polyps not opening much

[shallowreef]

Hey everybody,

It's been awhile since i've been on this forum but i have a serious problem but i think i know the answer to it. Anyways my problem is this i have 5 medium size colonies of acros in my 90. They are all sitting under 2x250w MH 20k's for 11 hours a day. I feed them DT oyster eggs and phytoplankton and and other stuff made by liquidlife (sorry can't think of the names). My polyps only extend a tiny tiny bit during the day and at night its nothing to brag about. I have checked at least a thousand times for flatworms and little red bugs and have found nothing. My temp ranges from 77-80 daily and my ph ranges from 7.6-8.1. My calcium is around 350 and my alk is at 12. My salinity is at 29 but i added some fresh water so it may be lower. I'm running a CA reactor on a milwaukee controller and my auto top off system adds kalk at a steady drip at night.

What do you think is going on here?

(also i no longer have a flame angel in this tank)
oh and has anyone ever heard of sally light foot crabs attacking fish almost three times their size?

 

[NaH2O]

Hey shallowreef - have you seen red bugs on a coral before? The reason I ask, is sometimes folks need to see them once before they can really see them...if that makes sense? Once you've seen them, however, you can pretty much spot them if you concentrate on the coral. How's the flow in the tank? Any bleaching areas, or other signs of stess to the corals? Recheck your salinity too, when you get a chance (hydrometer or refractometer?)

I think there is a member here Maryrosi, that had a Sally go after her fish. I remember she had a heck of a time trying to get the crab out. How big is the Sally?

 

[Sherman]

Just for the sake of because, here's red bugs.

From my tank:

And one of the best photos I've ever seen of them:

 

[shallowreef]

I have yet to see any red bugs ever since i started doing acros. My salinity today was at 25. I have decent flow but its nothing to brag about. i Have a seico 820 (set up like a tunze) in the top right back corner blowing towards the middle of the front glass. Then i have two maxijets 1200 on the left side of the tank both near the top (blowing across the tank to the right)and they are set on a wavemaker. my main return is a P.O.S. ocean current oscilator that crapped out on me after a week, i tried to fix it but had no such luck. So right now my main return (mag950) is just blowing to the front of the tank (middle of the tank). My sally light foot is about two maybe three inches long and it attacked my blue tang who is at least four inches long.

 

[Sherman]

When you say your salinity is 25... what do you mean?

Specific Gravity of 1.025 or 25ppt?

 

[shallowreef]

1.025 sorry,

I have the LFS guy coming over to test my tank and try and figure out whats going on. He tells me that i shouldn't worry about my polyps coming out during the day but yet all of his acros in his show tank look fuzzy because the polyps are out so far.

 

[NaH2O]

Sherman - that second photo is unreal! It really shows you how small these guys are...the size of the polyp's mouth. Amazing!

Let us know how your tank tests out. Also, it is true that polyp extension isn't necessarily a sign of health. Here is a very recent thread with a link to another thread:

Questions RE SPS

 

[DonW]

Polyp extension is really hit and miss as far as diagnosing a problem. Ive got a few that I never see and they grow very well with good color. Personally with the stuff your "feeding"??? Id take a closer look at water quality. Maybe a few water changes then see what happens.

Don

 

[shallowreef]

I do water changes every three weeks sometimes every four. I don't see any changes in the corals behavior. I don't run carbon all the time maybe once a month for like a week (don't know if that could be a problem?) Nikki thanks for the link! Does it help to narrow down the possible problems when i say i have four croceas and they are doing awesome?

Nick

 

[DonW]

Clams are easy and will thrive where some sps will suffer. What size water changes are you doing. What are you using for a skimmer?

Don

 

[shallowreef]

My skimmer is a PM Skimmer(Precision Marine Venturi). I skim about a gallon a month give or take. My water changes are between 15-20 gallons (mind you i only have a 90) usually they are 20.

 

[DonW]

My skimmer is a PM Skimmer(Precision Marine Venturi). I skim about a gallon a month give or take. My water changes are between 15-20 gallons (mind you i only have a 90) usually they are 20.

Personally I'd stop feeding everything out of a bottle and do 20-25g per week water changes for about 6 weeks and see what happens. Also a little carbon weekly would not hurt.

Don

 

[shallowreef]

okay well right now i'm open for new ideas but do you mind me asking why you think i should stay away from the food i'm using? i'm just curious?

 

[DonW]

okay well right now i'm open for new ideas but do you mind me asking why you think i should stay away from the food i'm using? i'm just curious?

Bottled and frozed foods foul your water. I dont think there is any evidence, any of the products you listed get used by sps. Your clams may get some of the phyo but not enough to justify the water quality decline. For the most part the clams and corals are feeding on light and detritus. Another reason for a little carbon to clear the water for better light penetration.

Don

 

[shallowreef]

Thank you Don For clarifying that for me. Your the second person to tell me that. Are the DT's oyster eggs also bad? i thought out of everything those would be the best to put into my tank.

 

[DonW]

Thank you Don For clarifying that for me. Your the second person to tell me that. Are the DT's oyster eggs also bad? i thought out of everything those would be the best to put into my tank.

I'm not sure I'd use the term "bad" but anything that you add either needs to get eaten very quick or removed. At least with fish food you can see it get eaten and know there is no left overs. That in turn gets pooped out then the corals get fed.

Don

 

[shallowreef]

At least with fish food you can see it get eaten and know there is no left overs. That in turn gets pooped out then the corals get fed.

Don its crazy that you mention this but, i don't really feed my fish that often maybe twice or even three times a week and even then its just a taste. so there isn't a lot of fish waste being generated in my tank. i used to feed my fish daily and at the time i had LPS corals but everything was doing fine! Do you think i should start feeding my fish more often?

Also right now i would have to say a third of my tank is Xenias they are taking over my tank. Now i know that Xenias prefer dirtier tanks with a lot of nutrients, i also know that when growing SPS you should have a nutrient poor tank. but i would imagine that with all the Xenias in my tank and the fact that i barely feed and skim 24/7 my nutrients content should be rather low??? is it a possablity that my acros are doing bad because my nutrients are so high, and this might explain why my Xenias are doing so well??

I don't know i'm starting to get a headache thinking about it all. As of right now i'm just gonna wait and see what my LFS guy says.

 

[NaH2O]

How often are you feeding them? SPS corals get the majority of their energy needs from the lights (via photosynthesis). There is some need for supplement...10% (I can't remember off the top of my head), but as stated, this would come in the form of fish waste and the bacteria associated with it. Here is another thread you may find beneficial: Let's Talk About ~Coral Feeding~

 

[DonW]

I think it just takes some practice and experimentation. I dont think there is any set amounts for feeding. I can tell you xenia will not grow in my tank it just withers away and dies. The few lps that I have really dont grow but they do live. My sps grow well but I killed alot of them until I found the right regimen for my tank. I feed three to four times a day but Ive got alot more horsepower. Youll get yours figured out eventually to.

Don

 

[shallowreef]

Thanks everybody for your help i'm getting ready to leave work and do some testing this weeken i'll report back to you all on monday

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

Thanks,
Nick