Gsp care

[Saltwater newby]

Hello I just purchase 2 GSP frags today. What can I do to ensure success with them?. I have a 75g Red Sea reefer with a gyre 130 2 Kessil 360we
My initial goal was to sit them on individual pieces of life rock that sit on opposite sides of the tank and don't touch any of the other rocks to prevent them from spreading. After a few hours of seeing only one try to come out i decided to move one of them to the very top close to the gyre power head and saw after a few minutes it was opening up. The other frag I brought hallway up on the tank. That one is still closed but it's the one that was opening up in the beginning. My wish is that I can keep them where I originally planned to have them, which is at the bottom of the tank on isolated rocks. Another question is, should I remove them from the round platform they came on? I was afraid to damage or hurt them. Also, what temperature and water qualities do they prefer? Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Xxero]

http://reefcorner.com/reef-database-index/soft-coral-index/green-star-polyps/

General info. :bigeyes:

 

[Mrtakeoff53]

As I'm sure you've read already, patience is the name of the game with everything saltwater. GSP are a hardy coral though. I purchased a 1 inch frag back in August 2014 when I set-up my 55 gal cube. The GSP took a few DAYS to fully open and become comfortable in the new tank. It's about 1/3 the way down a 20" tall tank. Leave it on the plug it came on, place it where you want it to grow and have patience. About a month after I got it I noticed it was starting to grow. It's been a year and a half now and the GSP is growing like crazy. I might start fragging it soon. It's like a carpet over one of the larger rocks and looks stunning as it waves back and forth in the current. I too have a Kessil 360WE with two pumps for some moderate water flow throughout the tank, nothing crazy though. I keep the tank between 78-80, 1.026 salinity, 420+ Ca, 1200+ mg, Ak near 3.5, PO4 near zero, nitrates under 10 (yes 10, I might get a little more algae growth but nothing a CUC can't take care of). I find that chasing numbers leads to bad things. Water stabiity is the key to enjoying a healthy tank. Good luck!

 

[Saltwater newby]

As I'm sure you've read already, patience is the name of the game with everything saltwater. GSP are a hardy coral though. I purchased a 1 inch frag back in August 2014 when I set-up my 55 gal cube. The GSP took a few DAYS to fully open and become comfortable in the new tank. It's about 1/3 the way down a 20" tall tank. Leave it on the plug it came on, place it where you want it to grow and have patience. About a month after I got it I noticed it was starting to grow. It's been a year and a half now and the GSP is growing like crazy. I might start fragging it soon. It's like a carpet over one of the larger rocks and looks stunning as it waves back and forth in the current. I too have a Kessil 360WE with two pumps for some moderate water flow throughout the tank, nothing crazy though. I keep the tank between 78-80, 1.026 salinity, 420+ Ca, 1200+ mg, Ak near 3.5, PO4 near zero, nitrates under 10 (yes 10, I might get a little more algae growth but nothing a CUC can't take care of). I find that chasing numbers leads to bad things. Water stabiity is the key to enjoying a healthy tank. Good luck!

Awesome! Thank you for the information. I'll be patient. I'm going to put them back where I originally wanted them to be. Do you thing reactors are necessary? I have a bubble magus 7 skimmer. Or is this enough?? I guess it depends on my tanks water qualities.

 

[Saltwater newby]

http://reefcorner.com/reef-database-index/soft-coral-index/green-star-polyps/

General info. :bigeyes:

Thank you!!!

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Awesome! Thank you for the information. I'll be patient. I'm going to put them back where I originally wanted them to be. Do you thing reactors are necessary? I have a bubble magus 7 skimmer. Or is this enough?? I guess it depends on my tanks water qualities.

mine is on my sand bed and looks happy- they like their flow from my understanding.

 

[Saltwater newby]

mine is on my sand bed and looks happy- they like their flow from my understanding.

Cool!
His morning they were both fully opened. I went ahead and laced them where I wanted them. I'm hoping they like it. What water parameters do you monitor for them? And what do you do to keep them in check? Reactors? Etc....
I'm a rookie at all aspects of this hobby as you can see. :sad2:

 

[thelawnwrangler]

Cool!
His morning they were both fully opened. I went ahead and laced them where I wanted them. I'm hoping they like it. What water parameters do you monitor for them? And what do you do to keep them in check? Reactors? Etc....
I'm a rookie at all aspects of this hobby as you can see. :sad2:

I am a total newbie as well- so far I am running higher on phosphates then I want .25. So I am considering my options aka reactor. Right now I have liverock, protein skimmer, and I run chemipure and purigen.

I plan to be very diligent about water changes as well.

 

[Saltwater newby]

I am a total newbie as well- so far I am running higher on phosphates then I want .25. So I am considering my options aka reactor. Right now I have liverock, protein skimmer, and I run chemipure and purigen.

I plan to be very diligent about water changes as well.

I see. I'm lacking some test kits. I'll definitely see which ones to get so that I can monitor the correct water quality for my GPS. Have you experienced any weird critter or hitchhikers yet?? I have one or two. I'm hoping they won't mess with my GSP

 

[thelawnwrangler]

I see. I'm lacking some test kits. I'll definitely see which ones to get so that I can monitor the correct water quality for my GPS. Have you experienced any weird critter or hitchhikers yet?? I have one or two. I'm hoping they won't mess with my GSP

I had this brittle starfish show up, but he didn't bother anything. I did get sand in my GSP and it was annoyed closed up. I blew it off with a turkey baster and he got happy again.

What have you gotten in regards to hitch hikers?

I think the phosphate test is primarily a concern to limit algae vs the health of the GSP.

I just got a test kit that has magnesium, calcium, and Alk. I think those are more important in the LPS I am trying though.

 

[Saltwater newby]

I had this brittle starfish show up, but he didn't bother anything. I did get sand in my GSP and it was annoyed closed up. I blew it off with a turkey baster and he got happy again.

What have you gotten in regards to hitch hikers?

I think the phosphate test is primarily a concern to limit algae vs the health of the GSP.

I just got a test kit that has magnesium, calcium, and Alk. I think those are more important in the LPS I am trying though.

Little tiny star looking thing on the glass and weird slime looking thing crawling on the glass and some weird worms that are coming out from the sanded .

 

[MidwesternTexan]

GSP?

I have some, they're a weed. No matter what you do, they'll survive.

Take note- if you're going to have other corals,
put it isolated by itself on a rock, etc.
Eventually, it will cover and kill any sps on the rocks around it!

I give it away all the time

 

[Saltwater newby]

GSP?

I have some, they're a weed. No matter what you do, they'll survive.

Take note- if you're going to have other corals,
put it isolated by itself on a rock, etc.
Eventually, it will cover and kill any sps on the rocks around it!

I give it away all the time

That's good news to me as I want them to thrive
I have both frags on separate isolated rocks on the sand bed. That way they'll stay there and not spread. At this point, I'm looking forward to some life in my tank.

 

[thegrun]

I'm reasonably sure they would be fine even if you took a blow torch to them. Sounds like you have them well isolated from your other rocks, you may occasionally need to trim off the runners they send out trying to spread.

 

[Saltwater newby]

I'm reasonably sure they would be fine even if you took a blow torch to them. Sounds like you have them well isolated from your other rocks, you may occasionally need to trim off the runners they send out trying to spread.

Awesome
Go to hear
I want them to survive!
Thank you!!

 

[thelawnwrangler]

I want them to chi pet my back glass lol

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wmHQjoKxey8/maxresdefault.jpg

 

[Sk8r]

Keep your parameters where I have mine in my sig line and you should have no trouble growing it. It makes a pretty effect on rocks, but if it starts spreading too fast, don't let it take over your 'structural', ie, immoveable---rocks.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

lol be careful!

Keep your parameters where I have mine in my sig line and you should have no trouble growing it. It makes a pretty effect on rocks, but if it starts spreading too fast, don't let it take over your 'structural', ie, immoveable---rocks.

 

[Mrtakeoff53]

Awesome! Thank you for the information. I'll be patient. I'm going to put them back where I originally wanted them to be. Do you thing reactors are necessary? I have a bubble magus 7 skimmer. Or is this enough?? I guess it depends on my tanks water qualities.

The only reactor use is a Phosban 150 to remove phosphates. I have REALLY poor water quality in my area. I use strictly RO/DI water for my tank and even for drinking. Some of the fluoride levels are so high in my tap water that my wife and kids can't drink it due to messing up their teeth as they grow up. I'm sure the RO system takes care of all that crap, but I've found that the phosban reactor reduces my algae growth and lowers my phosphates to near zero. Other than that I check the Ca, Mg and Ak levels after I do a water change and add according to what's low.