carmexx
Active Member
Hey all, I just picked up a red planet from salty underground and i must say it is a beaut! Now, I have a few SPS pieces and I am in need of some advice. I have purchased a few sps frags over time and i have lost a few. I first added "miami orchid" frag roughly 2010. it has been through ups and downs. It no PE when I got it...then it really started to encrust, ups and downs from there...but the growth has been awesome lately.
This is day 1
This is a current shot
It has looked to be a goner at times but has rebounded tremendously. Now that that's been said....I had also a "joe the coral" with full PE when I brought it home and it generally reduced PE til it died. Part of it's death was my fault as I pointed a powerhead towards it thinking it needed the flow. here's a good, fresh pic...
I had bought this acro... he was great for 8 months but over that span PE decreased til the end.
Lastly I have 2 other sps frags i got from a fellow reefer, and 1 has encrusted with good PE but lately that has changed to almost no PE. The other just plainly seems to not be doing anything. My concern is those frags and keeping them happy and healthy. My water changes have been more frequent lately. 5 gallons @ a time probably every 4-5 days for the past month and a half. I am using brightwell neo marine salt which gives me @ 35 ppt , MG at around +/- 1450, calcium +/- 400, ph 8, DKH @ 7 consistently. MG was alot higher this past month creeping at 1700 hence the reason for my water changes. I was battling Bryopsis. Anyway I have got phytoplankton and am feeding my tank 2/3 times a week at lights out. I almost forgot, 3 months ago installed the Vertex omega 150 protein skimmer....the tank is 46 gallon w/ 20 gallon sump. It is probably over kill but i don't use mechanical media. Lighting is the AI hydra x 2. Dialed in max around 50% and located about 7 inches from water.
Here's a FTS. Not the greatest looking tank but I love it.
This is day 1
This is a current shot
It has looked to be a goner at times but has rebounded tremendously. Now that that's been said....I had also a "joe the coral" with full PE when I brought it home and it generally reduced PE til it died. Part of it's death was my fault as I pointed a powerhead towards it thinking it needed the flow. here's a good, fresh pic...
I had bought this acro... he was great for 8 months but over that span PE decreased til the end.
Lastly I have 2 other sps frags i got from a fellow reefer, and 1 has encrusted with good PE but lately that has changed to almost no PE. The other just plainly seems to not be doing anything. My concern is those frags and keeping them happy and healthy. My water changes have been more frequent lately. 5 gallons @ a time probably every 4-5 days for the past month and a half. I am using brightwell neo marine salt which gives me @ 35 ppt , MG at around +/- 1450, calcium +/- 400, ph 8, DKH @ 7 consistently. MG was alot higher this past month creeping at 1700 hence the reason for my water changes. I was battling Bryopsis. Anyway I have got phytoplankton and am feeding my tank 2/3 times a week at lights out. I almost forgot, 3 months ago installed the Vertex omega 150 protein skimmer....the tank is 46 gallon w/ 20 gallon sump. It is probably over kill but i don't use mechanical media. Lighting is the AI hydra x 2. Dialed in max around 50% and located about 7 inches from water.
Here's a FTS. Not the greatest looking tank but I love it.
