Jumped into sps

[fireguy98]

Well after having the tank up and running solid and stable for a year now I have jumped into the world of sps. I went with a cultured piece for my first go since they are a little hardier. So a few questions. First I have attached a pic. I feel it looks healthy. There is some bleaching on the tips but I didn't see this as a issue. Colour is a dark red pic doesn't do it justice. What is tge Best way to get this beauty to color up to its full potential. I run my numbers like so cal 450 dkh 8 mag 1350 temp 80.0 constant Sal 1.025. Also Im in the market for a dosing pump. Suggestions?
Thanks folks I'm excited to go down this road in reefing.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/25/ryveha2e.jpg

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[MMAX]

I would say that's growth on the tips not bleaching.

[fireguy98]

Sweet

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[MMAX]

Sweet

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That's just me though. When my sps decide to go on a growth spurt they get white tips just like that.

[kien]

I would say that's growth on the tips not bleaching.

+1. I have a few colonies that have white growth tips. Millies especially have commonly white growth tips like what's in your picture. Nothing to worry about :-)

Welcome to the addiction!

[Snappy]

Yes they are growth tips

[fireguy98]

Well let's hope I can keep goodness going. Only had it a few days.

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[daniella3d]

They are very hardy and they grow fast. I had one bleached completely when poisoned by copper and it is now a beautiful colony with lots of nice shade of pink, purple and blue. Amazing how fast they grow.

As long as there is good polyp extension the coral is happy. If you want it to grow better and have good color, zeovit amino acid and coral vitalizer each day will help feed it well.

When I got it in february, all brown and ugly (from Fragalot):

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/fragalot2.jpg

copper poisoning (Kent carbon). I thought it was dead for sure, but kept it in the tank just in case:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/103_1375s.jpg


and now, still a bit bleached from underneat but recovering nicely..they are really tough:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/104_2385s.jpg

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/104_2351s.jpg


Some of mine also have some white tips when growing, especialy the green with purple polyps on the right have white tips when it is growing.

[xenon]

What is tge Best way to get this beauty to color up to its full potential. I run my numbers like so cal 450 dkh 8 mag 1350 temp 80.0 constant Sal 1.025.

Keeping the big 3 (cal/alk/amg) stable is important but its only a small portion of what you need to color up SPS.

From my experience, the more important part is to maintain very low nitrates and phosphates but still feed a ton of food at the same time. That means you need to figure out how to export nutrients efficiently.

You also need good lighting and flow. Flow is also way underestimated.

A coral can live without light for many days but can it live without flow? NOPE.

[reefermadness]

High light and flow for millepora and stable parameters will do it.

Good choice for your first piece.

[daniella3d]

hmmm the flow in my aquarium is very low. It's like the polyps are not moving or bearely moving and mine thrive, all of them. so I would go against the flow here and say, flow is not that important as long as you have some (everybody does). Light and food, plus stability.

[reefermadness]

IME flow is very important for SPS....most people agree with that statement too.

[xenon]

I've seen two frags from the same mother colony go into a tank with high flow and the other in low flow.

The frag in the high flow tank grew way more heads and was very dense/thick. The frag in the low flow tank was very thin and branchy and looked very fragile. The difference was night/day.

[Zoaelite]

IME flow is very important for SPS....most people agree with that statement too.

Couldn't agree more, daniella3d your statement is a little misleading.

Telling people flow isn't important could lead to some really bad choices, would you be kind enough to share the flow in your tank (powerheads & returns).

[Aquattro]

I've seen two frags from the same mother colony go into a tank with high flow and the other in low flow.

The frag in the high flow tank grew way more heads and was very dense/thick. The frag in the low flow tank was very thin and branchy and looked very fragile. The difference was night/day.


I think that's one of the more important aspects of flow. To get a natural and very solid growth form from the coral, it should have a fair amount of flow energy directed across it. While most SPS will live with minimal flow, the skeleton will be weaker and thinner. IME, anyway.

[Rogue951]

SPS can be more addictive than drugs. I have so many frags it's disgusting lol.
Since I see you're in the lower mainland I would sugguest you buy from ppl fragging because I've been around to many of us who keep them and for the Value compared to J&L, (no offence, love the place, once in a while you find something really special) You're almost always better off in the end from someone's frag. As long as you have the patience to watch it grow.

[daniella3d]

maybe there was something else involved. Mine are as dense as they get and I have low flow.

YOu can't just say it was the flow because parameters would have been different, lighting etc...in two different tanks.

I have a 75 gallons Osaka tank 42" long, with only 2 koralia 1050, one on each side facing each other. The flow in my tank is very gentle pretty much everywhere. Misleading? that's what I have in my tank and that's the result I get, so there must be something else involved.

Mine don't grow thin branches at all, they grow huge and very thick...and those that are nearly with no flow are no exception.

Here is a frag I did of the one that is farther from the flow, and receive bearely any flow...I keep fragging it and it keep growing tons of branches and reach the surface.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/104_2322s.jpg

and the main coral. I don't think any of them look skinny.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/103_0881s.jpg

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/_K4H4807s.jpg?t=1353891781



I've seen two frags from the same mother colony go into a tank with high flow and the other in low flow.

The frag in the high flow tank grew way more heads and was very dense/thick. The frag in the low flow tank was very thin and branchy and looked very fragile. The difference was night/day.

[Zoaelite]

Misleading in the fact that two 1050s is still 28X turn over/ hour and that doesn't account for your return pump (If you have one).

You my dear do not have low flow.

[Aquattro]

Misleading in the fact that two 1050s is still 28X turn over/ hour and that doesn't account for your return pump (If you have one).

You my dear do not have low flow.

Agreed. 2100gph + any return is not low flow. :)

[daniella3d]

oh really? no return pump, no sump, just 2 pumps.

There is good flow in the back wall, but not in front, not where those SPS are.

SEe for yourself :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KhfN_z_PFM&list=UUNJrJdXbnrn7oMFPCQ77weQ&feature=player_detailpage

does that qualify as good flow? Doesn't look like those polyps are being theared from the flow :)

It is really gently all over except in the back and there are no coral there. Everywhere else it is very gentle motion and not much in front. Of course there is some flow, but nothing I would qualify as high flow for sure.



Misleading in the fact that two 1050s is still 28X turn over/ hour and that doesn't account for your return pump (If you have one).

You my dear do not have low flow.

[Aquattro]

Tough to say with that video, but 2100gph is a lot of water moving in that size tank. And flow doesn't need to be forceful, I have a gentle wave back and forth, but that is 1800 pounds of water moving around.
If you switched to a single small aquaclear, you would notice the thing growth that we've discussed.

[daniella3d]

I don't want to mislead anyone. The only thing I am saying is that flow is not the most important and there are other factors as important.

28x would be strong I guess if there was no liverock and nothing in front of the powerhead. There are a lot more factors in an aquarium than just an empty tank and 2 pumps. I have quite a bit of rock in front of my powerheads to diffuse the flow.

Pretty much everybody who come to my place and see my aquarium are surprised to see the flow and are commenting how gentle it is.

I did add a third koralia 1050 to add more flow on my SPS but I got less polyps extension so I removed it. I did not keep it for long. Things have been going well for 2 years just the way things are and my corals are growing well and fast, so why should I change anything?




Misleading in the fact that two 1050s is still 28X turn over/ hour and that doesn't account for your return pump (If you have one).

You my dear do not have low flow.

[daniella3d]

OK then I guess I have strong flow, even though the polyps on my sps are bearely moving. I had no idea that was still strong flow.

I though to qualify as strong flow, the polyps had to move more than this. As it is, they occasionaly move, from time to time.

Here is a full tank shot. Does that quality as good flow?

http://youtu.be/AvkIATAzV5Q


Tough to say with that video, but 2100gph is a lot of water moving in that size tank. And flow doesn't need to be forceful, I have a gentle wave back and forth, but that is 1800 pounds of water moving around.
If you switched to a single small aquaclear, you would notice the thing growth that we've discussed.

[Zoaelite]

Haha I wouldn't consider 28X high flow either, your more in the middle.

[fireguy98]

I've only had this piece of sps for a few days but man I can see the addiction. I want more lol. So who has frags?

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[Aquattro]

I've only had this piece of sps for a few days but man I can see the addiction. I want more lol. So who has frags?

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lol, you're in the right part of the world to get frags. So many awesome pieces in the lower mainland.

[Dearth]

lol, you're in the right part of the world to get frags. So many awesome pieces in the lower mainland.

That's the sad part living up north it's really tough to get coral up here as there is limited SW hobbyists here and the only place that sells coral when I buy from there I feel like I'm buying a rescued coral from that store I wish Petland sold SW fish/coral

[fireguy98]

Well my first piece of sps isn't. Looking good. Tips are bleaching and its lost its red color looks brown now. Also limited polop extension. Tank parameters. Are
Sg. 1.025
Temp 80 -80.5 solid
Cal 460
Mg 1300
Kh 9
Po undetected but I get algea on glass so I know its in the tank
Nitrites0
Nitrates0
Ammonia 0
Tank is 1 year old
Bulbs are 2months old gleismens
Just changed my chemi pure elite today

I don't want to loose this coral. Suggestions? Shoukd I just ride it out see what happens or intervene?

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[daniella3d]

Feed it. Give it some Zeovit amino acid, coral vitalizer, Fauna Marin food etc...

You seem to have a low nutrient system, so maybe the coral is starving.

Tips bleaching in a low nutrient might be caused by too high alkalinity. Keep it at 8 and check if your test is good. Browning might be caused by the light or lack of proper light maybe?

Lack of polyp extension is not good. The coral seem upset about something. This often preceed RTN or STN.

[xenon]

Bleaching as in the color is turning more pale or STN/RTN?

What test kits are you using for NO3/PO4?

[fireguy98]

The tips look like they have lost tissue and it is turning brown lost most of its red. Test kits are api, crap I know. I use elos for everything els.

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[daniella3d]

Be carefull with the API test kit. I had one that was giving me 8 as reading and when I tested it with another kit I was at 14!!

Good thing that did not cause any dammage to anything but a test can turn bad. Mine was ok at the begining showing the right thing but as it grew older it started to give wrong mesurement.

[fireguy98]

I'm going to pick up elos ones tomorrow.

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