melev

I ran across a comment by one person who stated that even when my tank has issues, it still looks nicer than their reef. I completely understood what he meant, in that we are never really happy with our tanks because we see the problems and annoyances. When I stand in front of my tank I do see some pretty corals, but I also see those that aren't doing well. If it is just a couple, it's much easier to overlook. When it's system-wide, something must be done.

I tend to tackle stuff before it gets away from me because the longer you wait to fix a problem, the harder and more expensive it is. Usually.

And maintenance just can't be ignored either. I still clean the glass, scrape away what distracts and focus on keeping the water quality up. Wiping down the eurobracing, the sump area and the steel stand is all part of what makes my setup shine. The lighting is cleaned up from time to time when it begins to have that dusty look, and even plumbing is wiped down with a damp sponge. The fishroom's concrete floors are swept often, and mopped as needed. The cleaner the system, the quicker I'll see something when it arises.

Seeing the color return to specific corals has been encouraging. This next acropora is a deepwater, and when I bought it it was green. It turned brown and stayed brown for about nine months but is now regaining its green coloration once more.

This hot pink chalice seems unaffected, but there are some patchy areas...

The Lime in the Sky was green with a light blue skin. The green is coming back.

About half of the Unknown acropora has died back, but what remains is turning a deep purple. It may be a Tyree Acropora valida, something I got from him way back in 2003. I didn't even realize that it could be that particular coral until a friend suggested it.

The Sunset montipora looks okay, but could be more orange. Another chunk of it in my frag tank looks way worse, probably getting hit with the brunt of some alkalinity buffer that was added a week ago.

The Purple Haze montipora is displaying a nice vivid blue in this one spot. The coral to its right is another montipora, but the skin has a patchy look. I think it may have reacted to a sudden pH spike from the buffer dosing I mentioned above. Or maybe it's just recovering from the chaos. When it was an overall pink color, it was prettier so I'm hoping it will get back to that soon.

The Yellow Scroll coral (Turbinaria sp.) had a mottled look for a few days, but seems to be doing well.

This orange Fungia had green tentacles originally, and I'm hoping those will regain their former beauty.

This Acanthastrea is a quiet lurker in my reef, often overlooked by anyone. A macro lens reveals some very nice color and texture.

The big chalice in the center of my reef has lost color, and the one-inch border looks shredded rather than maintaining the same consistency of pattern like the center of the coral. It should look better in about a month.