Low polyp extension, good growth

[eddiereefs]

Hey rc. Like the title says some of my sps frags have low polyp extension but they are still growing and encrusting. On the other hand my maricultured colony looks so happy the poyps look like they are gunna fall off. Which makes me think it's a lighting issue. I have one ai prime on a nano nuvo ten. Yes I know. I keep the parameters rock solid. My all is steady at 10.5 with kalk. My phos is 0.3 or less and nitrate is near zero, 0.5 range or less. My ai prime is almost turned all the way up oh and I use an rw 4 for flow. What do u guys think? Flow issue or light issue. I know mari's love light so maybe too much light? Thanks

 

[CommsTech]

Pics would definitely help.

 

[reefmutt]

Yes.. pics would help..
Difficult to really say..
My initial reaction is if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Pe is not necessarily a barometer of acro health or happiness.
If your corals are growing well and look good, I wouldn’t stress about pe. It may come and go.
Having said that, you might consider backing off on kalk to bring alk down a bit.. with low nutrients, it’s generally believed that acros do better with a lower alk. In your case, with a current alk of 10.5, backing off over the course of a couple months, to an alk in the 8 range might be prudent.
Obviously you’ll have to watch Calcium as alk drops and act accordingly.
You could try dropping white LEDs down a bit (10-20%) while leaving the others alone.
Alternating flow tends to make acros a little more polypy than constant flow from the same direction, so that may be a consideration as well..
Pests may also cause acros to shut down a bit so have a close look for bite marks or bugs on the closed corals..
Also, I assume when you said .3 for po4, you really meant .03..

 

[eddiereefs]

Thank you Matt! Very good insight. Here's a pic. Hard to see the growth but trust me they are encrusting, and they were fresh cuts at lfs.

 

[eddiereefs]

Seems obvious now that it's flow..

 

[Flanders]

What are the settings on your Prime? What does turned all the way up mean?

 

[eddiereefs]

I have whites at 30, blues at 110 uv at 60, red at 30 and green at 40

 

[reefmutt]

Hm.. I like that mix.. when you said you had it turned ‘way up’ I though all the leds were up..

 

[eddiereefs]

Gotcha, no I know better lol. But I switched the pump to the front and I am seeing the polyps come back out! I'll try to get a pick up after work. And I am letting alk hang out at ten to see if I get faster growth. Seems to be working because these frags have been in here less than two weeks.

 

[reefmutt]

Hey.. like is said.. if it ain’t broke..

 

[Flanders]

I have whites at 30, blues at 110 uv at 60, red at 30 and green at 40

Sounds like a bit much for your tank size, but if everything is growing well, I doubt that's the issue.

I'm guessing you're not getting great polyp extension because the frags have only been in the tank two weeks. Be patient.

 

[eddiereefs]

Any one else think it's too much light??

 

[Cheapreef]

Any one else think it's too much light??

Nope I ran 2 Hydra 26's (4X what your prime is) on my 21 gal Red Sea Reefer at 80% blue/Deep Blue, 40% UV, 30% white and 25% on Red and Green. Everything seemed to love it other than my metor shower frag, just needed to be tucked under a rock for more shade. :lmao: