New (first) corals, need some advice/opinions

[FitoPharmer]

Originally Posted by SmallFry

I cycled it in March I think, then all my livestock stocking was done by about August. There have been sporadic additions of the odd snail since then. Basically every time I end up in Winnipeg I come back with something or other. Kind of like the Wife in Ikea....

Interesting that too much light can brown them out too, I'd got the impression that browning was overproduction of zooxanthelli due to insufficient light rather than the reverse. So far (touch wood) there doesn't seem to be any sign of bleaching..

Nutrients are a possibility also. Nothing ever shows up on the test kits, but I've had some problems with algae of some sort and a bit of cyano although that is mostly gone now I have my algae scrubber going..

Regarding feeding the favia, I read that it should be done at night when feeding tentacles are out, butive not been able to see that happen. If I send some mysis it's way with a turkey Baster, will it just get the idea?

Have you noticed any change in the coral since you put it in the tank?

The brownness of corals can be effected by too much or to little light and too much nutrients.

Normally to feed most LPS corals you shut off your flow, then give them a little squirt of food or water from washing the food near the mouth. 5-10 minutes later the polyps will be open and waiting for food to be squirted into the tentacles. Give them 5-15 minutes to eat before turning the flow on

[gregzz4]

Oops, this post is not for me

[Madreefer]

I have a different opinion when it comes to browning out when it comes to LEDs. I've been running mine for 16 months. I had my ups and downs with my lights for the first little while and than my corals took right off once I thought I had them figured out. I decided I needed to get some more to supplement my reds. So since I was adding more I turned my lights down from 100% to 70% intensity. After 2 months of this the browning out and slow growth started. Cranked the intensity back up to 100% and since that time my growth has picked back up and the color is coming back. I'm not near my tank right now but I will post a pic later as I have a red monticap that will show you as the new growth is red rather than the brown it has turned. In my case I strongly beleive it was a lighting problem and not nutrient related. With your tank being setup with LEDs from the start i'd have them cranked up. And I agree that your corals will not have that same pop as they do under MHs

[MMAX]

Your digi needs to be as high as you can put it in your tank in a high flow area. I purchased a digi frag a few months ago that was pure white until it became less stressed from the move and acclimated to my lighting. Took a couple of weeks. Beautiful purplish-blue color now.

[SmallFry]

Thanks for the help, I tried feeding the favia tonight, one or two polyps did try eating some mysis although I've no idea how much I must've pumped into the tank in the process. I guess I'd better just hope the algae scrubber is up to the job. Having to repel two cleaner shrimp didn't help - those things are faster than ninjas...

I'm still not quite sure what to do with the montipora, it's perfectly happy as far as I can tell, just brownish. Who knows, perhaps that's the colour it's supposed to be. I might try giving it a week or so to see what it does before trying moving it up into more flow for two reasons; one is that I want to let it acclimatize, and secondly I'll need to get some epoxy to hold it in place before I can raise it to the upper rocks. The flow up near those korallia 1400s actually makes the turbo snails vibrate when they're up there..