How to accelerate acro growth?

[Stevenliu9]

I have grown a frag from the size of a pinky tip to about the size of an adult fist now over course of a year. Looking at what others have share it seems to be growing really slowing. I have LED lights this whole time and I am wondering if thats the reason? I know its not the water and calcium level because my clams each grew three inches in all directions in the last six months.
Also aside from phyto I dont really provide any suppliments. I recently got some acropower by two little fish. Does anyone have success with that?
Please share how fast your acro grows, and if you have experimented/tested before, what lighting (type, wattage, and calvin temp) is the most successful? I know halides were always reliable but it really kills the energy bill. Does anyone here with LED observe good acro growth? If so, what brand (if not diy) is it and what kind of setting?

 

[PaleHorse]

10k mh,good flow and good parameters for the fastest growth possible

 

[Wrench]

High light, good flow, stable parameters, low PO4 and a bit of fish poo. I've seen the most simple of tanks grow acros 10x faster than fancy systems with the best hardware. The secret is in the husbandry. Keep up on water changes, don't move the corals around, maintain stable and acceptable levels of ca/alk/mg.

I have a close friend with an LED lit tank which grows acros like a weed. He uses AI Sols. From frags to large colonies in a year. There's another guy in the club whose tank is lit by Chinese D120 LED's and his corals grow like weeds as well. Some corals do better in one system than another, so don't base your judgement on only one particular coral.

 

[animalkingdom]

A pinky finger to a fist in a year isn't bad for a lot of acros. If it was a stag or milli i'd say its slow but a lot of your clumping branched species grow about that rate. Also the first year a coral is in a tank is not a good judge of its growth potential. Some corals sit for months getting used to your tank and then when you least expect it they take off and grow like weeds.

 

[vair]

Hows your alkalinity? Keeping it in the higher ranges will promote faster growth.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.htm

 

[Stevenliu9]

Thank you all for all the wonderful feedback! I feel a lot better now- I do have the Chinese LED, plenty of water flow (actually I almost wonder if it's too much that it's killing my LPS- posted that Q in a different section), and decent calcium. The only thing I can think of is in the winter months (in WI) the oxygen level of the house goes down because of closed windows and I have observed pH level go down to as low as 7.8 at times I have to does a lot of Kalkwasser to help adj the pH level. Wonder if that threw off the growth spur of my acro- which by the way according to the friend sold me was miami orchid.
Another Q- I have a lot of vermetid snails in the tank, and some of their slim occasionally cover up the acro, would that hurt/affect acros' wellbeing and growth?

 

[Av8bluewater]

I have corals that barely grow and corals that have gone from frag to near volley ball in a year (green birdnest). I like post #3.
What coral did you grow fast?