Maricultured acro colonies

[mcfa2403]

So I was able to get a couple of decent sized maricultured mini-colonies for a good price so I am giving it a try. I maintain relatively stable parameters at dKH 9 +/- .5, calc 420 +/- 20, magnesium 1300 +/- 20, nitrate 15-20 (my only real concern), phosphates .03-.05, temp 79 +/- 1 and have had decent success with sps. Currently the tank is predominantly LPS and nems although I have red planet-type acro and a couple of different montipora species (encrusting and plating). Both acros were dipped and given a short quarantine before being placed in the display. Anyways, here are a couple of night pics shot with my cell phone 2 days after being placed in the display...

I will try to post some daytime pictures later. Let me know if you have any suggestions/IDs as this is new to me, thanks.

 

[Pife]

The pictures don't work for me.

 

[acrohead500ppm]

first one looks like a nana or valida, second one is samoensis.

Either way, where did you get such grown out maricultured peices? usually they are alot smaller than that.

 

[mcfa2403]

They came from quality marine originally, picked them up at my LFS

 

[Pife]

They work now. Nice looking pieces.

 

[nashorn]

I don't see the typical plug? Did you manage to cut it off or just buried in the sand bed?
Keep us updated with pic since most like the 1st one have trouble holding that yellow in artificial lighting.
How much did you pay for each?

 

[cleverbs]

Mariecultured corals always are on rocks or rock looking plugs they are never on your normal frag plug. I have a one that is a large mariculted coral like those however mine all bright purple and has bright green polyps.

 

[cleverbs]

I have trouble with the "frags" they are always way bigger then our other frags we get however they always give me a hard time but the larger colonies normally are pretty hardy.

 

[mcfa2403]

Paid $60 apiece. The first has a yellow/green base with dark purple tips and green polyps, the second is a bluish purple with green rings around the polyps and both are on cut rocks rather than plugs.

Acrohead, thanks for the ID's after some research the first is a valida, and your ID on the second was for sure correct. Thanks again.

 

[acrohead500ppm]

Paid $60 apiece. The first has a yellow/green base with dark purple tips and green polyps, the second is a bluish purple with green rings around the polyps and both are on cut rocks rather than plugs.

Acrohead, thanks for the ID's after some research the first is a valida, and your ID on the second was for sure correct. Thanks again.

You are welcome, again Im jelly, most the maricultured pieces my LFS are like 1/2 that size.
Also, I agree with what has been mentioned on the valida shifting colors, unless you are running a really intense lower kelvin setup, it will happen. The yellow will fade into green and the purple will become more prevalent. Just what happens to them under most aquarium lighting.

good looking sticks !

 

[mcfa2403]

At least I like green too, haha. I will update on their status they are underneath a combo of hydra 52 and kessil with a water level of 16" but the color temp is around 16K during photoperiod

 

[CHSUB]

nice pieces!!! however, as you already noted, no3 of 15 to 20ppm is a very different envirorment than these corals were grown in. no3 was most likely around .1 ppm. i would consider corrective action asap!

 

[acrohead500ppm]

nice pieces!!! however, as you already noted, no3 of 15 to 20ppm is a very different envirorment than these corals were grown in. no3 was most likely around .1 ppm. i would consider corrective action asap!

eh, sure his nitrates are a bit elevated, but the colonies are exhibiting nocturnal axial corallite extension which means they are fairly content.
Your last sentence "take corrective action ASAP!" sounds a bit extreme. I would recommend he look into the source of his elevated nutrients. Last thing you want to do is make sudden, abrupt changes to correct or change a number that really isn't causing a problem at the present moment.

I am actually more concerned the samonesis colony is getting adequate flow, seeing that it is placed on a sand bed tells me that need may not be getting met as compacted stout branched acros like A. samonesis do best in stronger flow.

 

[CHSUB]

eh, sure his nitrates are a bit elevated, but the colonies are exhibiting nocturnal axial corallite extension which means they are fairly content.
Your last sentence "take corrective action ASAP!" sounds a bit extreme. I would recommend he look into the source of his elevated nutrients. Last thing you want to do is make sudden, abrupt changes to correct or change a number that really isn't causing a problem at the present moment.

I am actually more concerned the samonesis colony is getting adequate flow, seeing that it is placed on a sand bed tells me that need may not be getting met as compacted stout branched acros like A. samonesis do best in stronger flow.

agreed, quick changes are never good. however, i seldom see maricultured colonies do well for more than a month or two with high no3. imo, 2.5 ppm is the max.

 

[acrohead500ppm]

agreed, quick changes are never good. however, i seldom see maricultured colonies do well for more than a month or two with high no3. imo, 2.5 ppm is the max.

Agree with you on this as well, it is a problem that needs to be addressed, but I was just concerned that your post might cause one to take abrupt actions to chase #'s down and cause more of a problem than it was to begin with.

 

[bogg]

Nice they should both do well their hardy ones ime
They look wild caught to me either way nice corals doesn't matter to me they all came from the same place at one point

 

[mcfa2403]

Corrective actions are being taken on NO3, increased water changes should bring them down to pre-power outage levels (storm knocked power out for prolonged amount of time and magnifica expelled guts before being removed for treatment). As for flow, they are on the sand bed but are getting direct flow from the return as well as being 6" below an mp40 12" away. Also the way my rock work is set there is a current that runs through there like a channel.

Nevertheless concerns are well warranted and am doing my best to address them, thanks guys!

 

[trueblackpercula]

Top one looks like Acropora secale. But congrats on them both as they look happy.

 

[mcfa2403]

Using coral.aims.gov as my guide and about 30 minutes of going back and forth between picture, description and tank valida seems more likely but it's not easy to tell.

Anyways couple of daytime pics, sorry for the flash didn't have my lens with me so had to counteract the blue...

Still can't get the green rings around the polyps to photograph on the samoensis, need to get used to the dslr (so I stop using the iphone for all my pics)

 

[acrohead500ppm]

Using coral.aims.gov as my guide and about 30 minutes of going back and forth between picture, description and tank valida seems more likely but it's not easy to tell.

Anyways couple of daytime pics, sorry for the flash didn't have my lens with me so had to counteract the blue...

Still can't get the green rings around the polyps to photograph on the samoensis, need to get used to the dslr (so I stop using the iphone for all my pics)

The green rings around the axial corallites are a common characteristic of purple variations of A. samonesis,

I am also really skeptical that these are maricultured, not that it really makes much of a difference, like another said they are still making the trasition from the wild to a captive system.

Again, pretty sure the first one is a valida or nana, why do you think this is A. secale ?

Before you answer, Just FYI alot of Live Aquaria's Acro ID's are completely false.

A. secale has much more prominent radials, and the polyps have a structure that looks like a water droplet.