Can get polyps from milles, or acros...even my slimer Help!!

[Fastcroc]

I'm sure this has been asked too many times to count but I get tired of reading the same posts about it dating from somewhat recent to years back. The reason that i love sps are the polyps that I see in the stores and online videos ect. Well once I get home and put them in my tank the polyps disappear and never return. I have a blue mille that looks like a slick acro, you can barely see the tips of the polyps wanting to extend but they never do. Also the same issue with a flourscent green mille...slick. I even have a green slimer that should be super fuzzy and the fuzz just isn't there. During feeding times is when I see the most extension but again, its barely poking the tips out. I want my acros to actually extend their polyps...I don't even know what color polpys half of my corals have its that bad! The only coral I have that actually lets everything hang out is an ORA Chips Acro. I've checked for red bugs, Ive checked for aefw, almost certain that I don't have any pests. I've also been religious about dipping all corals prior to introduction into the tank. The tank itself is about a year old, 75g display with 40g sump. Using carbon and the SWC150 cone skimmer for filteration. Also have a deep sand bed in the sump (about 50lbs) with some chaeto that I try and trim every two weeks. I have been doing a 10g water change every weekend and changing carbon every 4 weeks. Have a 4 bulb T-5 with 1 month old Gman bulbs. Just started the zeovit system to see if it will change my polyp issues but I'm only a few days into it so obviously no change yet. Had to add a reactor for the zeolites and then I'm dosing the other products like bak, food, start, phols extra, and aminos. My water seems super clear but just means that I can see the lack of polyps with super clairty now. I feed the few fish we have nightly and supplement with live brine and seaweed as well. Along with that I feed live phyto about 3 times a week mixed with coral frenzy. Also stock about every 3 months with a fresh batch of copepods for our fat little target goby.

:headwallblue:
More info about the tank parameters.
Temp low - 77.8
Temp high- 78.6
Ph - 8.2(redsea)
Ca - 440(redsea)
dKh - 8.0(redsea)
Mg - 1400(redsea)
Sg - 1.0255(digital)
No3- 0.15
Po4- 0.08

If I'm leaving info out please let me know and I'll try and get it together. My growth has been outstanding in all of the corals in the tank and the colors are good for the most part. Please let me hear the suggestions!!!! Pics will soon follow!

 

[Fastcroc]

Pictures of the problem....or success

Pictures of the problem....or success

Glass half empty or full? Great growth but no polyps....or super PE with no growth?

 

[cromedogg33]

Livestock?

 

[Aimforever]

In my experience poor polyp extension has always been the result of something nipping at the polyps. Even though you may have never seen it first hand, you may have a fish that occassionally is picking at the corals which has trained them to stay closed up. In the past I had clown gobies, coral beauty and flame angels in the tank and polyp extension was never the same even though I almost never actually saw them nip.

Do polyps come out at night or after feeding?

 

[doosiec]

Could be a result in vibrations, inhabitants disrupting the ecosystem.
I'm leaning over coral nipping, how are your other corals?

 

[Fastcroc]

All of my corals are great as far as color and growth go, if anything I'd almost say above average growth on some things like the birdsnests. The meaty LPS corals that I have are super healthy and all colored up too. I'm starting to wonder if it really is my coral beauty.

Here is a livestock list, everyone has opinions I know so please don't judge!

Maybe 6-8 hermits, 2 or 3 snails
Juv Coral Beauty
Juv Mimic Tang
Target Spot Goby
Juv Foxface Rabbitfish
2 Bangai Cardnials

The polyps don't ever really come out, day time or night time. If anything during feeding the green slimer might poke the tips of its polyps out but I've never actually seen anything fully extended. Its a complete difference from the LFS to my house when it comes to the appearance of the corals. I have milleporas that almost look like acros because they are so bare haha. Its depressing!!! The wife tells me to stop buying sticks when I know they won't look the same at home in our display.

 

[Acronic]

Money is on the coral beauty. It may not be nipping bad enough to cause noticable damage but like stated above the polyps dont want no part of that and stay closed. For sure catch that CB and see how the corals respond after its removal.

Another idea could be vermetilid snails casting their webs that irritate sps.

 

[Aimforever]

I agree with Acronic and would also bet your coral beauty is the culprit.

 

[Acronic]

The corals color is good and they look healthy in the pic. Its gotta be a nipper

 

[Fastcroc]

I think my new plan of action is going to be to catch our coral beauty and keep her in the sump for a while, my wife is extremely upset with this idea (its her favorite fish) haha. I've got 1 more picture that Im going to post in a second as well thats a little better view of a cali tort and the green slimer.

 

[Fastcroc]

Can you find the polyps?!

Can you find the polyps?!

better view of 3 frags

 

[acroholicreefer]

What are you using to test for phosphates? Have you ever ran GFO? .08 is going to keep the polyps from full extending. If you lower your phosphates down to .05 or lower, you should see the polyps extend.

 

[Fastcroc]

Just using the redsea kit. Have heard its not always that accurate. Have never ran gfo with success. Could never get the flow correct. Was almost like I had to adjust the reactor every few days. Either too much or not enough flow. I just started the zeovit setup so maybe in the next week or so the po4 will drop. Have my fingers crossed!

 

[BrianN]

Red bugs can cause lack of PE. Did you try to look closer to your SPSs?

 

[Fastcroc]

Oh yeah, I've looked many times and even tried dipping a few just in case there was something that I couldn't see. I'm going to catch the suspect and see how things go from there. Thanks for everyones responses about this!

 

[sponger0]

Hey bro, I was also going to say make sure there were no red bugs. Those will def cause no PE.

Ill let you know if the Cali tort has some PE or not. Nothing as of last night.

Also if you can check out what your alk is doing and see if you can find a way to stabilize that, as I mentioned last night.

 

[reeffreak75]

What are you using to test for phosphates? Have you ever ran GFO? .08 is going to keep the polyps from full extending. If you lower your phosphates down to .05 or lower, you should see the polyps extend.

Sup acroholicreefer..maybe I'm miss understanding but are u saying that high phosphate will cause polyps to retract?...if that's a yes! I'm not really sure that's true.....but I wonder how many ppl agrees to this if that's true.. IMHO ...

 

[sponger0]

Sup acroholicreefer..maybe I'm miss understanding but are u saying that high phosphate will cause polyps to retract?...if that's a yes! I'm not really sure that's true.....but I wonder how many ppl agrees to this if that's true.. IMHO ...

I dont think phosphates will be an issue, plus he said he only has a reading of .08. I had a biocube that had phosphates of .26 and that was the only tank I could keep millipora polyps out. The rest of my tanks i cant keep them out fully and the tank is under .06

 

[reeffreak75]

Red bugs cause no harm to polyp extension to your Milleporas....in a very truly rare rare occasion they will, but they prefer Acropora....n yes coral beauty it's ur candidate...same thing happened to me when had my lemon peel angel...I removed that sucker n got my polyp extension back...

 

[reeffreak75]

I dont think phosphates will be an issue, plus he said he only has a reading of .08. I had a biocube that had phosphates of .26 and that was the only tank I could keep millipora polyps out. The rest of my tanks i cant keep them out fully and the tank is under .06[/


My po4 reading is around 0.15ppm and my polyp extension it's ridiculous....now I wonder what it would look like it If I have it at 0.00ppm..