Tips for Acropora?

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mrg02d

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 30, 2009
Messages
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Location
tallahassee, florida
Hello all,
I picked up some random acropora frags some time ago (remember, I had the red bug problem that is now over with thanks to Betadine). I dont know which kind they are. One is green and the other is a purple brown.

They dont seem to be growing at all. I was under the impression that they were quick growers. Maybe something isnt right with my tank?

I have a 20g tank with a 96W (2-12,000K , 2-Actinic) T5 light. I have the frags up on the top of the rocks about 10in from the bulbs. My flow is from a Koralia 2 powerhead and a Koralia 1 power head facing each other (the Koralia 1 is now in a bucket with some live rock rubble curing). There is an additional flow from a Fluval 305 filter (160GPH or so). The Koralia 2 is pointing up to the surface right above the acropora frags.

My water parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate : 0
Calcium : 520ppm
Alkalinity : 9-10dKH
pH : 8.2
Salinity: 1.024

Now keep in mind, Nitrate and Phosphate ARE present as there is the annoying light brown whispy algae present that forms on the sides of the tank every few days. I am now running Clearmax in my Fluval and am adding some Cheato to the main tank as soon as it gets here in the mail.

Lighting: 12,000k bulbs stay on for about 7hours and the Actinics for 10hours. ( I cut down on lighting to combat the algae).
Feeding: I feed every other day. Mysis and Formula 1 pellets (mysis on one day and pellets on another day). Mysis is thoroughly washed in DI water before feeding. Fish get a few bites each. Clean up crew makes dang sure nothing goes uneaten :).

Now, I know Acros are finicky critters, but I dont even know if they are happy. They extened polyps at all times. Thats about all I can say about them. They dont look sick (as far as I can tell), but they just havent made ANY progress since I got them a month ago. (No white tips which indicate growth).

Do I need more flow? Better powerhead placement? Longer lighting? Higher dKH? Anything pop out at you that would be a red flag? I have a montipora plate coral that is doing outstanding nearby! Has totally anchored to the rocks and has copius new growth. A Crocea clam also sits nearby which has plenty of growth.

Thanks!
Matt
 
It sounds like you are fine and doing everything right. My guess is that they are just slow growers. Any fish that might be nippers on the off chance?
 
Got any pics of the corals? Some are just realy slow growers. I would raise your SG. The average SG on the reefs where SPS corals come from is 1.026. There is no advantage to keeping it lower except saving a few cents on salt.
 
Hello,
I dont have any fish that nip at the corals, but my clowns like to piss off my clam from time to time.

Maybe they are just slow growers. I will raise the salinity up to 1.026 and see how they respond.

Here are some pictures..
 

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Lighting would be my best bet why there not growing as "quick".
Most acro's require a lot of light, If you want good growth get a 250w MH at 14k or even 10k if you want growth.

I've spoken to alot of acro growers lately because i want to get into it the right way and most say they use 400w MH @ 14k.
They'll do ok under t5 HO, but you will not see the growth that MH will produce.
 
Lighting would be my best bet why there not growing as "quick".
Most acro's require a lot of light, If you want good growth get a 250w MH at 14k or even 10k if you want growth.

I've spoken to alot of acro growers lately because i want to get into it the right way and most say they use 400w MH @ 14k.
They'll do ok under t5 HO, but you will not see the growth that MH will produce.
i dont think you put a 400w over a 20g tank you will fry everything. i dont think that would be the right way.
 
Yeap, 20g. MH is more than I can spend anyways. T5 was a splurge for me. :-(

I dont want them to grow like crazy, (no space for a large colony), just want to make sure they arent dying.

I have no idea what kind they are (I really should ask more questions before buying!). I was warned that acros are tricky! Google makes me believe the green one is called Green Acropora and they seem to be a slow growing kind. I didnt even try to look up the other since there seem to be countless purple brown acros.

Maybe I should switch to 14000k bulbs? Theres only 6in of water above them now.

A side question: I have a xenia problem. Can I use some aiptasia control products to kill them? I yanked a ton out last week and had the xenias start a nuclear war. There are more in places that I cant get my hands into easily enough to yank. They are taking up good spots for better corals!

Matt
 
Got any pics of the corals? Some are just realy slow growers. I would raise your SG. The average SG on the reefs where SPS corals come from is 1.026. There is no advantage to keeping it lower except saving a few cents on salt.

After reading the OP this was the only thing I came up with too.
 
Yeap, 20g. MH is more than I can spend anyways. T5 was a splurge for me. :-(

I dont want them to grow like crazy, (no space for a large colony), just want to make sure they arent dying.

I have no idea what kind they are (I really should ask more questions before buying!). I was warned that acros are tricky! Google makes me believe the green one is called Green Acropora and they seem to be a slow growing kind. I didnt even try to look up the other since there seem to be countless purple brown acros.

Maybe I should switch to 14000k bulbs? Theres only 6in of water above them now.

A side question: I have a xenia problem. Can I use some aiptasia control products to kill them? I yanked a ton out last week and had the xenias start a nuclear war. There are more in places that I cant get my hands into easily enough to yank. They are taking up good spots for better corals!

Matt

You can consider swapping out your actinic T5 bulbs for ATI Blue Plus bulbs. They are still blue so you tank will still look nice, but they have useful PAR lighting and typically the actinics do not. Many T5 reefers are using these with no actinics.
As far as identifing those two acros....good luck. That can be extremely hard to do for certain species, even the experts can have a hard time differentiating different types of acropora while it is alive.
If I were you I would raise the SG to 1.025 or 1.026 (do you use a calibrated refractometer?)
and I would switch out the actinic bulbs for ATI Blue Plus bulbs.
Some Acros just need time before they feel comfortable and start to grow. One month isn't really that long. You will typically see growth on the base first.
 
Oops, Didnt read the 20g.

Still, T5HO will not grow acro's no where near as good as MH.
althou i will let other people who know lighting better then me clrify this comment but im not sure its accurate. but my only reasoning behind this is with t5 you get more bulb combos. you can mix and match to get growth and color.it just takes more bulbs and you cant do it with cheap ones.
 
Hello,
Good tips guys! ATI blue plus bulbs, here I come! I hate that those actinics dont contribute to anything but aesthetics. The reflector is a single reflector bent such that each bulb has its own reflecting region. (Current Sundial fixture).

My salinity is actually half way between 1.025 and 1.026 when I checked with my hydrometer. (Yea, I need to get a refractometer). I figure this is good enough for salinity, no?

How does my flow sound? I am trying to cure some live rock rubble I got so I borrowed my tanks Koralia 1 power head. So now its just 700GPH flow in my 20g tank. The Koralia 2 is pointing to the top if the water right above the acros. No idea if this is creating enough flow for them.
EDIT: I checked the bulbs that I am using and the actinics are actually 460nm, which is a blue wavelenght. (wavepoint bluewave bulbs). Might these be fine then? They are called actinics, but their wavelenght peaks at 460nm.

Matt
 
althou i will let other people who know lighting better then me clrify this comment but im not sure its accurate. but my only reasoning behind this is with t5 you get more bulb combos. you can mix and match to get growth and color.it just takes more bulbs and you cant do it with cheap ones.

Ofcourse you can have more bulbs and what not, But MH will give you better growth.
A 150w-250w (High above the tank cause its 20g) with a 14k bulb, You will get better growth then t5's.
 
Hello,
Good tips guys! ATI blue plus bulbs, here I come! I hate that those actinics dont contribute to anything but aesthetics. The reflector is a single reflector bent such that each bulb has its own reflecting region. (Current Sundial fixture).

My salinity is actually half way between 1.025 and 1.026 when I checked with my hydrometer. (Yea, I need to get a refractometer). I figure this is good enough for salinity, no?

How does my flow sound? I am trying to cure some live rock rubble I got so I borrowed my tanks Koralia 1 power head. So now its just 700GPH flow in my 20g tank. The Koralia 2 is pointing to the top if the water right above the acros. No idea if this is creating enough flow for them.

Matt

Ive got my ATI 80w Blue Plus showing up today once the UPS driver gets here. (I use it with my halides)
I say get the refractometer even before you change out your actinics. I bet your salinity is off if you are using a hydrometer. When I used a hydrometer it read 1.025 and when I got a refractometer it showed I was really at 1.022. Get a refractometer and calibration solution too. I have this: Marine Depot Aquarium Refractometer
and this: American Marine Pinpoint Salinity Calibration Fluid
Your flow sounds like enough to me, just make sure it is NOT direct flow.
 
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MRG,

first, i would say from what i am seeing your doing a great job!:D

Here's a few idea's to try...

1) do large weekly water changes, after about 2 weeks you will be surprised at how well you tank looks. Also, it will just about rid you of your phosphate and nitrate problems if you are using nice clean RODI water (if your not, that could be part of your problem). By doing larger water changes each week, you will keep the coral's supplied with the trace elements they need to survive and grow.

* i have a 10g nano and do 50% water changes every sat.

2) Flow... i cant express enough how important this is.. the only way your corals can grow,eat, and release waste is through flow! I would suggest 10-15 times your tank vol.

* again i have a 10g and a vortech Eco MP10 set on 1/2 of its power.. roughy 700-900 gph :eek:

3) Lighting.. you say you want growth? well, by changing your water daily and a good 10K bulb you will see great growth over a few months. MH is not as much as people think.. you can get a nice set up for around 200$. Dont get me wrong T5s are great lights, i had one on my 55g and got rid of it because of my corals...just didn't see the results i wanted.

If i were you i would keep doing what your doing and just bump up your water changes and see if that helps some... i am sure you will see improvements in all parts of your tank.

GOOD LUCK! and keep the pictures coming !
 
I have no advice on the coral just interested really, but I do also agree you should switch to a refractometer. My hydrometer showed 1.025 and refractometer showed 1.031:shocked!: It wasnt even close.
 
I would personally suggest a maxspect over a halide for a tank that small. On my 180G tank, 2x 250W and a 400W halide raise the temperature of the tank 6 degrees without fans working. Even with, 2 degree rise. A maxspect 60W led is $168.
 
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