First Acro Frag...Growth?

[hatfielj]

Hi, I just got my first frag of some green acro about a week ago and it seems to be doing well in that it hasn't died yet? This is my first time trying out an SPS thats why I bought a small frag to see how it does. It's under a tek t5 fixture and I have about 40X worth of flow in my 29gal. My calcium is right around 400. When should I expect to see some growth and how can I tell if the coral is healthy and doing well. Any info for a newbie is very much appreciated!!

 

[BLKTANG]

What kind of acro is it.They all grow @ different rates.Water params play a mayjor rool in growth.

 

[ClownNut]

if u doing everything right, it should start to encrusting at the base.

 

[PrangeWay]

Yeah my experience with most sps is they seem to encrust first, than proceed to a do nothing phase, than BAM grow (or alternatively, if they don't like their conditions, STN).


PW

 

[Philwd]

How long has your tank been set up? Something I've heard over and over again talking to long time experts is acros will grow slowly until your tank has matured. Some won't even consider placing a coral for first 6 months. I noticed a huge pop in growth right at the 1 yr mark. When I told the experts that they smiled and said that's about right( 2 of the experts being Eric B. and Frank B.). BTW if you have a chance I would look for Eric's thread on tank maturity either here or on his new forum. Must reading for anyone starting out.

 

[Serioussnaps]

i would get a grip on your alkalinity, magnesium, and phosphate..thats what i would do

 

[twon8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8420106#post8420106 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serioussnaps
i would get a grip on your alkalinity, magnesium, and phosphate..thats what i would do

agreed, you mention your Ca, but not alkalinity, which is more important and more likely to be deficient imo.

 

[Mitchell_2004]

usually u get about 4 to 5 inchs a year.. dont ya guys? well under the right conditions?

 

[hatfielj]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. My tank has been up for about 3 months. My alkalinity was 2.97 the last time I checked and I haven't been monitoring that as much as the Ca. So, I guess I will keep an eye on that. I've never tested for magnesium or phosphates, so I guess thats another area to pursue.
I don't know what kind of acro it is because I just started getting into these. But its green if that helps