acros growing slowly. causes?

[poknsnok]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7773247#post7773247 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Covey
Your info:Current Tanks: fledging 200 gal reef "work in progress"

How long has the tank been set up?

Do you have pics?

Ill have to load pics... it has been reef for a year. Ive very slowly added corals over the last year. the last group of frags about 3 months ago. I have a couple of frags i got that havent frown at all in the 6 months . they have gotten thicker but havent branched or grown in length one bit. i have others that grow pretty fast. and caps always grow good

 

[A.G]

you want faster growth....Feed your corals.

A.G

 

[poknsnok]

I target feed once weekly. I usually do not specifically feed the corals. i rely on the food I feed the fish which is mysis finely chopped, frozen plankton, cyclopeze, all soaked in selcon/garlic.

thanks for all the responses. Id like to see listed the "growth retarders" in order of likeliness.

1-phosphates
2-nitrates
3-lack of food
4-lighting
5-calc,alk,mag

my guess. what do you all think?

 

[Wiskey]

1 phosphates
2 CA/Alk (water quality)
3 lack of food (nitrogen source)
4 Lighting
5 Nitrate, if it effects things at all at low levels.

IMHO,
Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

I would like to quote this here though:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7769370#post7769370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by King-Kong
There is difference between feeding your corals, and letting them sit in rotting waste.

Corals need food; a fair amount. This food, however, if uneaten, will quickly break down and create an over abundance of nutrients in the tank.

The trick is to feed the corals, and then export what isnt eaten.

 

[panic]

Do you ever blow off the rocks or siphon?

 

[poknsnok]

every week at every water change. I generally do all that needs to be done I believe.

 

[cward]

I've had frags set idle for up to a year with hardly any growth, then for some reason they start to really take off.

 

[drock59]

Cward, I think this is true for a lot of people but correct me if I am wrong....poknsnok is having really slow growth with all his acros no?

 

[poknsnok]

not all are growing slowly, I have a tenius I got 4-05 that has tripled in size. started from a small frag. a couple others grow ok. Ive had a blue stag frag for almost 2 yrs and it has grown an inch. all in the last 6 months. I think it is like cward said. maybe they will take off this year!

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

I agree, in Bornemans book, he says that many acros will sit 'idle' for a yerar before normal grow returns, even in nature.

As long as all parameters are good, and they look fine, I'd just give it time.

 

[shelburn61]

what kind of macro in the fuge? caulerpa releases toxins that can slow growth. better off with chaeto.

I have also noticed growth slows dramatically if I don't keep alk stable