Mark's 150 gallon

[Wrangy]

PHROAARR!! that growth and colour is just amazing Mark

[markalot]

Originally Posted by Ucantwin

The growth and color you are getting is stunning! With you running your alk low, what is your ph usually at?

Thanks. PH is 7.8 to 8.3 with skimmer line outside. During the winter PH ran 7.9 to 8.5. Not sure why co2 in the house is only an issue in the summer.

Originally Posted by slavetonet

Yes Mark.. keep those very nice photos coming.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by westreef

Hey Mark, what a beautiful tank and great photos. Really enjoy them.

You did 6 gallon water change. It is about 3% of your total water volume. Do you do this regularly every 2 weeks? And you do not use NP Pro to compliment Pro Bio S. Are you worrying about stripping too much nutrient? Anyway, I love your coral color.

I rarely do water changes unless something seems off. I dose 1 drop of Pro Bio S just to make sure there's some good 'smelling' bacteria in the tank. Similar to how some people regularly dose Microbacter. Just a random theory of mine that feeds my addiction to dropper bottles. These companies with their fancy products sure know how to spend my money.

My Flame Angel is nipping at the green corals, mostly the green digitata. Polyp extension is not reduced other than on the digitata so I'm not sure if this is going to be a long term issue or not. He never contracted Ich that I can tell, which amazes me, and is fat and healthy even though I have yet to see him eat food. The tank is dirty so plenty of food to pick at.



FTS

[markalot]

Originally Posted by Wrangy

PHROAARR!! that growth and colour is just amazing Mark

Thanks Dom.

[Pife]

Everything is looking amazing Mark. Have you ever taken par numbers?

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by markalot

1 year ago I made this post as the tank was finally pulling out of it's funk.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...449938&page=44

I'm still wondering exactly what went wrong but I believe the primary issue was continuing to change things instead of locking into a routine and letting it ride. There may have been an SPS pest, or it may have been cleanup crew attacking stressed tissue. Perhaps the Interceptor treatment really helped give the stressed corals a long enough break to heal up?

Anyway, the size that some of these corals have grown in one year is amazing.





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Originally Posted by markalot

Besides the simply great top down composition photos, the growth and colour really are amazing. One year. Just fantastic, Mark!
There was a reddish one that was beginning to take off back then with possible yellowish highlights.. I commented on it back on that page you linked to.. what happened to it?

[markalot]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

Nice Mark!
Glad to see the continued improvement.
Keep an eye on that last one.
When the yellow highlights really come out and the red/purple deepens, it'll be a stunner.

That was Pinky which up and died last month. It was a stunner.



A month after that picture areas turned a white/blue, then it bleached, then it died.

Now I need a drink.

[reefmutt]

Oy.. dayum, it was nice.. Sorry. I can't stand looking back on the super nice corals I've lost..
I'll have a drink as well..

[Pife]

I'll drink since it's a theme now!

[reefmutt]

To pinky!
Salute!!

[markalot]

It's been a busy month or so but things are still doing quite well. I trimmed the Xenia yesterday, ended up with a gallon of water and xenia slime. Acros always look fantastic a day after trimming, xenia releases some kind of magic goop into the water, so I took a few quick and dirty (I need to scrape!) shots.

[reefmutt]

So good, Mark!
When you have time, it's time for top downs.

[berlin-riff]

like the pictures... Very cool thank you for charing

[Ebn]

Amazing looking tank!

[markalot]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

So good, Mark!
When you have time, it's time for top downs.

Originally Posted by berlin-riff

like the pictures... Very cool thank you for charing

Originally Posted by Ebn

Amazing looking tank!

Thanks all. Hopefully I can get some top downs this weekend.

[Wiskey]

Amazing tank Mark! I can't wait for the top downs!

Whiskey

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by markalot

It's been a busy month or so but things are still doing quite well. I trimmed the Xenia yesterday, ended up with a gallon of water and xenia slime. Acros always look fantastic a day after trimming, xenia releases some kind of magic goop into the water, so I took a few quick and dirty (I need to scrape!) shots.

Mark.... tank looks great. Those colonies have such a nice shape and grow.

When I started my SPS tank I had in mind to achieve something like your tank or Matt (Canada) tank. Unfortunately I finish with something in the middle. A mixed reef with a few Acros and some others SPS.

I do no regret what I have and have achieved. I have many lessons learned from my first experience with Acros and others SPS.

My tank now is "what it is" and will not change. Also my life have changed since I started (60% of the week out of home and a grandpa!!! :-) ). I will not start it again another tank. I enjoy what I have accomplish. BUT !!!! For my retirement (~ 7 years) definitively I will target to have a tank like yours.

The start points will be bare bottom and only Acros . Nothing else, not a minimal piece of something different than an Acro.

As I will retire in Florida, nearby our granddaughter, we already have the house built there, I will have to take down my actual tank. Sooner or later.

The rebuilt will be in Florida and applying all what I have learned, from my own experience and from all the guys, like you, here at RC.

Cheers and......GREAT TANK !!!
Daniel

[FloformAustria]

looking great mark!!!!

[DiscusHeckel]

Latest top-down photos are very exquisite Mark.

[Arkayology]

Wow, Mark. The colors are fantastic in your tank atm.

[Oldude]

Holy crap Mark things are looking FANTABULOUS!

[slavetonet]

Originally Posted by Oldude

Holy crap Mark things are looking FANTABULOUS!

What he said.

[markalot]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Mark.... tank looks great. Those colonies have such a nice shape and grow.

When I started my SPS tank I had in mind to achieve something like your tank or Matt (Canada) tank. Unfortunately I finish with something in the middle. A mixed reef with a few Acros and some others SPS.

I do no regret what I have and have achieved. I have many lessons learned from my first experience with Acros and others SPS.

My tank now is "what it is" and will not change. Also my life have changed since I started (60% of the week out of home and a grandpa!!! :-) ). I will not start it again another tank. I enjoy what I have accomplish. BUT !!!! For my retirement (~ 7 years) definitively I will target to have a tank like yours.

The start points will be bare bottom and only Acros . Nothing else, not a minimal piece of something different than an Acro.

As I will retire in Florida, nearby our granddaughter, we already have the house built there, I will have to take down my actual tank. Sooner or later.

The rebuilt will be in Florida and applying all what I have learned, from my own experience and from all the guys, like you, here at RC.

Cheers and......GREAT TANK !!!
Daniel

Hi Daniel, thanks!

I feel like my tank is similar except maybe less LPS but at the same time I'm not adding any new acros in the foreseeable future. I can see myself letting this tank drift into a mixed reef over time, though right now the acros I have seem quite happy.

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Amazing tank Mark! I can't wait for the top downs!

Whiskey

Originally Posted by FloformAustria

looking great mark!!!!

Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel

Latest top-down photos are very exquisite Mark.

Originally Posted by Arkayology

Wow, Mark. The colors are fantastic in your tank atm.

Originally Posted by Oldude

Holy crap Mark things are looking FANTABULOUS!

Originally Posted by slavetonet

What he said.

Thanks all, much appreciated. Unfortunately no top downs yet, the few days I had time the weather was so nice the wife and I went biking. Exercise!

In tank news.

KH dropped again to 6.0, raised it back up to 6.5 and am now adding 105ml two part daily. $$$$ I have increased PhosphateRx dosing to 2 drops daily, starting 3 weeks ago. I have not tested PO4 but colors have improved so I suspect it was a little high. NO3 is mostly undetectable.

The Flame angel I added nipped horribly for a week then started eating flake, and then pellet food. Currently no obvious nipping and polyp extension is good, even n the green digi which is loved to chew on.

A couple of FTS just to keep pictures going.

[Ucantwin]

The FTS looks amazing! Do you notice your lps get a little shrunken when no3 becomes undetectable? I notice my frogspawn doesn't open as fully when it happens to me.

[Oldude]

[reefmutt]

Stunning Mark!!