Experience with Acropora Hoeksemai

[spawn]

Looking for others experience with keeping Acropora Hoeksemai. just wondering if there was any special care taken with it, as I've read it is a very hard coral to keep.

[amoreira]

I don't think it's any more difficult to keep than other Acropora sps. They need lots of light (MH) and flow. Water quality has to be pristine (no nitrates, no phosphates, low nutrients). Run carbon and GFO for that. Don't overstock your tank with fish. Any SPS is a crap shoot I find. But it one day and RTN the next. I find my SPS love my LED's. Funny that the GSP in my tank doesn't (good!).

[reefermadness]

Didn't have a good experience with it.....

many others on in the SPS forum on RC refer to this acro as difficult. Try a search there.

Not saying it isnt possible to keep one healthy....buts its more difficult than most.

[Myka]

I have an aussie Acro that may be hoeksemai, but I don't have a positive ID on it. I have found it to be relatively easy though, so maybe it is not a proper ID. It just glows...one of my favourite up and coming pieces. I'll take a pic tomorrow, but I just dosed Spur2 a few hours ago so it will be pale tomorrow.

[Myka]

My A hoekesmai, maybe? I posted some photos on Zeovit for a better ID. It is normally very neon, but I dosed a sniff too much Spur2 yesterday. http://www.zeovit.com/forums/images/smilies/doh1.gif White balance set so actinic lighting doesn't "cheat" the colors. Growth pattern not yet established...it was a funny shaped frag. I have another one that may be the same specie, but different colors. This one is very easy, the other one is the finickiest Acro in my tank.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Apr2520112.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Apr2520113.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Apr252011.jpg

[reefermadness]

Definately looks like it could be. Normally I see them in deep royal blue so the colour is throwing me off....but the shape looks like one. Maybe just a bit thinner in the branches...but that could be flow related. Nice one in any case.

[Myka]

Ya, it's the thinner branches that make me question the ID. It is normally much darker; very blue with teal corallite lips. It is very sensitive to the Spur2 and lightens up more than any other Acro. It's easier to take pics of it when it is light because normally it fluoresces so much it is difficult to focus the camera. I'll post a new pic in a week or so when it darkens up if I remember.

[spawn]

The corals in this thread on the zeo forum are a better illustration of the coral that I now have, in terms of coralite grouping, & I don't think they really look like yours which is a great looking coral btw. I mounted it about 2" directly in front of a koralia 4 yesterday & within about 2 hours started to get PE. So I don't know what it is but it's color is bad right now & it was barely showing any P.E prior... so I'm eager to see what will happen in the coming days. I'll try to get a pic & post later.I've also just started using spur 2 so far with decent results, fear of an accidental overdose holds back the dosed amount though.
http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1393

[Myka]

The corals in this thread on the zeo forum are a better illustration of the coral that I now have, in terms of coralite grouping, & I don't think they really look like yours which is a great looking coral btw.

I've also just started using spur 2 so far with decent results, fear of an accidental overdose holds back the dosed amount though.

Ya, I guess that's what I mean by thinner branches. The corallites are more spaced out on mine giving the impression of thinner branches. I'm not sure it that's because of variances within the specie, variances from flow, or a mis-identification. I posted my coral on that Zeovit thread. There are some very knowledgeable SPS peeps on there so hopefully they can yay or nay the ID on mine.

Be careful with Spur2, as it sounds like you already know an overdose is deadly. I don't like the dosing instructions for it because the dose changes whether you run an ULNS, LNS, or higher nutrients. You will also find that some corals are very reactive to it, and some seem to be unaffected. The Acro I posted and one of my birdnests are both very reactive to Spur2. Wwiw, I dose 2.25 mL in my 90 (plus 15 in sump) every 3-6 weeks depending on coral color and that pushes the limit on those two sensitive corals. I record how much I dose, when, and what the reactions were so that I can adjust/double check my dose each time.

Don't ever dose Spur2 more often than once every 3 weeks even if you see no reaction in the corals as the doses will pile up on eachother if you dose too close in time span. Say you dosed 2 mL a week ago, and got no reaction at all, and you dose 2.25 mL today you will overdose because it's not going to quite be like dosing 4.25 mL in one go, but it will be more like dosing 3.5 mL in one go or something like that. Make sense?

Spur2 is the shizz for pulling brown out of new/finicky Acros.