New to propagation - Page 2

Rickyrooz1 · 11/07/2009, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

Acropora, Pocillopora, Seriatopora, Pavona, hydnophora and Montipora. I've been hanging them all for about two years now in my 50gal frag tank. I have some hanging as little as 3" below the surface while others are only about 3" from the bottom. It depends on the lighting above the tank and how much light each frag can handle. I prefer indirect flow of about 30x the tank volume per hour. If I tried to have anymore flow it would blow my frags into each other constantly.

Here is a picture of my 50gal, its lit with a 250W 14K Phoenix and plumbed to my main system. I dont make big bucks off of it but I do earn enough to cover all of the maintenance costs (of my three tanks) which for now is good enough for me.

Wow, I've never seen that before. How well do the SPS corals grow when they are hanging?

Step Johns · 11/07/2009, 12:15 PM

I think i may try the suspension method on half of my tank. I will have mostly acros so how low/high would you reccemend i have them?

whatcaneyedo · 11/07/2009, 01:12 PM

SPS grow very well while in suspension. They receive excellent flow and lighting all around so they grow very evenly in every direction.

If a frag comes from a very high light area of my display I often hang it high up underneath my lighting in the frag tank. If it cant handle extremely intense light I hang it lower or off to the side. It all depends on each individual frag.

Step Johns · 11/07/2009, 02:46 PM

What do you suspend them with? Fishing line?

Step Johns · 11/07/2009, 05:06 PM

Alright change of plans again my finaces tightened and i am unable to get a new light so i will just have to go with what i already have. Two 150w metal halides and two 54w t5s is this enough light to be on a 60 gallon growout tank?

crsaz · 11/07/2009, 08:45 PM

plenty. keep sps about 1 ft in either direction of the mh. the efective area of a MH is aprox. 2'x2' give or take

Step Johns · 11/07/2009, 09:06 PM

other question is the metal halide bulbs are old and needd to be replaced so what should i go for? Any suggestions welcome

crsaz · 11/07/2009, 09:22 PM

I would use phoenix 14k,great color and growth, but thats just my preference.

whatcaneyedo · 11/09/2009, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Step Johns

What do you suspend them with? Fishing line?

Yup fishing line. The thinnest I could find.

Step Johns · 11/10/2009, 01:26 PM

Alright so plans changed once again... I am now getting a 60 cube and that is for sure i am not going to change my mind again... I think i am going to use a 150 sunpod on it but i doubt that will be enough light for a 25" deep tank

Remicade · 11/11/2009, 12:43 AM

its a good idea with your 3 tier system.
i just started setting up my frag tank to grow corals.
i got a 40b for my frag tank since its nice and low, my 2 x 150mh fixture is good enough for it. if you want to make money the quickest, i would start with Zoas.
they are faster growing than acans, monti's, and acro's you get some nice higher end ones with some middle costing ones and grow them out and you can make some money in a few months. just dont go for all high end or rare corals, you'll get like 5 rare ones where you could get a few rare and some other decent ones to sell also. i wouldnt bother with wholesellers or fish stores cause you are going to pay a huge markup. what i have done is mostly been buying from people on RC and other reeefing websites. you'll get better, bigger and cheaper frags from people than you will from stores.

for example. i paid $250 for 12 acro frags of these
ora fuzzy blue milipora
forrest fire montipora
tyree pink lemonade
tyree tri color
ora bali tri color
blue tip granulosa
ora purple plasma
ora hawkins echinata
hiller aqua delight

i cant remember the other 3 but each were almost 2" long and great looking. if you were to get these from a webite you'll pay $60 for a 1/2" to 3/4" frag of bali tricolor if you are lucky.

if you get get together a few hundred like 400 you could get a nice zoa pack from people selling in he classifieds and grow them out and in 3 to 5 months you will double or triple your investment.if you could find some nice mother colonies then go for it. a good colony of lets say 50 heads blue eyed devils will go for like 60 to 80 from a fellow reefer who broke down his tank or its outgrowing his and he doesnt want to frag it. you get it, frag it with 5 heads and sell for 20 - 25 per frag and you just got 200 - 250 from an investment of 60 - 80. people will wheel and deal with you if you buy in bulk.
recently i got a grag pack of 20 to 25 frags of zoas for 600. i got african purple hornets ( 2 heads) , eagle eyes, keds, aog, midas, ppe, rgn, rpe, pennies from heaven. and other colorful and popular zoas, most of my frags came with atleast 10 heads on them. i should easily double or triple my investment.

if you can start off with decent equip, then do it cause you will get what you need growing asap. if you cant, and can only afford a single halide or like you said a 4 buld t-5 then do it and keep the corals up high close to the top. invest in good test kits like saliferts. i just learned that my acros i go are not doing well cause of an alk swing that i couldnt detect with my API kits.
you dont need a calcium reactor yet, but that should be like 3rd on your upgrade list after you can upgrade your lights. get a good brand of 2 part dosing for calcium. i use the Kent tech CB part A and B for a while, but i just recently switched all my chems over to brightwell and i notice a difference in 2 weeks already.

sorry for babbling, but i wanted to give you a little taste of what i am doing.my goal is to use my corals to be able to get me a 125g tank wth no out of pocket money, and also to be able to make some money off of them too.
best thing to do is start off with a gameplan of how much you have to spend and what you want Vs. what you need to get this to where its self sustainable and get you out of the red and into the black as soon as possible.

most important.
good lighting- T5's are good, but if you want to do SPS's then i would go MH, you'll get better growth

quality test kits. test bi-weekely or weekly.
quality chemicals for dosing Ca, iodine, mag, and other key chems for coral growth.
quality frag kit with good superglue gel to mount the frags

Step Johns · 11/11/2009, 10:15 AM

Thank you very much... that was very insightfull and kinda set me straight with my priorites.

Step Johns · 11/12/2009, 12:57 PM

Alright so i have been doing some deep thinking about all of this and i am going to use the 60 cube as my display tank then have a seperate prop tank close by that i am planning on trying to build myself. Any suggestions on good dimensions for a prop tank?

deuceb · 11/12/2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

That's a great idea if you run out of room on the frag rack. I gotta try that sometime.

Step Johns · 11/12/2009, 01:58 PM

I wonder if the suspension would be worth it in a shallow tank? lol

Step Johns · 11/12/2009, 01:59 PM

Ok so i think it is time to frag my first corals, my yellow leather is getting a little large so it is time. What is the best way to attach leather frags to frag disks/plugs?

Marchingbandjs · 11/12/2009, 04:56 PM

rubberband them to it and eventually they will attach...

And of course suspension is worth it. before you have this open space notbeing used... your maximizing your efficiency

Step Johns · 11/13/2009, 08:53 PM

alright so i changed my mind again lol and this time i cant change it because i already spent the money. I bought a hydroponics tub and am going to run two 150 metal halides over it and i am looking forward to growing some nice corals

Step Johns · 11/13/2009, 09:06 PM

Oh the tub is 44"Lx24"Wx7"D

Step Johns · 11/13/2009, 09:06 PM

oh and i will eventually get a couple of them linked together just starting small at first

DThompson · 11/13/2009, 10:12 PM

Where did you buy the tub? Can you post some pics? I have thought about using these in the past.

Step Johns · 11/13/2009, 10:42 PM

I have a friend who works for custom hydroponics and he is bringing it to me tomorrow since they are located not too far from me. But yeah i will post pics as soon as i can

Step Johns · 11/14/2009, 06:55 PM

Alright so i got my tank today and am very happy with it. Going over to a friends to get a stand built, oh and i also got a sump that is rated for up to 200 gallons and my tank is only 32 or so; so i have room to expand in the future. I am going to run two 150 watt metal halides over it which should be plenty of light. For flow i am just going to use the return which is a quiteone 4000 which should be more than enough. Any suggestions?

DThompson · 11/14/2009, 08:22 PM

Sounds like a good setup for sure. Can't wait to see some pictures of it.

Step Johns · 11/14/2009, 10:33 PM

ran in to a little snag, i ordered bulk head kits and they came with threaded extenders but not enough i need to get two more extenders, and all the stores around me that i have called don't have them so i am hoping that i can bring my stuff into homedepot and find a couple more just like them. Or else i have to order another kit and i dont really want to do that

11/07/2009, 01:12 PM	#28
whatcaneyedo Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Prince George, BC, Canada Posts: 468	SPS grow very well while in suspension. They receive excellent flow and lighting all around so they grow very evenly in every direction. If a frag comes from a very high light area of my display I often hang it high up underneath my lighting in the frag tank. If it cant handle extremely intense light I hang it lower or off to the side. It all depends on each individual frag. __________________ I have a lionfish tattoo on my back. Current Tank Info: Mixed predatory reef and soft coral nano. 300gal total.

11/07/2009, 08:45 PM	#31
crsaz Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 470	plenty. keep sps about 1 ft in either direction of the mh. the efective area of a MH is aprox. 2'x2' give or take __________________ "Beware the hobby that eats" "Think for yourself and question authority" "The question that somtimes drives me hazy is am I or the others crazy?"

11/07/2009, 09:22 PM	#33
crsaz Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 470	I would use phoenix 14k,great color and growth, but thats just my preference. __________________ "Beware the hobby that eats" "Think for yourself and question authority" "The question that somtimes drives me hazy is am I or the others crazy?"

11/11/2009, 12:43 AM	#36
Remicade Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Downingtown/Eagle, Pa Posts: 115	its a good idea with your 3 tier system. i just started setting up my frag tank to grow corals. i got a 40b for my frag tank since its nice and low, my 2 x 150mh fixture is good enough for it. if you want to make money the quickest, i would start with Zoas. they are faster growing than acans, monti's, and acro's you get some nice higher end ones with some middle costing ones and grow them out and you can make some money in a few months. just dont go for all high end or rare corals, you'll get like 5 rare ones where you could get a few rare and some other decent ones to sell also. i wouldnt bother with wholesellers or fish stores cause you are going to pay a huge markup. what i have done is mostly been buying from people on RC and other reeefing websites. you'll get better, bigger and cheaper frags from people than you will from stores. for example. i paid $250 for 12 acro frags of these ora fuzzy blue milipora forrest fire montipora tyree pink lemonade tyree tri color ora bali tri color blue tip granulosa ora purple plasma ora hawkins echinata hiller aqua delight i cant remember the other 3 but each were almost 2" long and great looking. if you were to get these from a webite you'll pay $60 for a 1/2" to 3/4" frag of bali tricolor if you are lucky. if you get get together a few hundred like 400 you could get a nice zoa pack from people selling in he classifieds and grow them out and in 3 to 5 months you will double or triple your investment.if you could find some nice mother colonies then go for it. a good colony of lets say 50 heads blue eyed devils will go for like 60 to 80 from a fellow reefer who broke down his tank or its outgrowing his and he doesnt want to frag it. you get it, frag it with 5 heads and sell for 20 - 25 per frag and you just got 200 - 250 from an investment of 60 - 80. people will wheel and deal with you if you buy in bulk. recently i got a grag pack of 20 to 25 frags of zoas for 600. i got african purple hornets ( 2 heads) , eagle eyes, keds, aog, midas, ppe, rgn, rpe, pennies from heaven. and other colorful and popular zoas, most of my frags came with atleast 10 heads on them. i should easily double or triple my investment. if you can start off with decent equip, then do it cause you will get what you need growing asap. if you cant, and can only afford a single halide or like you said a 4 buld t-5 then do it and keep the corals up high close to the top. invest in good test kits like saliferts. i just learned that my acros i go are not doing well cause of an alk swing that i couldnt detect with my API kits. you dont need a calcium reactor yet, but that should be like 3rd on your upgrade list after you can upgrade your lights. get a good brand of 2 part dosing for calcium. i use the Kent tech CB part A and B for a while, but i just recently switched all my chems over to brightwell and i notice a difference in 2 weeks already. sorry for babbling, but i wanted to give you a little taste of what i am doing.my goal is to use my corals to be able to get me a 125g tank wth no out of pocket money, and also to be able to make some money off of them too. best thing to do is start off with a gameplan of how much you have to spend and what you want Vs. what you need to get this to where its self sustainable and get you out of the red and into the black as soon as possible. most important. good lighting- T5's are good, but if you want to do SPS's then i would go MH, you'll get better growth quality test kits. test bi-weekely or weekly. quality chemicals for dosing Ca, iodine, mag, and other key chems for coral growth. quality frag kit with good superglue gel to mount the frags __________________ Main: 24g JBJ HQI Nano 150 MH 20k Ushio 2 x 18w PC Actinics 2 x Korallia 1's Frag tank: 40g Breeder 2 x 150MH Radium blues 2 x 39w Giesmann Actinic and purple OR 3500 Return Pump (900gph) Coralife 150 Skimmer

11/07/2009, 12:15 PM	#27
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	I think i may try the suspension method on half of my tank. I will have mostly acros so how low/high would you reccemend i have them?

11/07/2009, 02:46 PM	#29
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	What do you suspend them with? Fishing line?

11/07/2009, 05:06 PM	#30
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	Alright change of plans again my finaces tightened and i am unable to get a new light so i will just have to go with what i already have. Two 150w metal halides and two 54w t5s is this enough light to be on a 60 gallon growout tank?

11/07/2009, 09:06 PM	#32
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	other question is the metal halide bulbs are old and needd to be replaced so what should i go for? Any suggestions welcome

11/10/2009, 01:26 PM	#35
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	Alright so plans changed once again... I am now getting a 60 cube and that is for sure i am not going to change my mind again... I think i am going to use a 150 sunpod on it but i doubt that will be enough light for a 25" deep tank

11/11/2009, 10:15 AM	#37
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	Thank you very much... that was very insightfull and kinda set me straight with my priorites.

11/12/2009, 12:57 PM	#38
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	Alright so i have been doing some deep thinking about all of this and i am going to use the 60 cube as my display tank then have a seperate prop tank close by that i am planning on trying to build myself. Any suggestions on good dimensions for a prop tank?

11/12/2009, 01:58 PM	#40
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	I wonder if the suspension would be worth it in a shallow tank? lol

11/12/2009, 01:59 PM	#41
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	Ok so i think it is time to frag my first corals, my yellow leather is getting a little large so it is time. What is the best way to attach leather frags to frag disks/plugs?

11/12/2009, 04:56 PM	#42
Marchingbandjs Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 133	rubberband them to it and eventually they will attach... And of course suspension is worth it. before you have this open space notbeing used... your maximizing your efficiency

11/13/2009, 08:53 PM	#43
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	alright so i changed my mind again lol and this time i cant change it because i already spent the money. I bought a hydroponics tub and am going to run two 150 metal halides over it and i am looking forward to growing some nice corals

11/13/2009, 09:06 PM	#44
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	Oh the tub is 44"Lx24"Wx7"D

11/13/2009, 10:12 PM	#46
DThompson Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 60	Where did you buy the tub? Can you post some pics? I have thought about using these in the past.

11/13/2009, 10:42 PM	#47
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	I have a friend who works for custom hydroponics and he is bringing it to me tomorrow since they are located not too far from me. But yeah i will post pics as soon as i can

11/14/2009, 06:55 PM	#48
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	Alright so i got my tank today and am very happy with it. Going over to a friends to get a stand built, oh and i also got a sump that is rated for up to 200 gallons and my tank is only 32 or so; so i have room to expand in the future. I am going to run two 150 watt metal halides over it which should be plenty of light. For flow i am just going to use the return which is a quiteone 4000 which should be more than enough. Any suggestions?

11/14/2009, 08:22 PM	#49
DThompson Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 60	Sounds like a good setup for sure. Can't wait to see some pictures of it.

11/14/2009, 10:33 PM	#50
Step Johns Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 84	ran in to a little snag, i ordered bulk head kits and they came with threaded extenders but not enough i need to get two more extenders, and all the stores around me that i have called don't have them so i am hoping that i can bring my stuff into homedepot and find a couple more just like them. Or else i have to order another kit and i dont really want to do that