Help Please, Coral Growth

[Raciampa]

First let me give you guys my specs. 40 gallon oceanis tank with sump. In sump skimmer and refugium. 250 watt HQI Aqualine 10k and two 24" vho blues. K2R calcium reactor. Ca 410 and KH 12. All of my other parameters are zeroed out. The only think I have not tested is magnesium. I am getting great growth on the base of the corals most all frags plate within a week, but it seems that is all they are doing. I am not getting growth in height or width. I was wondering if you guys had any ideas to get more growth.

Thanks

 

[Maximus]

How's your flow? Flow can greatly determine how an acro grows.

 

[beeker]

i keep my DKH around 10 but everyone has differing opinions on this, i keep it there because i raised it to about 12 DKH and noticed my green monti cap started to get some precipatation(sp?) developing on it causing the polyps not to come out...i did a water change and everything looks 100% now.

as for growth i don't ever really see my corals growing upward or outward. I know they are growing but growing from the inside out it's hard to tell how many Millimeters they growth every month just by looking at them daily/weekly

ill just say this iv'e had all the corals in my tank for atleast 4 months, though i had some water stability issues(along with a bulb change/aclimation) i noticed after i got everything stable my corals would growth maybe a millimeter a day if that...i notice the most growth on my red monti cap it's probably grown a CM in the last 3 weeks but my acropa i really can't see much upward or outward growth but the PE is great and i can see the tips are different colors and so i know that they are growing but i just can't see it.

 

[Raciampa]

I have three maxi-jet 1200 hundreds and the flow fom my return. I don't think flow is the issue. Any thing else you can think of Maximus?

 

[Maximus]

What type of acros are they? At first, a lot of acros will expend its energy on establishing a base, aka encrusting. Soon after, branches will start to form and take off from there. I don't see anything wrong with your description.

 

[Froggy]

If your water perameters are all 0 as you say then all you need is time. It is very common for many acropora species to encrust a large base to support future outward growth. Yours seem to be encrusting well so patience may be all that is needed.

Could you please list all that you have tested for? " All other perameters are zeroed out " is a general statement and we do not know what you consider the need for testing. Phosphate is a coral growth inhibiter and will greatly slow and cease SPS growth all together if it is too high. What species of acro do you have? Some are much slower growers than others as well.

 

[Raciampa]

Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Phosphate. I check my phosphate weekly, because I know had bad it can be. I am not sure exactly what all I have. These are educated guesses: tenius, nana, tort, stag, prostrata, speciocious, efflo, secale, and validia(which I know is a slow grower). I have digitata and cap that grow like weeds. I guess these two are the reason I am frustated with my acros. I can't really complain, because that are plating quickly and the colors are awsome. I probably just need to be patient.

 

[Froggy]

Sounds like you are doing things right. Just sit back, relax and give it time to mature.

Remember, only bad things happen in a reef tank fast.

Do you have a picture of your tank? Everyone loves to see pictures !

 

[Raciampa]

I would love to post pics, but I don't know how to up load pics.

 

[Froggy]

www.photobucket.com

open a free account and load your pictures to an album there. Then just hit the IMG button on the tab in a post on Reefcentral and copy the URL from your photobucket picture into the IMG box and it will put the picture in your post. The picture will appear without the need to follow a link. Good luck. Try it out.

 

[tnyr5]

maybe it's just me but montiporas seem to begin rapid growth much much sooner after fragging than acros