So whats going on here?

[Nano]

Ok so I heard a lot of people saying to try birdsnest for my first sps, so I found a $10 green frag and figured, what the hell, the coppers gone, levels are back to normal whats $10? So I bought it and its polyps are all out and looks beautiful, I turned down my AI a bit to acclimate it over a few weeks, but this morning it has some sort of stringy gunk on it, please tell me this isnt RTN or something bad, if it is, it is.. if not what is it?
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h401/thehobdenmarina/DSCN3123.jpg

[Marlin65]

When you say the copper is gone does that mean you had copper in the tank with the same rocks?
Looks like it could be a bit too much light but it is not happy polyps are not all out like they should be.
It could be that sometimes something from one of your other corals got stuck to that tip that can kill it as well.
cut that piece off and see if it recovers. if your water is good it should.

[Nano]

yeah it was a bit of copper from some kent carbon, I have heard that crazy glue over the stressed area is less stressful then snapping it off, I have a secon peice lower in the tank that isnt doing this but the polyps arent as extended as these

[Marlin65]

Could be your lights those sol AI push lots of par.
If the tips are turning white it is bleaching.
Cut that piece of and keep an eye on it.

[Nano]

No bleaching I can see but my last one did this before it bleached. I turned down my light to 30% what should I cut it with or do i just snap it off

[Nano]

ok trimmed the ugly off with some snips, now I guess I wait and see? lol. softies are so headache free compared to sps

[Mandosh]

If SPS was easy it wouldn't be as much fun...at least that's what I keep telling myself.

[Nano]

Lol. For me fun is when things work out :lol:

[daniella3d]

OMG, zoanthids are a nightmare compared to SPS. IN fact I never had any problem with SPS until I got copper poisoning but zoanthids can go thriving for a few months and multiply like crazy only to shrivel and melt without any reason the next day.

SPS are no trouble compare to this.

If you want an easy SPS, don't start with a birdnest but rather start with a pocillopora. Thos are easy as can be and very beautiful. There are flashy green and purple and they grow fast.



ok trimmed the ugly off with some snips, now I guess I wait and see? lol. softies are so headache free compared to sps

[Nano]

OMG, zoanthids are a nightmare compared to SPS. IN fact I never had any problem with SPS until I got copper poisoning but zoanthids can go thriving for a few months and multiply like crazy only to shrivel and melt without any reason the next day.

SPS are no trouble compare to this.

If you want an easy SPS, don't start with a birdnest but rather start with a pocillopora. Thos are easy as can be and very beautiful. There are flashy green and purple and they grow fast.

is it true that the thicker branch types are more hardy?

p.s. since trimming the shedding part off it doesnt seem to have anymore, and when I put it in originally it was almost immediately, so I have hope for this one, but we'll see lol if not any one in the area with some really hardy beginner sps gimme a shout

[reefme]

Lol. For me fun is when things work out :lol:

Plus 1 on this one.

[Lance]

If you want an easy SPS, don't start with a birdnest but rather start with a pocillopora. Thos are easy as can be and very beautiful. There are flashy green and purple and they grow fast.



I agree with this. So easy in fact, they can become a problem. I've had to go on a pocci kill more than once. Damn things pop up everywhere.

[Nano]

I agree with this. So easy in fact, they can become a problem. I've had to go on a pocci kill more than once. Damn things pop up everywhere.

any specific requirements for them? I am desperate to keep an sps alive. lol I'm also in the market for some cheap (donated ;)) red/orange/purple monti cap too. I know my calcium is around 400 now so its starting to balance.

[Lance]

light: medium to high
flow: medium to high

[reefwars]

if your coming to calgary again anytime soon i can break you off a big chunk of red monti:P mines growing like mad:):)


poccis are def indestructible too:)

[Nano]

if your coming to calgary again anytime soon i can break you off a big chunk of red monti:P mines growing like mad:):)


poccis are def indestructible too:)

thanks dude. not to sure when we will be going next, the wife could labor any day now. I'd love to track down one of these pocillopora frags too is it true the thicker sps are more hardy then the thinner brittle ones?

[Aquattro]

is it true the thicker sps are more hardy then the thinner brittle ones?

No, not true at all. Birdsnest is not an easy first coral. Poci is good, monti cap or digitata is good. But really, any SPS isn't that difficult if you have clean water and good lights.

[Nano]

well aside from my "accident" last week my water is always clean, and lights great with my sol, I just have to trial and error it I suppose?

[Aquattro]

Nah, just add some frags and let them go. Start with some pocillipora, it grows fast and it more forgiving than some species.

[Aquattro]

Oh, and that pic..I would have just scraped that little bit off. It was probably something floating in the tank that snagged across the branch. I get dog hair in my tank that causes the same type of thing.

[Nano]

Oh, and that pic..I would have just scraped that little bit off. It was probably something floating in the tank that snagged across the branch. I get dog hair in my tank that causes the same type of thing.

well i kept the bit I cut off and just place it in another spot. lol. guess i was trigger happy ;) i thought it was stressed cause most corals spew that white gunk out when they are

[Aquattro]

i thought it was stressed cause most corals spew that white gunk out when they are

Yup, I know. My tank is a gooey pile of muck right now, I've been cutting all afternoon. It'll be fine in the morning.

You're still not relaxing :)

[reefwars]

You're still not relaxing :)



i caught that too lol too funny:P

[Nano]

lol what? level with me here Ive been up since 3:30am for work!:lol:

[daniella3d]

I find the one with the skinny branch quite hardy. In fact during my copper poisoning it was not affected much. Only a slight dulling of the color that returned in less than 2 weeks.

I have candy pink birdnest and I find it quite hardy.

I think your birdnest will be fine. You did the right thing.

is it true that the thicker branch types are more hardy?

p.s. since trimming the shedding part off it doesnt seem to have anymore, and when I put it in originally it was almost immediately, so I have hope for this one, but we'll see lol if not any one in the area with some really hardy beginner sps gimme a shout

[Aquattro]

lol what? level with me here Ive been up since 3:30am for work!:lol:

Remember when you first got here? I told you to relax. You're not relaxing. Hide that panic button somewhere where you won't find it quickly :)

[Cubeman]

I've been keeping only sps tanks for 3 years and have yet to have any "success" with pocillipora so I was quite amazed to read in this thread that people are finding them so easy. Any that I bought grew very little and usually got crowded out by neighbouring corals that grew like weeds in comparison. I don't even bother trying with them anymore. Goes back to the addage about what works for one doesn't mean it'll work for another.

I think birdsnest is an easy coral to keep and grows rapidly but only once the tank is mature and wouldn't suggest it for a new setup. I'm a +1 on the monti caps and digi's however. They were good sps starters for me (but your experience may vary! :twised:).

[daniella3d]

really? wow, they are doing so well in my tank that they have started to spread every where, sprouting buds here and there on the rocks and even on tubing.

They were not affected one bit by the copper poisoning in my tank, not even the slightest bleaching or dulling, both the purple or the flashy green and polyp extension remained great all the way. They grow very very fast.

I've been keeping only sps tanks for 3 years and have yet to have any "success" with pocillipora so I was quite amazed to read in this thread that people are finding them so easy. Any that I bought grew very little and usually got crowded out by neighbouring corals that grew like weeds in comparison. I don't even bother trying with them anymore. Goes back to the addage about what works for one doesn't mean it'll work for another.

I think birdsnest is an easy coral to keep and grows rapidly but only once the tank is mature and wouldn't suggest it for a new setup. I'm a +1 on the monti caps and digi's however. They were good sps starters for me (but your experience may vary! :twised:).

[Cubeman]

So I just had to do it, I feel like a gauntlet has been thrown down...I went out to J&L and picked up a small pocci colony. They had some "browned" ones they were getting rid of at a reasonable price. Let's see how I make out with this "challenge"