Okay, so it seems that, as reefers, we spend a fair amount of time in the hobby world analyzing and researching why our Acros aren't looking good, huh?
Across are upping their game...So, it seems, are reefers!
Seems like lately, hobbyists are starting to get some good results with their Acros on a more consistent basis. Are you noticing this personally? I am, in terms of feedback from customers, questions about what's going on with them, etc. After twenty-plus years of Acro keeping, could it be that we're starting to get it?
Yeah, I think so!
In this positive spirit of newfound hobbyists success with Acros, perhaps it's time to put a more positive spin on the "Why my Acros look like crap" threads we are so used to seeing.
So, here is a look from the other angle...Let's call it, "Why my Acros are doing so well!"
1) You're purchasing quality frags to start with. Yeah, you're over the whole "LE-Chop-Shop-Microchip-Sized-Frag-Absurdity" thing, and you're getting healthy, well-healed, and even encrusted frags from your vendors. As related in a previous post, it's now easier to find the good stuff from people doing it right than it is from the shady characters hanging out in the dark corners of the coral vending world. In short, the industry has upped its game, and everyone is starting to benefit.
2) You're providing stable environmental parameters. We're collectively a bit more cautious about environmental swings, stress-indicing practices, etc...and our Acros are "recognizing" this! With the advent of controllers, test kits, great dosing pumps, and just outright better products, it's never been easier to keep your Acros (and other corals, of course) in a more stable, consistent environment. And, as we've beaten to death over the years right here, Acros come from one of the most stable environments on earth, and although they can hang on and exist in rapidly changing environmental conditions, they'll let you know when they're not happy by retracting polyps, losing color, sloughing tissue, and just being generally "****** off", as Jake (Adams) so eloquently puts it. They will "talk" to you, and we are getting better collectively at "listening" to them. Don't believe me? Try letting your alkalinity drop a few points over a day, or back off calcium addition for a while, and see what I mean. Change the salt mix, add "Mystery Additive #234" and see what happens.
3) We're feeding them. Yeah, simple as that. We understand the need to feed Acros, wether it's direct feeding, or through keeping a large fish population in their system and allowing them to produce metabolic waste (ok, to go doo-doo) and keep the dissolved organics in the water that the corals utilize for growth. We are taking advantage of the many wonderful coral feeds and fish foods that are on the market now. We're getting used to high quality, and questioning things like particle size and appropriateness of ingredients. And we're not just randomly scattering feels into the current anymore. We're putting in as much thought to HOW to feed as we do into WHAT we feed. And we're feeding at appropriate times (like after dark), when Acros generally feed, and food doesn't simply go "down the drain."
4) We recognize that corals don't exist in a sterile world. Gone are the days of frantic posts screaming. "My Phosphate is .02PPM...I think my tank is going to die! What do I do?" Yeah, the more enlightened, calmer-heads-will-prevail, forward-thinking, and logical reefer has emerged. We understand, simply by looking (and talking about) at our corals that they appear best when our test kits are detecting some phosphate and nitrate in the water. "Sterility" "rock-cooking", and all the associated nonsense have gone the way of My Space, Napster, and CD's...Outta here. Outmoded thought. Moved on. We get the fact that coral needs to eat, needs dissolved organics and nutrients in order to grow. I love having to worry how to INCREASE our phosphates to keep our corals looking good. Weird the kind of stuff that keeps you awake at night these days, isn't it?
"Your reef is hungry, man...Feed it!"
5) We are thinking more about the quality of the light we're using. Yeah, we're growing up with our LED applications, and the manufacturers are growing with us. "Disco Blue" is still really prevalent, and I AM admittedly a hater of hyperbole, but we are starting to realize that there is more to lighting corals than just making them look good. It's about intensity, spectrum, and photoperiod. We're not abusing the ridiculously customizable LED lighting systems we have now. It's kind of like learning to drive your McCLaren on the local surface streets. Just because you COULD go 210 MPH on the way to the grocery store doesn't mean that you should. I've seen a number of reefers with honest-to-goodness lighting spectra below 20,000k..I mean, like 14,000k, 12,000K...Even some freaks dabbling in...10,000k...OMG, craziness. Sanjay (Joshi) is smiling...I know he is, because we've talked about this...Could it be that we were so obsessed with blue simply because we thought everything looked better under it, and we spent more time adjusting the light than actually looking at our Acros under more realistic lighting and making husbandry moves to improve the actual coral color...I mean, were we using light as a "photon crutch?" Think about THAT for a bit.
"My old 150 reef had BOSS lighting, man."
6) We're sharing more than ever. Okay, I'll give Al Gore's internet the credit for this one. I won't credit Twitter, because I hate it...And maybe not even Facebook...but, my ridiculous web hate aside, we're talking. There are all sorts of user groups, forum discussions, etc. on almost every available web channel. There are actually reefers that can eek out more than 140 characters of information to discuss Acro husbandry, and share ideas. Dogma is being replaced with good old discussion, and ideas are being exchanged rapidly. You can engage a hobbyist on the other side of the planet with a concern in the morning, and have a workable solution by lunch time. Really cool stuff. Oh, and Instagram, IMHO, is stupid, too. Yes, we use it, and we've actually gotten sales because of it- but I think it's stupid. You can't read? We've evolved beyond it? We're THAT busy? IS a picture REALLY worth 1,000 words? Am I just hyper-caffeinated and bitter this morning? Dunno.
"Ok, Mark. You may not have that cool Acropora robusta I've been looking for, but your social media platform HAS had some good impact on our hobby. Please buy and shut down Twitter..."
7) Frag swaps offer diversity, quality, and "culture." Every week, somewhere around the country, there is an epic frag swap going on. Not only do you get to talk to the guys and girls who grow your coral, but you get to see, feel, and smell (yuck) the corals...Frag swaps are amazing. Ideas, practices, and camaraderie start there and resonate outwards. Our "culture" advances. I get to collect frequent flier miles and keep my United Gold Status as a result of attending them. Beginners walk away with free stuff. Clubs grow. Friendships blossom. People do FB status updates. Yeah, frag swaps rock. They have done more, IMHO to progress the hobby than almost any single social factor. Definitely more than Twitter..("OMG, Fellman, get OFF the Twitterhate!")...
The frag swap. The incubator for reef "culture."
Bottom line. Killer Acros are more common than ever. The industry is rising to the challenge. Hobbyists expect more, and hold ourselves to higher standards. It's a great time to be a reefer. Isn't it?
Look, gotta run. Time to check my Twitter feed.
Until next time. Love your Acros and they'll love you back.
And Stay Wet!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
Across are upping their game...So, it seems, are reefers!
Seems like lately, hobbyists are starting to get some good results with their Acros on a more consistent basis. Are you noticing this personally? I am, in terms of feedback from customers, questions about what's going on with them, etc. After twenty-plus years of Acro keeping, could it be that we're starting to get it?
Yeah, I think so!
In this positive spirit of newfound hobbyists success with Acros, perhaps it's time to put a more positive spin on the "Why my Acros look like crap" threads we are so used to seeing.
So, here is a look from the other angle...Let's call it, "Why my Acros are doing so well!"
1) You're purchasing quality frags to start with. Yeah, you're over the whole "LE-Chop-Shop-Microchip-Sized-Frag-Absurdity" thing, and you're getting healthy, well-healed, and even encrusted frags from your vendors. As related in a previous post, it's now easier to find the good stuff from people doing it right than it is from the shady characters hanging out in the dark corners of the coral vending world. In short, the industry has upped its game, and everyone is starting to benefit.
2) You're providing stable environmental parameters. We're collectively a bit more cautious about environmental swings, stress-indicing practices, etc...and our Acros are "recognizing" this! With the advent of controllers, test kits, great dosing pumps, and just outright better products, it's never been easier to keep your Acros (and other corals, of course) in a more stable, consistent environment. And, as we've beaten to death over the years right here, Acros come from one of the most stable environments on earth, and although they can hang on and exist in rapidly changing environmental conditions, they'll let you know when they're not happy by retracting polyps, losing color, sloughing tissue, and just being generally "****** off", as Jake (Adams) so eloquently puts it. They will "talk" to you, and we are getting better collectively at "listening" to them. Don't believe me? Try letting your alkalinity drop a few points over a day, or back off calcium addition for a while, and see what I mean. Change the salt mix, add "Mystery Additive #234" and see what happens.
3) We're feeding them. Yeah, simple as that. We understand the need to feed Acros, wether it's direct feeding, or through keeping a large fish population in their system and allowing them to produce metabolic waste (ok, to go doo-doo) and keep the dissolved organics in the water that the corals utilize for growth. We are taking advantage of the many wonderful coral feeds and fish foods that are on the market now. We're getting used to high quality, and questioning things like particle size and appropriateness of ingredients. And we're not just randomly scattering feels into the current anymore. We're putting in as much thought to HOW to feed as we do into WHAT we feed. And we're feeding at appropriate times (like after dark), when Acros generally feed, and food doesn't simply go "down the drain."
4) We recognize that corals don't exist in a sterile world. Gone are the days of frantic posts screaming. "My Phosphate is .02PPM...I think my tank is going to die! What do I do?" Yeah, the more enlightened, calmer-heads-will-prevail, forward-thinking, and logical reefer has emerged. We understand, simply by looking (and talking about) at our corals that they appear best when our test kits are detecting some phosphate and nitrate in the water. "Sterility" "rock-cooking", and all the associated nonsense have gone the way of My Space, Napster, and CD's...Outta here. Outmoded thought. Moved on. We get the fact that coral needs to eat, needs dissolved organics and nutrients in order to grow. I love having to worry how to INCREASE our phosphates to keep our corals looking good. Weird the kind of stuff that keeps you awake at night these days, isn't it?
"Your reef is hungry, man...Feed it!"
5) We are thinking more about the quality of the light we're using. Yeah, we're growing up with our LED applications, and the manufacturers are growing with us. "Disco Blue" is still really prevalent, and I AM admittedly a hater of hyperbole, but we are starting to realize that there is more to lighting corals than just making them look good. It's about intensity, spectrum, and photoperiod. We're not abusing the ridiculously customizable LED lighting systems we have now. It's kind of like learning to drive your McCLaren on the local surface streets. Just because you COULD go 210 MPH on the way to the grocery store doesn't mean that you should. I've seen a number of reefers with honest-to-goodness lighting spectra below 20,000k..I mean, like 14,000k, 12,000K...Even some freaks dabbling in...10,000k...OMG, craziness. Sanjay (Joshi) is smiling...I know he is, because we've talked about this...Could it be that we were so obsessed with blue simply because we thought everything looked better under it, and we spent more time adjusting the light than actually looking at our Acros under more realistic lighting and making husbandry moves to improve the actual coral color...I mean, were we using light as a "photon crutch?" Think about THAT for a bit.
"My old 150 reef had BOSS lighting, man."
6) We're sharing more than ever. Okay, I'll give Al Gore's internet the credit for this one. I won't credit Twitter, because I hate it...And maybe not even Facebook...but, my ridiculous web hate aside, we're talking. There are all sorts of user groups, forum discussions, etc. on almost every available web channel. There are actually reefers that can eek out more than 140 characters of information to discuss Acro husbandry, and share ideas. Dogma is being replaced with good old discussion, and ideas are being exchanged rapidly. You can engage a hobbyist on the other side of the planet with a concern in the morning, and have a workable solution by lunch time. Really cool stuff. Oh, and Instagram, IMHO, is stupid, too. Yes, we use it, and we've actually gotten sales because of it- but I think it's stupid. You can't read? We've evolved beyond it? We're THAT busy? IS a picture REALLY worth 1,000 words? Am I just hyper-caffeinated and bitter this morning? Dunno.
"Ok, Mark. You may not have that cool Acropora robusta I've been looking for, but your social media platform HAS had some good impact on our hobby. Please buy and shut down Twitter..."
7) Frag swaps offer diversity, quality, and "culture." Every week, somewhere around the country, there is an epic frag swap going on. Not only do you get to talk to the guys and girls who grow your coral, but you get to see, feel, and smell (yuck) the corals...Frag swaps are amazing. Ideas, practices, and camaraderie start there and resonate outwards. Our "culture" advances. I get to collect frequent flier miles and keep my United Gold Status as a result of attending them. Beginners walk away with free stuff. Clubs grow. Friendships blossom. People do FB status updates. Yeah, frag swaps rock. They have done more, IMHO to progress the hobby than almost any single social factor. Definitely more than Twitter..("OMG, Fellman, get OFF the Twitterhate!")...
The frag swap. The incubator for reef "culture."
Bottom line. Killer Acros are more common than ever. The industry is rising to the challenge. Hobbyists expect more, and hold ourselves to higher standards. It's a great time to be a reefer. Isn't it?
Look, gotta run. Time to check my Twitter feed.
Until next time. Love your Acros and they'll love you back.
And Stay Wet!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
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