to something I felt more "normal" by having gradual lighting tiers, "only actinic t5s" "only t5s" "all lights" "only T5s" "only actinic t5s", if anything it helps out the electricity bill.

Keep in mind I'm in no way say this is the magic bullet to fix/promote anything, I still think the flow patterns in my tank are much more useful, but it also could be a combination of things working together which yielded the growth results I saw.

[sjfishguy]

I told you that thing would grow ridiculously fast, it is out growing my green digi that is next to it. Yours looks awesome! I would love to convert to t5s, but I just don't have the funds right now, I am gonna wait til I go to the 58.

[bwest]

Ok here's a progression of some green birdsnest. Soon I'll have 2 nice sized colonies of it.

http://www.canonography.com/photos/482712221_yuuyo-L.png

[bwest]

One of a blue polyp digitata. This has been bulletproof. The one picture was taken after I accidentally dropped a rock on it..oops :). It didn't seem to care.

http://www.canonography.com/photos/482728370_w2Yek-L.png

[jms65gal]

what is your secret - that is some stunning growth!!!
Any special feeding or dosing ritual?

[IFbettas]

Wow! I would love it if my corals would grow that fast.

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14507892#post14507892 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jms65gal
what is your secret - that is some stunning growth!!!
Any special feeding or dosing ritual?

I don't really have any secret.

I don't do many water changes, maybe 10% every 6 weeks or so, and sporadically add some Kent Marine Liquid Reactor a couple times a week after lights out. I never measure it though...just squirt enough into the return section of the sump to lightly cloud the tank.

I just started using some kalk every so often, to see if that speeds it up anymore.

[sjfishguy]

Your corals are all still pretty small. You have a big Ca/Alk reservoir in that tank for the amount of coral you have. I would start to consider dosing two part to see where you stand on daily consumption. Once those corals get more packed in there, and with little supplementation, your growth is really gonna tail off. Would hate to see that, so its just a thought to look ahead.

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14511018#post14511018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjfishguy
Your corals are all still pretty small. You have a big Ca/Alk reservoir in that tank for the amount of coral you have. I would start to consider dosing two part to see where you stand on daily consumption. Once those corals get more packed in there, and with little supplementation, your growth is really gonna tail off. Would hate to see that, so its just a thought to look ahead.

What are you trying to say Rich!? Haha, no I know they aren't huge yet.

I'm gonna hold off on getting two part, and keep dosing Liquid Reactor as I have been, as well as dose some kalk in the top off water. I think I read a couple years ago about a tank that developed well with only this supplementation. I plan to frag quite a bit as well, so that will hopefully keep the calcium demands somewhat consistent.

[GSMguy]

my corals grew faster with a dirtyer tank as well and bravo on your laid back dosing I dose two part for years without measuring but the last 2 months I have measured the dosage, no difference from then till now.

[mkbtank]

Looking good Brett!

[FlamesFan]

deleted - just realized this thread says "birdsnest". To many windows open at once!

[60Cubed]

Here's one of my birdsnest progression shots:

9-29-08
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/60cubed/050.jpg
10-28-08
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/60cubed/corals10-28-08044.jpg
11-19-08
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/60cubed/coralpics11-19-08050.jpg
1-10-09
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/60cubed/fragpics1-10-09022-1.jpg
2-13-09
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/60cubed/coralshots2-13-09005-1.jpg

[60Cubed]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14442747#post14442747 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bwest
I posted a picture a couple months ago in a thread but couldn't find it, so I'll start a new one. Here's a new group of progression pictures for my pink birdsnest.

Does anyone else's grow this fast? I think it's ridiculous, but in a good way.

http://www.canonography.com/photos/477385323_xER4E-L.png

There is one thing I am wondering..........

Why is the putty holding the coral down in the first pic so much different than the others? Almost as though it isn't the same coral. The growth in the first month is extremely faster than in the following months. And that is an unusual phenomenon. JMO

Your growth is outstanding none the less.

Lance

[dvmsn]

I think it looks the same. The second shot just blurs the line between the putty and the rock it is attached to more.

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14585392#post14585392 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 60Cubed
There is one thing I am wondering..........

Why is the putty holding the coral down in the first pic so much different than the others? Almost as though it isn't the same coral. The growth in the first month is extremely faster than in the following months. And that is an unusual phenomenon. JMO

Your growth is outstanding none the less.

Lance

I can answer that! haha. It definitely is the same coral. I moved the coral around quite a bit in the first couple months of having it to find out where I liked it in the tank, which was a process of re-gluing multiple times. I used Boston Aqua farms purple cyanoacrylate to reglue, and eventually got tired of the putty being exposed, so I just covered it all with the purple glue (as you can see in the 10/30 shot). Then over the next couple of months as algae covered it, it darkened up quite a bit.

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14579629#post14579629 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mkbtank
Looking good Brett!

Thanks Mitch.

[crvz]

Pretty amazing growth, I'm impressed. ;) I had a green birdsnest that's grown about that quickly, but none of my acros are near that fast. Well done!

[Reefer07]

Still small but my bird of paradise in november when I got it:
12/4/08
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/Tripp5050/Zac%20Tank/29g%20salt%20up-date%2012-4-08/DSC_0095.jpg

1/18/09
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/Tripp5050/Zac%20Tank/29%20salt%20up-date%201-18-09/DSC_0214.jpg

3/6/09
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/Tripp5050/Zac%20Tank/29g%20salt%20up-date%203-6-09/DSC_0132.jpg

I got this pink one a couple months ago as just a twig with 1 branch.(Y shape) One week I came home and all this happened.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/Tripp5050/Zac%20Tank/29g%20salt%20up-date%203-6-09/DSC_0161.jpg

[bwest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14594486#post14594486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer07
Still small but my bird of paradise in november when I got it:

I got this pink one a couple months ago as just a twig with 1 branch.(Y shape) One week I came home and all this happened.

Nice! It looks like the BoP is thickening quite a bit. And I know what you mean, little growth bumps appear, then all of the sudden they shoot out.