Is crystal-clear water bad for our corals?

[dnjan]

In my (limited) snorkelling experience, there are always a lot of tiny particles suspended in the water. You have frequently mentioned that light isn't enough for most of our photosynthetic corals to meet their needs. So when we try to have crystal-clear water, aren't we just stripping out the phytoplankton, zooplankton, microfauna, detritus, etc. that the corals are sticking out their polyps to try to catch? And can target feeding, a relatively short-duration event for these animals that extend their polyps for most (if not all) of the day, be enough for aquariums with crystal-clear water?

Comments?

 

[DonW]

I think your eyes are seeing clear water. Under a microscope you'll see all the good stuff that the corals are using.

Don

 

[Anthony Calfo]

we can target feed more dense foods to many corals/invertebrates... so no: continuous feeding is not necessary. Many corals also occur in very clear waters and (regardless) do not feed much or at all organismally - rather by absorption or as DonW has pointed out... on microscopic matter.

And before we can have a conversation about corals feeding, we must first identify what corals we are talking about. They run the gamut in needs.

 

[dnjan]

And before we can have a conversation about corals feeding, we must first identify what corals we are talking about. They run the gamut in needs.

While I eagerly await your article "The Definitive Guide to Coral Feeding"
how about starting with Turbiniara? I have three different species in my tank (the regular cup, the scrolling, and the pagoda cup - sorry, don't have the species names handy), which probably have different requirements. But it's a start.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

looking at these (Turbinaria) or any corals, you can determine a lot just by form and function.

Polyps that open mostly by night favor zooplankton... large polyps like your common cup coral (T. peltata) eat large prey while tiny polyps like your scroll coral eat tiny prey or perhaps very little at all by particulates.

Its the old adage... "Form follows function"

200 lb cats with saber toothed fangs dont eat grass And large polyped corals have those polyps for a reason.

Anth-

 

[dnjan]

Two follow-ups:

Happen to have a size-range for "large prey"?

and

What if the polyps stay out all day?

 

[NaH2O]

Polyps that open mostly by night favor zooplankton...

Anthony - I have a question about this. In my situation, I have a M. digitata that decided to be a tasty treat for a bicolor blenny. After getting assulted, it has since began to keep its polyps in during the day with great polyp extension at night. If a coral normally extends its polyps during the day, then in a situation like I have extends them at night.....would this effect its feeding at all? Or overall health? The coral appears fine....it is growing and looks great when I check at night with a flashlight.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

very good question Nikki -

little effect and no worries at all. Feeding is only one of the functions of polyps and they are not (hardly!) feeding constantly in our aquaria to stay alive. On the contrary really... feeding opportunities (organismally) are few and far between. For tiny polyped Acroporids like your Montipora, they rely very little on such feeding modes but instead are very autotrophic and derive more from absorption I suspect than organismal feeding in aquaria.

Anth

 

[Anthony Calfo]

Don... polyp extension (especially in your T. peltata!) are more influenced by (increased) water flow than a need to feed. Better flow = better polyp extension here.

No worries if they are open all day.

For this species of Turbinaria, they eat relatively large plankton... as big as mysid shrimp. But don't make that too often of a habit. Feed meats of marine origin (whole or minced) 1/4" (6mm) or smaller here.

Anthony

 

[dnjan]

Feeding is only one of the functions of polyps (... material deleted)
Anth

Please elaborate! Especially for the smaller-polyped corals.

Thanks!

 

[Mike HArrington]

I too am on a quest for crystal clear water. I strated using Purigen today in an effort to polish the water. I have placed it in the media chamber of my Deltec skimmer. I have toyed with injecting Ozone after the first of the year through the skimmer and running a high grade carbon (Rowa) in teh media chamber and in the skimmer cup itself.

I read an article that Anthony Wrote not to long ago about the quest for that perfect lighting fix! He made some intersting points that made me do some revisiting about my husbandry. I have always been an advocate of water changes!

In Anthony's Book " The hand book of Coral Propagation" he used a line that I use now all the time when I talk to new reefers. It is, "Dilution is the Solution to Pollution". I believe it to be true~

My newest practice is once a week (prior to teh water change) I blow teh sandbed and rocks with a turkey baster to help suspend particulate matter so teh skimmer can suck it out. I have a little rio 50 (I know its a rio) about 2 inches off the bottom in the back blowing to teh front and around to make sure I dont get a stratified water coloumn. I also have a pan american 1120GPH pump on my closed loop through the HD oceans motions four way. I have excellent flow! All to keep particualtes suspended so they can be skimmed.

Rather than chasing the gammet of lighting gadgets it is first appropriate to shoot for crystal clear water. The clearer the water is, the more light that penetrates!!

 

[Anthony Calfo]

you know or could surmise much of it already. A full discussion would be book length If only I had the time But there are a couple other books folks are clamoring for first

But polyps are used variously (modified and some not, and to varying degrees when so) for defense and shedding waste/metabolites for example.

Just for starters The front chapters of many great reference books commonly get ignored when we skip straight to the pics of corals, but do take the time to seek/read these pages on coral biology, history, taxonomy, etc. Many aquarists never see or read these pages in books that are sitting on their shelves for months/years. Eric has great info in his coral book... Fabricius and Alderslade... Charlie Veron's works, etc.

 

[Stircrazy]

But there are a couple other books folks are clamoring for first

.

how many more you working on? I have signed copies of your first two, how much money and I going to have to save up now

Steve

 

[Anthony Calfo]

the second volume of the NMA series (vol. one was "Reef Invertebrates") is on reef fishes... in two parts likely to comprise 1000 pages. I'm editing part one now and hope to see it released early next year. BOCP2 will follow that. Then part 2 of Reef Fishes... and finally vol. 3 will be Cnidarians (Anemones, Corals, Jellyfish, etc.).

I've got my work cut out for me in the next 2 years

Anth-

 

[Mauisreef]

I've got my work cut out for me in the next 2 years

Anth-

Pays da bills brah! :lol:


Maui