How do you assess the health of you SPSs?

[cshenderson]

I have recently started keeping SPSs. My parameters seem to be fine, but it looks as if the tops of some of the SPSs are turing slightly white. Are they dying? Are they bleeching? I just don't know how to access their health. Can someone comment on how to assess the health of a SPS please.

EDIT
Soory, I just noticed that a couple of you finally responeded to the same thread I posted a few days ago. Comments are still welcome though.

 

[Weatherman]

This, to me, is healthy.

Nice deep, rich color. Polyps out but not hyper-extended.

If the coral is rapidly growing, it may have white tips:

 

[BobB]

I like to use the white tips = healthy, too. Thick polyp spacing and open polyps are good indicators.

Bob

 

[panic]

Color, growth, and pe. As of late, I have been checking my corals out with a magnifying glass and notice that the healthy ones have a noticeably thicker outer layer, sort of puffy. You can't really see this without a close-up.

 

[NexDog]

Some of my new SPS have white tips but I do see a polyp or two on the white tip so I'm guess that would indicate growth rather than STN/RTN/Bleaching?

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

very nice pink birdsnest, where can i get one that huge?

 

[zapata41]

thats how i like to see the PE on all my sps, fully exteneded and bushy .

Tim

 

[Weatherman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7044638#post7044638 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ChAoTiCrEeFeR4U
very nice pink birdsnest, where can i get one that huge?

It's only about 4 1/2" in diameter. Most of that is growth over the past year.

I got it from a lfs a little over two years ago. I haven't seen another one like it, since. Most of the Seriatopora you'll see for sale have relatively thick branches to survive shipping. This one has very thin, delicate branches, and it breaks very easily.

 

[DMK]

color, proper PE and white tips all major indications of good health.

 

[bradleyj]

 

[Purple Haze]

^nice cap. I think i've got one similar but it's just a baby.

 

[jwalters103]

bradleyj--in your second pic, are those gsp? ive always wondered how sps tolerate being next to them.

 

[bradleyj]

This particular acro doesn,t seem to get bothered by the gsp, I don't know why. I keep the gsp away from the rest as good as I can.