SPS colony starting growth

[Shoreliner11]

I thought I asked this question a while ago but was unable to find the post. I recently posted about polyp extension of sps corals. Well, this led me to my next question. Do sps corals need a long stable environment before they will start to grow? Is this intensified/lengthened by bleaching or any large amount of stress (shipping)? I ask this because I have several frags/small colonies that have good polyp extension which I have had for a month, calcium/alkalinity are a little low but reasonable (375ppm cal, 9.0dkh), there's plenty of light and tank is being dosed with bio/coral plankton every 3 days or so. I also do water changes every 1 to 2 weeks. Is this just a waiting game? I also have noticed that if a piece is broken it can encourage healing...and then growth. Is this a bad thing to do? Thanks Anthony and anyone else

 

[Anthony Calfo]

you will find that many/most corals need a stretch of at least several good months of optimal water quality (stable and consistent... no see-saw dosing of Ca, Alk, etc) before they will growth spurt. Occurances of stress like bleaching will defer this significantly, yes.

The fragging/pruning (if water quality is goo, again) will indeed spur growth. All good.

Anthony

 

[Shoreliner11]

Just another follow up question. After I installed a refugium I have not been able to decide on what lighting schedule to run it on. Being as I have a 20gal nano with a 10gal sump/refugium the lighting of the refugium will have a great influence on the water chemistry of main tank. I tried lighting the refugium opposite the main, dripping kalk 24/7, and dosing at night. The corals didn't seem to fair all that well (mainly my pagoda cup, seems to like little to no dosing, whether kalk or c-balance to be perfectly happy). Its not that they looked ill, but just not to their potential. I also tried dripping only at night, same result. I even tried the sealab 28 blocks, although my water chemistry went out of whack (low cal, high alk) the corals seemed to like it a little better. So I assumed it was a pH problem. So I recently started running the refugium 24/7 and dosing and dripping kalk at night. The pagoda doesn't seem to like it but I am unsure if it will just slowly adjust to the water conditions. I installed a used pH monitor but its not working right and it gives false readings. Using a crappy red sea pH test kit I am always aroung 8.4-8.5 right at the end of the photo period for that day(12.5hours long). The calcium is about 375ppm with dkh at 10.6. Also, will sps corals show how they like water quality by polyp extension? Basically, if its polyps aren't out all the way does that mean something is up? Sorry for the long post, but one final question. Everything I seem to get from the lfs that has been there more than a day or two doesn't seem to fair very well in my tank. The lfs dkh is >16 which I am thinking is shocking the corals as I acclimate them to my tank. Any thoughts? I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

your system is too small to be playing with chemicals and additives my friend. Do keep it simple and healthy and do large weekly water changes instead. All will benefit from it. At least 25% (I do 75% on mine and enjoy wicked growth, health and vigor for it IMO).

Anthony

 

[Shoreliner11]

How am I supposed to keep up with calcium usage of sps and clams with only 25% weekly water changes. I do roughly a 15% every week and the levels will decline if I do not add anything(this is known from past experience, dkh is used up a little faster but both declined pretty good). I do know that a system this small is volatile and the conditions can change rapidly if not payed attention to, but this tank has been up and running for over a year with additives(only kalk and c-balance) and despite a stupid mistake of mine which wiped out some sps colonies, the tank was doing great. I do greatly respect your knowledge on the subject but wouldn't a stable environment be better than a weekly cycling one? I do pay very close attention to my tank and want nothing more than my fish and corals to thrive, if that means dosing nothing, then by all means I will try it.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

you simply test, w/c... and even dose/supplement as needed (hence the 75% water change in my nano system weekly... and no... hardly stressful/fluctuating at all for how consistent I am).

You need to experiment with your systems needs and finesse it as best you can. It seem highly unlikely that you have so much calcification that water changes alone in a tank this small could not care for it (weekly or better... automated daily). You dont have to believe me on this matter, mate... take the time to do the math. X ppm of Ca in your seawater... and then test for your daily demand for calcium. The numbers dont lie.

The problem occurs when folks dose improperly and simply (rather harmlessly most often) precip out excess Ca and or carbonates (not noticed on sand substrates but sometimes seen in sumps, etc)

Anth-

 

[Shoreliner11]

Thank you for your reply and it doesn't hurt to try. I'll certainly will try just using water changes. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me. This is something in the past I've got a wide range of opinions on which is probably why I wasn't so sure. But once again thanks. I'll let you know how it all goes.
Aaron

 

[mojoreef]

Arron just to add something to Anthonys post. Dont rely on the polyp extention to mch. Corals extend their polyps for many differnt reasons, not all of them good. They will extend for offence, defence, mechanical and chemical responses. reproduction, preditation, food captures, light surface requirements and so on. So you really dont know, just thought I would add that.


Mike

 

[NaH2O]

....and to supplement the supplement.....here is a thread where we discussed polyp extension: Polyp Extension = Happy Corals?