Acro Problem

CDick · #1 04-09-2006, 02:59 AM

I got a purple&green acropora 2 weeks ago. The first couple of days it seemed fine until the purple started to wither.A day later the green did the same.The acropora also came with a crab.It hasn't bleached out or lost any tissue but the polyps haven't extended since i brought it home.I've also been feading live phytoplanton every other day.I don't have much experience in sps so i'm not sure so any input would be helpful.

Ruth · #2 04-09-2006, 03:09 AM

Need more information on your system such as size, lighting, skimmer, flow etc. May be able to offer some advise then.

CDick · #3 04-09-2006, 03:18 AM

I have a 33 gal tank with a PM hot1 skimmer,2-3foot vho 1actinic 1white actinic, 2-3foot pc both 10,000k, 2 maxi jet powerheads, 35 pounds of live rock,assorted lps corals, 2 clowns, purple dotyback,hermitcrabs and snails

dirtyreefer · #4 04-09-2006, 06:33 AM

Water parms?

Snappy · #5 04-09-2006, 07:37 AM

IMO, not enough light for an acropora, it may live but will likely not thrive and show much colour. If you want to add sps without metal halides I would suggest digitatas or the like instead of acros.

sumpfinfishe · #6 04-09-2006, 09:50 AM

Well for a 33gl I would say that you have more than enough light, as I keep many colorful green and purple SPS corals under half the amount of light in the same size tank.

SPS are very sensitive to water parameter swings, such as salinity and temperature. If your just starting out with SPS I would also recommend a Digitata or Montipora coral until water parameters are stable, then you may want to try an Acropora species in the future. Also doing some more reading or research on SPS in general should help too.

Ruth · #7 04-09-2006, 12:12 PM

Acro's are a difficult coral to keep and require pristine water quality and a really stable tank. As Rich said they are also very sensitive to temperature and salinity swings and nitrate can also really effect them as well. Personally I find small tanks a lot more difficult to maintain at stable water quality levels as temperature swings, salinity swings and water imbalances happen a lot more quickly in a small tank than in a larger system. Please post your water parameters to see if that will give us a bit more of a clue as to what might have gone wrong. I have never tried acros under only VHO lighting so can't really comment on that.

mr_alberta · #8 04-09-2006, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDick

I got a purple&green acropora 2 weeks ago. The first couple of days it seemed fine until the purple started to wither.A day later the green did the same.The acropora also came with a crab.It hasn't bleached out or lost any tissue but the polyps haven't extended since i brought it home.I've also been feading live phytoplanton every other day.I don't have much experience in sps so i'm not sure so any input would be helpful.

What do you mean it "withered away?" By withered do you mean it is no longer purple/green but instead a shade of brown? Do you have a picture of your coral?

BMW Rider · #9 04-09-2006, 04:30 PM

I does sound kind of like it is under lit. It may adapt to the lower lighting intensity eventually, but it may have different colouration when and if it does. I have four acros under my MHs and they have all changed colour somewhat from when I got them.