Coral Growth

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neilanh

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Question time, I hope I'm able to explain this well enough to make sense.

This is in reference to my acros, sps, etc. I have quite a few, and most of them are growing what I think is pretty well. All of the new growth, however, starts out white, and then eventually gets some color to it. I know the color varies somewhat based on lighting, so that's not the question.

Is this normal? Or is something lacking in my tank?

The reason I ask is this:
The frags I buy from LFS, online, etc, never look like this. They're typically completely colored up all the way to the tip, no matter how large or small the frag. How is this possible IF this white is normal?

This leads me to believe that 1) either something's wrong in my tank, or 2) I'm the only person in the world to be able to grow Acros. lol

I know you want to know water parameters. I won't give specific numbers, as most are in check, but my Alk is a little low around 8, and my Ca is down around 360 at the end of the week. I haven't checked mag in a while, but it was 1320 at last test. I do a 25% PWC every week and am using reef crystals

I'm currently in debate mode over starting 2-part, so I'm curious to see if the Alk/Ca/Mag levels have something to do with this or not.

Here's a pic of an ORA red planet. See the large amounts of white? When I got it, it was red/green all the way to the tip.
IMG_3235.JPG
 
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From what I see it's New Growth as for coloration. It depends on what Type of Supplements some vendor are using to have there Coral Stay colored through out there growth span. I heard of the Zeolite Method where it keeps your corals popping all the time throughout there growth span. But that's a long process to accomplish. My Acro is growing the same way all white but little to no color... I also to would like to know if there is another way to keep them colored up while they are growing...
 
It's an obvious scream for help. If you have a shred of decency, you will remove these poor specimens and send them to somebody that can provide the proper environment. I happen to have just such a facility. Pm me and I will provide an address.....
 
It's an obvious scream for help. If you have a shred of decency, you will remove these poor specimens and send them to somebody that can provide the proper environment. I happen to have just such a facility. Pm me and I will provide an address.....

Are you Serious?
 
White tips for new growth is pretty normal from my experience. Why you don't see it at the LFS... I don't know. Perhaps it just isn't growing that well at the LFS because of the transit stress and less than favorable water parameters, and they start growing better/faster when they hit our tanks? Just a thought.
 
Question time, I hope I'm able to explain this well enough to make sense.

This is in reference to my acros, sps, etc. I have quite a few, and most of them are growing what I think is pretty well. All of the new growth, however, starts out white, and then eventually gets some color to it. I know the color varies somewhat based on lighting, so that's not the question.

Is this normal? Or is something lacking in my tank?

The reason I ask is this:
The frags I buy from LFS, online, etc, never look like this. They're typically completely colored up all the way to the tip, no matter how large or small the frag. How is this possible IF this white is normal?

This leads me to believe that 1) either something's wrong in my tank, or 2) I'm the only person in the world to be able to grow Acros. lol

I know you want to know water parameters. I won't give specific numbers, as most are in check, but my Alk is a little low around 8, and my Ca is down around 360 at the end of the week. I haven't checked mag in a while, but it was 1320 at last test. I do a 25% PWC every week and am using reef crystals

I'm currently in debate mode over starting 2-part, so I'm curious to see if the Alk/Ca/Mag levels have something to do with this or not.

Here's a pic of an ORA red planet. See the large amounts of white? When I got it, it was red/green all the way to the tip.
IMG_3235.JPG

My ORA Red Planet does the exact same thing. This is for sure perfectly normal. Nice frag by the way, so far you are holding the green. Mine has pretty much lost all of its green, but it is looking pretty red and starting to table nicely.
 
Ok, so they grow this way. Then what is it that happens during the transit and display tanks at the lfs that makes them color up all the way to the tips? It's true that you do not usually see that kind of white tip growth in the corals that are at the lfs.
 
Ok, so they grow this way. Then what is it that happens during the transit and display tanks at the lfs that makes them color up all the way to the tips? It's true that you do not usually see that kind of white tip growth in the corals that are at the lfs.

I haven't seen a Red Planet last long enough at an LFS to develop growth. This is my only coral that grows white tips first, which is the same coral in the picture.
 
So, let's assume an LFS decides to stock a Red Planet (or any acro really). They place an order, and the frag is delivered. All colored up.

Why wouldn't the farms, especially farms that are aquaculturing corals, have significant signs of growth on them when delivered to the LFS or whoever orders them? Isn't that what farms do, grow corals to sell? If this is in fact normal, I would expect that that every frag Ive ever seen at an LFS that came from a farm to look like this, no?
 
So, let's assume an LFS decides to stock a Red Planet (or any acro really). They place an order, and the frag is delivered. All colored up.

Why wouldn't the farms, especially farms that are aquaculturing corals, have significant signs of growth on them when delivered to the LFS or whoever orders them? Isn't that what farms do, grow corals to sell? If this is in fact normal, I would expect that that every frag Ive ever seen at an LFS that came from a farm to look like this, no?

Many people on reefcentral experience the same thing with the Red Planet, which is white growth tips. Almost everybody ends up losing the green color within a few months. It is a mystery to many how ORA can deliver the frags being so green etc etc. yet it is so different in our home aquariums. Maybe it is becaues they use lots of natural light...I don't know.
Do you have pictures of other corals in your tank doing this too besides the Red Planet?
 
I have experienced the white tip growth on the few SPS corals i have grown.

I have no idea if this is even close to correct but i will go ahead and throw my theory out there. When ever i have seen SPS's fragged the first couple of weeks/months almost all of the growth of that coral is usually seen at the base of the frag while the coral attempts to encrust and form a solid structure before it starts growing up. Maybe we are just looking for growth in the wrong places at the LFS? The white is usually much less noticable on monti caps and such because it is only growing a little bit over a large radius as opposed to branching accros that have a small tip area but tend to grow rapidly. Take a look as some new frags and see if there is a white ring on where it is trying to encrust the frag disk?

As far as dosing your tank goes, I would pick a week or two to closly monitor your ca/mg levels over the corse of time inbetween your regular water changes and see how fast trace elements are being consumed. If you are using ca/mg faster then you can replenish it with water changes then i would say it is time to start dosing.
 
I have experienced the white tip growth on the few SPS corals i have grown.

I have no idea if this is even close to correct but i will go ahead and throw my theory out there. When ever i have seen SPS's fragged the first couple of weeks/months almost all of the growth of that coral is usually seen at the base of the frag while the coral attempts to encrust and form a solid structure before it starts growing up. Maybe we are just looking for growth in the wrong places at the LFS? The white is usually much less noticable on monti caps and such because it is only growing a little bit over a large radius as opposed to branching accros that have a small tip area but tend to grow rapidly. Take a look as some new frags and see if there is a white ring on where it is trying to encrust the frag disk?

As far as dosing your tank goes, I would pick a week or two to closly monitor your ca/mg levels over the corse of time inbetween your regular water changes and see how fast trace elements are being consumed. If you are using ca/mg faster then you can replenish it with water changes then i would say it is time to start dosing.

I think you have a great point there. Typically the frag will start to encrust the frag plug/outwards first before they start growing at the tips.
 
I think you have a great point there. Typically the frag will start to encrust the frag plug/outwards first before they start growing at the tips.

I think it all depends on a lot of things. I have a stylophora that was in the same spot for a little under a year. It was growing fine at the tips... not tremendously, though. And it wasn't encrusting at the base at all. I ended up moving it because of competition with a torch (the stylo was losing) and moved it to a new location that had lots more flow. Growth at the tips took off like crazy, and it finally started encrusting along the base. Now, not only is it fully encrusted onto the rock, but there are branches growing off that area too.

My point is that there are tons of factors that can influence coral growth. And the folks that do it for a living (ORA, etc) know what factors they need to grow corals that folks will buy. But as far as corals growing in hobbiest tanks, it seems totally normal for new growth to come in white.

Sparky697... you asked "Then what is it that happens during the transit and display tanks at the lfs that makes them color up all the way to the tips". In my opinion, what is happening is that they're not growing. No growth means the coral has time to color up what used to be new growth. Or maybe it's that just before shipment, the grower might change the lighting to influence coloration over growth.
 
I think Kurt hit on something there. The corals aren't "growing" like they do in our systems and the spend their energy coloring up.

To give you an example out of system, I got an ORA Pearlberry (Neilan was with me the day I got it) It has been in my system since that time and all the growth I have seen on the coral has been at the base encrusting over the plug and now onto the rock. The same day I got a green milli it has not shown signs of growth anywhere other then where I glued it to a plug. I just looked at it and it has started encrusting, there is a visible white ring where the growth is. The color is just as green as the day i got it. I expect to see it start branching and growing up in a few weeks and that will be white.
 
It's an obvious scream for help. If you have a shred of decency, you will remove these poor specimens and send them to somebody that can provide the proper environment. I happen to have just such a facility. Pm me and I will provide an address.....

I dont see how this would help. If indeed the specimen was dying off I would think shipping it would stess it even more. I think this is a good idea but it is very impractical. JMO
 
So in other words has everyone ruled this as normal growth?

Yes normal, here is a pic of mine which is tabling to the left as you can see the entire left side is white. It has been doing this the entire growth process. I think the Red Planet does it more so than other sps.
 

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