Different milli's polyp ext. ?

[plack]

Hi,

I have A pink milli that came out of anothers tank.

It was very well with long poly extention and growth in there tank.

In mine it has had minor polyp extension (same for over a year) and very little growth.

I have 2 other Millies in this same tank One's a colony the other a frag.

They are both growing well and have fuller polyp extension!!

Any thought's ??

I have treated it with Warner Marine's Coral dip and conditioner.

I have some nitrates at times goes from zero to ten.I am currently working on this. (new skimmer in the works and more frequent water changes and constant 100 micron filters being used and changed )



Paul

 

[kevinpo]

Hello Paul,
Polyp extension is certainly not a prerequisite for health or growth. It is possible that water current or lighting intensity is different for it that the other two corals.

With metal halide lighting 2 corals both placed at 12" below the bulb but one directly below the bulb and the other one 6-8" beside it can have very different lighting intensities. But you say they are both 12" down from the bulb. Why wouldn't they be receiving the same amount of light? Depending on the reflector the very highest light could only cover a small area. That's one of the disadvantages with point source lighting. VHO, PC, and HO T-5's produce about the same light intensity anywhere at the same distance below the bulb.

Check out this article about reflectors. It's easy to notice the dramatic differences between reflectors but be sure to notice the intensity drop off at different heights of the bulb. Also notice that even with reflectors there can be quite an intensity drop within a few inches side to side. (FIG 22, 23, and 24)
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/feature.htm

Regards,
Kevin