Questions RE SPS

[micki]

Hi Anthony, I am new to this forum but not new to your forums. Glad I found your new home.

My question. I have several SPS frags and none of them extend their polyps. Once in a while I will see some at night, but never during the day. My system consists of a 125 gallon tank, 40 gallon frag tank, 10 gallon fuge and 65 gallon sump. I have 3x 250 15KXM MH lights and 4x 65 watt PC actinic lights. I have 10KXM MH lights for several months before switching to the 15K. Any ideas why this is happening?

Thanks in advance,
Micki...

 

[NaH2O]

Micki - Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!! Hope you enjoy the site.

I have a couple of questions (ok..more than 2 ). Have you checked the SPS for parasites, and did you acclimate the corals to the new 15K lighting? Any fish nipping at the corals? Do the corals appear healthy otherwise? There was another thread on polyp extension (SPS) that you might find interesting, while we wait for Anthony's thoughts... Polyp Extension = Happy Corals?

 

[micki]

Hi there and thanks for the welcome! To try to answer your questions...

1. I haven't seen any parasites on them.

2. Yes I acclimated them to the 15K lighting. I also had the problem prior to getting the 15K bulbs.

3. I don't see any fish nipping, but I do have a few that could be nippers. Coral Beauty, Flame Angel.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out later tonight!

 

[Anthony Calfo]

sweet save Nikki, I was just about to start digging for the link when I read your post (flying through mail tonight).

My short take on sps poly extension... bunk. It is NOT an indicator of health. At least not a reliable one. In many cases... extreme polyp extension is a sign of poor health (low light, eg as with aging bulbs, lack of carbon and good water clarity, etc).

You can also finesse better polyp extension by manipulating water flow.

Or just by adding sugar to the tank (not recommended for this purpose). In fact, sugar is the magic ingredient to so many snake-oil reef products.

 

[micki]

Ok thanks Anthony! Good to see you...

 

[Anthony Calfo]

Thanks Micki