Help needed for my blue tipped tenuis

[GatorReefman]

My blue tenuis( now almost 2 months old) has lightened up on it's color and polyp extension drastically decreased. I changed from 175 watt to 250 watt metal halides. I had it positioned about half way up in my 55 gallon where there is lots of flow( return, cap 1800 and seio 620). Unfortunately, I think the lighting was too much so I moved it down to the sandbed. But the flow is so much weaker causing the tenuis colony to initially extend it's polyps for a few days and then back to recession. Now I have it back high up where there is good current and it's polyp extension have improved. I am presently trying to get an 3/4" sea swirl and improved return pump on line. I hope it's not too late. I hate having to move this coral all over and stressing it. Any suggestions until I get the sea swirl?

 

[zapata41]

just leave it alone and watch it. i had a poccolopora that bleached about half from switching to halides from my t5s. took about 4 weeks but is is now more pink than ever and looking better every day.

most corals will freak out when not acclimated to something new, especialy brighter halides

Tim

 

[GatorReefman]

My tank parameters are as follows from a few days ago:
Temp 77-80( somewhat varies, no chiller)
nitrates- 0
calcium- 380-400
alkalinity_ 9.5 dkh
salinity @ 1.025
no test for phosphates or magnesium but I dose kalk nitely which should eliminate the phosphates. My other corals are growing to varying degrees. I had to treat with red slime remover 6 months ago. I am running a aquaclear protein skimmer and just recently used a polyfilter and tonite changed to carbon. I have two sps that are two years old- an large 8" brown hairy staghorn acro( lfs called it asperus but I don't think so), and a pink pocillopora colony-3" that is doing great.

 

[GatorReefman]

Maybe I am overreacting by moving the tenuis around too much. It has show good growth in the two months. I am just very concerned about polyp extension and color change. In the past, I lost both an nice green goniopora and acropora to decreased polyp extension and color changes. I paid quite a bit for this acro colony and would hate to lose it! I went on a splurge and bought three acro colonies in two months. The other two are only weeks in my tank and seem to be acclimating- one is doing really well( bought it white with baby blue tips and now it has purple tips with brownish polyps after being moved upward towards the 250watt mhs).

 

[zapata41]

just place it in good flow, and let it be for a while, if you are gonna loose it, you will loose it faster by moving it all around and touching it. so it will either pull through or wont, well thats how i look at everything in my tank. just liet time do its thing
Tim

 

[GatorReefman]

Ok, I will take that suggestion. I moved a glass pane directly over the water between the mh bulbs and the tenuis colony. I have my lights quite close to the water ( not my choice- just the
dimensions of the canopy).

 

[zapata41]

just give it time. i didnt know if my poccolopora was gonna pull it off but he did, actually almost every sps coral in my tank had some significant bleaching and pulled it off and look great now
Tim

 

[UFreefer]

Are you located in gainesville?

 

[GatorReefman]

No, I live in jacksonville. However, I went to gainesville in the 1980's.

 

[GatorReefman]

Zapata, my pocillopora is very hardy as well. It has been with me for two years now and I have lost several sps frags in those two years.

 

[GatorReefman]

Well, it's been a few days now and my blue tenuis seems to be faring better( more polyp extension). However, I am concerned about a few areas which seem bleached or discolored. I hope it doesn't spread. I have heard that acropora tenuis tends to be a more robust and hardier type of acro. Sorry, I don't have pics- I have lost the cable that connect my digital camera to the computer.

 

[jsweir]

I have 3 tenuis, one never grows and is very light (moderate PE), one is brown with bright blue tips that grows like a weed (huge PE), and one that is white with blue tips that recently stopped growing (very little PE). What this means is that your coral will adapt to the conditions is placed in (hopefully) but it all takes time. Welcome to the Florida reefers!

 

[GatorReefman]

Thanks jsweir, my blue tenuis was initially a brilliant blue with fat axial corallites. Now, the morphology has changed - it is much more slender with less blue and more green. Maybe, it has something to do with the 20,000k bulbs I have with these metal halides. I got my retrofit used off the internet. I would like to change to new bulbs soon in near future.