Lacking polyp extension...kinda

[scumbag_gli]

So lemme just start out in saying, I never have been a fan of forms (due to the car scene and the amount of bashing involved). But I recently became active in here. ANYWAYS - over the last month or so, my corals have been lacking polyp extension, but only on some.

More specifically my more "expensive" frags (go figure right?). Red dragon, Oregon tort, Cali tort, lime in the sky, and two of my millies - purple and tri color. My parameters are in check, dosing hasn't changed at all, but...I did upgrade my circulation. I went from an mp10 and return pump, to an mp40, return pump, and 2 small 425gph hydors in the back for dead spot areas. When I added the mp40, I saw significant happiness show from some corals, but not from others...I thought I was always lacking on flow. Could this really be the issue??

I attached some pics for reference, as well to see where the pumps are at. And yes, I've been battling algae issues. Forever lol.

 

[scumbag_gli]

Oh yeah...and my strawberry shortcake looks like poop lately. I know the picture sucks, but it's still very pink in color. No browning or bleaching, just doesn't look healthy.

 

[Pife]

I hate to ask but, please list what your parameters are and how you are measuring each? Have you checked for red bugs? Do you have a fish that could be nipping? Did you recently add anything?

 

[scumbag_gli]

Only one fish in the system, and he has never picked at anything. Always fat and healthy.

No bugs or anything really, that I can see and I'm in front of my tank all hours of the day.

My parameters are always checked with Hanna, Red Sea and Salifert.

 

[scumbag_gli]

Only thing that has changed was flow.

 

[reefmutt]

Sorry, man.. I'm gonna ask as well..
Let's hear the parameters...
I think we have to start at the beginning..
Let's have it all.. Sump, skimmer, lighting, how long the system has been running, what you do for maintaining parameters (dose, reactor, manual 2 part..)
Tank temp, salinity etc..
Lay it all out.... You opened the door..
We want to help..

 

[scumbag_gli]

Haha no no it's totally fine! Let me write this all up...

 

[Goby_Clarence]

Im certainly new to the SPS world, but i can certainly share my observations in my tank. I have a green and a purple stylo and a couple experimental acros. For the first 3 months they adapted and didnt extend too much. I changed this and that, parameters always the same. Then i finally did what i was told and STOPPED CHANGING THINGS. in the last month, the encrusting has grown significantly and they have really opened up.
Summary: you added a ton more water movement. They likely just need some time to figure themselves out and settle. (Barring nothing else changing that you dont know about)

 

[scumbag_gli]

Tank - 90 gal 3x2x2
Sump - 30 gal with fuge, only chaeto
Skimmer - eshopps 150 with 200 micron filter sock
BRS Reactor - 1/3 carbon only
Flow - MP40, 2x425 gph hydors, 800gph return
Lighting - 4x39 ATI unit, with 1x39 unit. 5 total bulbs, all ATI (3 blue plus, 2 coral plus).

System has been running 2+ years with a transfer about 4 months ago. Lost all my fish awhile ago, and decided to focus on my coral. Only fish is a saddleback puffer who is fat happy and has never picked at corals. Inverts are - 5 turbos, 5 hermits, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 Linckia star, 5 other nas snails.

Parameters
Calc - 400
Alk - 8.5
Mag - 1250
Salinity - 1.025
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0
Ph - 8.1

I dose B-Ionic Calc, Alk and Mag - that's it! I use Red Sea Coral Salt Pro only.
15% water changes every 7-10 days. RODI only, mix for 24 hours before changes.

Now I'm pretty new to SPS but I have a wide variety so far: Oregon and Cali torts, strawberry shortcake, birds nest, birds of paradise, tri color Millie, purple Millie, rose Millie, purple style, a few different monti, green pocillopora, green slimer, lime in the sky, frog skin, green horn, red planet, Miami orchid, red dragon...the others I don't know the name of, but some are sort of blue, and green acros.

My left side of my bare bottom portion of my tank consists of some chalices: pink boobies, Miami Hurricanes, comic purple, seasons greetings monti, green meanie, few others as well.

The ones that are not extending the most are the following: Cali and Org tort (but have good color), strawberry short cake (looks bad, but still is pink), red planet (slightly brown), red dragon (very red but no polyp extension), purple millie (very colored but no extension), blue tipped acro (no extension at all).

 

[reefmutt]

Im certainly new to the SPS world, but i can certainly share my observations in my tank. I have a green and a purple stylo and a couple experimental acros. For the first 3 months they adapted and didnt extend too much. I changed this and that, parameters always the same. Then i finally did what i was told and STOPPED CHANGING THINGS. in the last month, the encrusting has grown significantly and they have really opened up.
Summary: you added a ton more water movement. They likely just need some time to figure themselves out and settle. (Barring nothing else changing that you dont know about)

Can't argue with this..
Still want all the detes, though.

 

[scumbag_gli]

Can't argue with this..

Still want all the detes, though.

I agree...I need to let things settle for awhile. Just posted the details

 

[scumbag_gli]

Sorry, man.. I'm gonna ask as well..
Let's hear the parameters...
I think we have to start at the beginning..
Let's have it all.. Sump, skimmer, lighting, how long the system has been running, what you do for maintaining parameters (dose, reactor, manual 2 part..)
Tank temp, salinity etc..
Lay it all out.... You opened the door..
We want to help..

Listed above, now

 

[Pife]

How do you dose? I would raise your salinity, calcium and magnesium. 1.026 on salinity and 420 for calcium and 1300 for magnesium. I would check out some pictures of red bugs so you know what to look for as well. Do you QT your coral or do them at all?

 

[reefmutt]

How do you dose? I would raise your salinity, calcium and magnesium. 1.026 on salinity and 420 for calcium and 1300 for magnesium. I would check out some pictures of red bugs so you know what to look for as well. Do you QT your coral or do them at all?

This is good advice, too.
I would consider adding a much bigger clean up crew.. Looking at the amount of green hair algae growing on the rocks and with your n and p at zero, it seems to me that all your nutrients are being consumed by the algae. Yes, this usually transfers to paler corals, but not always..
If you got it cleaned up with about 30 snails, it may give the corals a little more nutrients to feed on..
Nothing seems totally out of whack in your system. There doesn't seem to be an obvious culprit..
That's a good question about what you do to frags before adding them to your system. I see a lot of plugs on the frags. If you happened to get a frag with aefws, the eggs are not killed by a dip and the eggs are always laid at the base of the coral just next to living flesh..

 

[scumbag_gli]

Lacking polyp extension...kinda

Yeah I dip everything for about 3-4 minutes, every frag. All of my stuff comes from my buddy, who won't sell me anything that doesn't look good. Either way, I understand what you mean about the algae/nutrients.

I've been battling the algae issue for awhile and finally won, for the most part at least. The tank looks 100 times better than it did. I'm gonna try adding some more clean up crew this week, bump up my calc and mag - maybe my salt. We shall see. I'll keep you guys updated, I'm going to do one thing at a time...see if anything in particular is leading to this.

 

[reefmutt]

How did you battle and win the algae war?
I mean which means did you use to slow it down and how long ago?

 

[scumbag_gli]

I used the chemiclean algae remover. I know it's not the solution, and only a bandaid, but without huge numbers in my parameters - it was hard for me to tell what was going on. I used it about a month or two ago, worked fine. All corals were fine. The ones that have been "acting up" we're added after the fact.

 

[reefmutt]

Ok..
How does your cheato grow and what do you light it with?

 

[scumbag_gli]

Right now, just a single 24" T5 above my sump. In this pic the light isn't on, but it's mounted underneath the lip of the stand.

 

[reefmutt]

When it comes to cheato, the more light you give it, the more nutrients it pulls out..
Assuming it's got enough iron to grow.