Acroporas die off all other SPS grows?

[jackk]

Hi there, Ive had my 90 gallon reef tank set up for about 18 months, with about a year of having SPS. Nitrates are at zero, i dose kalk in my ATO, calcium is about 400 ppm. Ph stays around 8-8.1 every day, and temp is at 78.6. Im doing 8.5 hours of light from LED lights, and have good flow with a tunze wavebox and two vortec ciruculation pumps set to random flow.

Everything seems to thrive in my take, ive had great growth with zoas, lps, and almost all SPS. I have a few plate montiporas that are doing well and growing, a montipora digitata that is doing well, and phenominal growth from 3 stylophoras. I have a cup coral as well that was a bit damaged when i bought it and has since regrown over the skelleton that was exposed.

But, I cannot keep any acroporas in my tank! I never get any polyp extension on them, even when they look good at the LFS. Polyps will extend for 24 hours, then, retract and never extend again. Ive probably tried 5-8 times, with small frags that are probably from ORA, larger ones from aquacon and the local LFS. Different species as well, blue, green, purple, brown, etc. all slowly bleach out over a period of a month and then die. They start to bleach on the bottom of the stalks away from the light, and then slowly it spreads.

I do have a flame angel in the tank, but i have never seen him nip at them.

Has anyone heard of this? Inability to keep acroporas only?

 

[Gumma 1]

Acros are more demanding . Could be alk swings,lighting,parameters off.

 

[jackk]

Acros are more demanding . Could be alk swings,lighting,parameters off.

More than montipora? Stylophora? I thought all sps were pretty much the same?

Is there anywhere i can read about this?

 

[sponger0]

Acroporas are the most sensitive coral you can get. Ive had some RTN as soon as I got it home and put it in my tank. Gone within hours.

Liek the other poster said, you need to check alk swings, temp swings, flow and so on. The flame also could be an issue.

You say your temp is 78.6. Is that at all times or when the lights are on?

Montipora, stylos and birdsnest are all fairly easy compared to acros.

 

[sponger0]

Also if you are using any type of phosphate media and stripping the phosphates too quickly

 

[Smnparish]

Acros are really in a class of their own...do you dip/quarantine your corals? Could be AEFW. I have also heard of acros bleaching from the bottom up when alk is either too low or too high.

 

[sponger0]

When it comes to alk, it isnt too high or low, its about stability. If you are swinging more than 1 dkh of alk a day, that is going to be a problem. Alk should be between 8-11

 

[bobkill]

It could be a couple of things - everything above - then also do you light acclimate the acro ? What's ur alk ? 7-8 is were I like mine - are they getting flow? It sounds like STN which is slow tissue necrosis - which may guess is light acclimation or alk problems - either swings or to high to low

 

[Smnparish]

Not just light acclimating, how are you acclimating in general?

 

[jackk]

Acroporas are the most sensitive coral you can get. Ive had some RTN as soon as I got it home and put it in my tank. Gone within hours.

Liek the other poster said, you need to check alk swings, temp swings, flow and so on. The flame also could be an issue.

You say your temp is 78.6. Is that at all times or when the lights are on?

Montipora, stylos and birdsnest are all fairly easy compared to acros.

Wow, i really didnt know that. I thought they were the easiest of SPS.

Yeah, it is always 78.6, night or day. LED lights dont make much heat and the tank in an interior wall on the house.

 

[jackk]

Also if you are using any type of phosphate media and stripping the phosphates too quickly

I am a phosphate stripping madman, I had a cyano outbreak about a year ago and hate phosphate. I use the bulk reef supply dual with GFO on and Carbon. How is it best to regulate phosphate stripping? Less flow through the GFO container?

 

[sponger0]

I am a phosphate stripping madman, I had a cyano outbreak about a year ago and hate phosphate. I use the bulk reef supply dual with GFO on and Carbon. How is it best to regulate phosphate stripping? Less flow through the GFO container?

You first need to know your actual readable level of PO4.

 

[jackk]

Not just light acclimating, how are you acclimating in general?

Thanks guys for all the responses!

I originally thought it was too much light, with the first two that died. So i read up on that, and for the next set i tried, i put them in the sand for 3-4 weeks and then slowly moved them up. Even with this, i got a feeling this wasnt the problem, no polyp extension after 24 hours and then slow loss of color then bleaching from the ground up.

When putting them in the tank from an online purchase, I put them in right away (i live in chicago, it can be cold). From a LFS, I will drip acclimate for an hour and then plunk them in.

 

[jackk]

Acros are really in a class of their own...do you dip/quarantine your corals? Could be AEFW. I have also heard of acros bleaching from the bottom up when alk is either too low or too high.

I have no acros in the tank right now. Will AEFW just die off if they have no acro food source for a few months?

 

[Gumma 1]

Aefw can not live without acros. What is your alk at? How are you maintaining alk?

 

[Fastcroc]

Let me know what you find out. I seem to have a similar problem with the lack of PE but on the other hand I can make em grow like weeds and colors are always great. Kinda sucks when you see something in the store with polyps and bring it home only to find out the next morning that it doesn't like your tank and closes up.

 

[sponger0]

Aefw can not live without acros. What is your alk at? How are you maintaining alk?

It isnt so much where your alk is, but what your alk swing is on a daily basis.

Granted it should be between 7-12 at least but preferably 8-11 IMO

 

[alwaysreefing]

They do not like swings alk and temp mostly