deep water acros

[achillesheel]

ok so we call them deep water but how deep is deep? 50'? 100'?

i ask because im looking into the possibilities of setting up a deep water reef tank and im an sps fan so would love to have a couple near the top. my lighting scheme will consist of mostly vho's and maybe a blue(20k) mh or two.

 

[thereefgeek]

Diving in the Philippines, we saw A. elegans at 90 feet. I guess that could be considered "deep water".

 

[achillesheel]

the only acroporas that vernons book describe as deep water are A. elegans, carduus, saharsanoi and a handfull of others that i had never heard of. the problem is it doesnt describe how deep.

 

[Jovreefer]

Ohhh... good question! Bumping and tagging along.

 

[thereefgeek]

My tank is only 2 feet deep, so I guess even my suharsonoi, and elegans are shallow water.

Based on what I've seen in the various oceans around the world, anything deeper than 40-50' could probably be considered "deep water".

I've kept Acros in a fluorescent only tank and they did very well mid to top water. They weren't nesisarily "deep water" acros, they just happened to adjust to the amount of light I was giving them. You can also keep "low light" corals in a brightly lit tank, just tuck them up under a ledge or keep them near the bottom.

Off the topic of corals and onto fish, I've heard several species of Anthias refered to a "deep water" and they supposedly won't do well in a brightly lit tank (Pseudanthia tuka for example). Again, while diving I've seen tukas as shalow as 15' and as deep as 90', so I guess they aren't exactly afraid of the light(?)
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/purple-queen-anthias---mirolabrichthys-tuka-fish--anthias.html

 

[achillesheel]

my fish list is set and thats why im asking this question. im looking into setting up a tank for between 100'-200' and im well aware of the fact that acros dont grow this deep but i wanted to put 1 or 2 at the top. then add some tubastrea, gorgonians, etc. im in contact with a diver/ collector that is hopefully going to help me with the process. he dives to at least 400' in and around hawaii. most of the fish on my list are marshall islands species.

 

[mntl]

You should be fine, they do well under lower light, they need decent flow but very indirect. Suharsonoi (sp?) is a good one to start with, they are not very difficult (as deeper water acros go) and they are decent growers that are not too hard to come by. Many people consider much of the bottlebrushes deepwater but I find they tolerate (appreciate?) higher light. Also most of the longer coralite deeper-water acros eventually form table growth forms but when you get frags or small colonies much of the time they are mounted vertically, look to see what side of the coral is darker or more brown and mount them flat with that side down, the shaded sides tend to need more acclimation time to light.

-John-

 

[JB NY]

I would say that coral below 10m are considered deep water. Almost all acroporids are listed in depths above 10m. I don't really find any mention of acroporids in depths more than 20m.

 

[JB NY]

A. suharsonoi is found at 15 to 20 meters depth on reef slopes or submerged reefs.

 

[JB NY]

Found some. A. elegans, pichoni, tenella, cardenae, torihalimeda and russelli are the only acroporids listed as being found in water more than 20m deep. Looks to be between 20 and 40 meters.

 

[achillesheel]

what is the best replication of lighting at this depth? is 20k too bright/white still? is 175w sufficiant or 250w? are actinic vhos/t5s the only viable replication?