coral growth

[jacksonpt]

My tank is about 1.5 years old. I've had great growth in my tank from day 1. Initially it was my zoos, blastos and orange cap. The last 6 months or so, those corals have basically stopped growing. Now my hammer, purple-tipped bonsai SPS, candy cane and clam are growing quite a bit.

I know some corals are faster growers than others, some are more sensitive, etc., but corals that were once growing almost out of control are no longer growing at all.

I know that there are lots of things that affect growth, and I know none of you know the ins and outs of my tank, but I'd be interested in hearing some of the more common/typical things that could be at play here.

My first thought was nutrition/minerals/trace elements in the water - limited resources allows for limited growth, and for some reason the hammer, bonsai, candy cane and clam are getting the bulk of them.

Nothing of significance has changed in the last 6 months or so - water changes happen with the same frequency, temp/chemistry is basically the same, flow is basically the same, etc.

 

[Blugobi]

Some corals are more aggressive, in the sense that if there is not any close by competition they may slow down as the are happy, however some corals when encroached upon will take off in an effort to compete for light and space as well as feeding opportunities. I have seen similar situations in my system over the years and there are many variables....light changes due to age of bulb and as you mentioned about nutrition changes...as in different or new foods...minerals/trace elements...as in water changes are all factors.....some others are coral placement, types of corals....etc....it may just be a cycle thing. Sorry about not having a definitive answer, but hope this helps.

Some things I have done recently and seems to be working is adding t-5 bulbs, a calcium reactor and I have changed to a new food, all have had positive reactions, my system is now growing like crazy...even after my recent crash. (well maybe not crash, but a skip off the guard rails, a tree or two...back on the road now!)

geo

 

[jacksonpt]

Thanks, it does help. There are too many factors for there to be any definitive answer, but the aggressiveness and space factors are things I hadn't thought of.

 

[drbronx]

Excellent points. Like all living things, coral are always in competition for finite available resources. especialy in such a finite system where those resources are limited even further. If we did nothing to our tanks, chances our only one species would ultimately prevail over all others. In my 125 display i have decided to at least partialy let it go so see how corals compete with each other. Its been interesting to observe territorial and allelopathic wars take place. of course if i completely let it go, probably no coral would survive.