Newb Acro SPS question

[mirepa]

So I've never really kept any acro's or any other SPS besides digi's and birdsnests.

My girlfriend got me this awesome looking blue tipped green slimer.

The plug I got it on I stuck into a good random flow area and near the top so it's close to my 250w hallide + T5's.

So the side of the acro facing the lights is really green and l noticed lately the side not facing (bottom side... its on the plug with a slight curve) is browning..

Is this okay?


On another note the polyp "bumps".. (where the polyps come out of) on the really green side are larger (it came like this) and on the dark side is smaller. I figure wherever this thing was fragged from it was also placed like mine and the dark side didn't grow the bumps as big...

 

[roscoe]

So I've never really kept any acro's or any other SPS besides digi's and birdsnests.

My girlfriend got me this awesome looking blue tipped green slimer.

The plug I got it on I stuck into a good random flow area and near the top so it's close to my 250w hallide + T5's.

So the side of the acro facing the lights is really green and l noticed lately the side not facing (bottom side... its on the plug with a slight curve) is browning..

Is this okay?


On another note the polyp "bumps".. (where the polyps come out of) on the really green side are larger (it came like this) and on the dark side is smaller. I figure wherever this thing was fragged from it was also placed like mine and the dark side didn't grow the bumps as big...

You are good. Most SPS will have the brighter colors where it gets the most light and some deeper water species shows its best color in lower lighting.

 

[ReefferMan]

Roscoe is correct, its like tanning in the sun, your bottom half will be lighter colored.

 

[blizzardscout2]

That makes sense, I was wondering that myself with my Bali Green Slimer.

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Since Acropora receive most of their nutrition from light, portions receiving less light grow slower, are less developed, and eventually die as the coral shades itself. This is what forms the live rock we use. In the wild only the top few meters of the reef have the reef building living Acropora.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[ReefferMan]

That makes perfect sense Kevin, ITs the Circle of lifeeee.....lol Long live the Reef

 

[kevinpo]

Taking it a step further....

Animals that bore into the Acropora skeletons (and other stony coral skeletons) weaken it to the point it can no longer withstand its own weight and/or wave action. It collapses and becomes reef rubble rolling and grinding into sand with the tides and waves. Sand that resides in the anaerobic zone with low PH dissolves into its basic mineral components. It is then redeposited by stony corals as their skeletons.

Now that is the circle of stony coral life

Cheers,
Kevin

 

[returnofsid]

That's if it survives a school of Parrot fish chomping away at it, and pooping out sand!