decent color but no extension

[sillygoose]

Ok here I go fussing about my corals again... :deadhorse:

There's a twist this time. I have pretty good color on many of my SPS but no polyp extension. I've already played with the flow just in case it was irritating things. My params are actually decent now. Thoughts?

 

[Jmnazari]

Maybe not enough food for the polyps, so they are relying on the zooxanthellae's ability to make food. What if you use some reef snow, phyto, or even DOM (dissolved organic matter) to entice the polyps to extend? It could even be something as simple as a few polys being uncomfortable for some odd reason, and since they all share a nervous system, those few polpys are causing all the other polyps to close.

 

[sillygoose]

That's a good idea about the food thing. Thanks. I feed my tank DTs phyto but maybe I need to do it more religiously.

 

[brettinteriors]

I found this
Pests first - Red bugs would be likely - they tend to limit polyp extension

Nippers - List what fish you have. Any Angels?

Nutrients - Too high phosphates/nitrates can cause them to be unhappy

Nothing - Some SPS just don't have good polyp extension - FWIW, polyps extension isn't always a good determination of whether a coral is healthy or not.



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[aquaph8]

+1 on the red bugs.