No growth in 6 months?
- Thread starter d2mini
- Start date
I have a 180 full of sps colonies that were most all frags when I got them. One good example would be a green millie frag I have it has been an inch long for almost 18months while a pink and blue mille bought the same day from the same tank is now bigger than soft ball. Sure it will take off just don't know when, you just have to be patient and keep things stable.
epicurus84
New member
But when SPS do well softies well go away. LPS will work longer. But in ultra low nutrient tanks LPS needs feeding from time to time.
Pankake232
New member
I feed my corals every other day, my fish the days I don't feed the corals and Ive seen growth on all my SPS. My Red planet started off rather slow just adjusting but it was also a nice size frag. After a few weeks it started to encrust, now the entire plug has been encrusted, and Im starting to see babies stalks starting to come in.
My running LEDs Reefbreeder 32 inch, 50% blue 30% whites My RP is close to the top. I run Kal in my ATO thats about it. Oh I have a huge fuge helps a lot with the feeding, and i run GFO. I might add a carbon reactor but I don't see a need for it right now. I stick a bag of chemi pure in and change it every three months or so.
My running LEDs Reefbreeder 32 inch, 50% blue 30% whites My RP is close to the top. I run Kal in my ATO thats about it. Oh I have a huge fuge helps a lot with the feeding, and i run GFO. I might add a carbon reactor but I don't see a need for it right now. I stick a bag of chemi pure in and change it every three months or so.
Pankake232
New member
I find the less you do to your tank dosing wise the better your tank is. Water changes solves a lot of problems, and I use kalwk to really keep everything stable. Stability is the key to everything I find.
I am also a huge fan of a large fudge, macro alleges in my tank are crushing my phosphates and the GFO cleans up the rest.
I am also a huge fan of a large fudge, macro alleges in my tank are crushing my phosphates and the GFO cleans up the rest.
Arc Drafter
New member
You say you aren't getting good growth and in the same sentence you said they were fully encrusting the plug? To me growth is growth. Corals will grow how the have to. From reading some of your other post you mention high flow. I have read some other post on sps topics that explains high flow tanks will cause sps acro's especially to form clubs and have a thicker branches. I would encourage you to look and see if your bases are getting thick and your branches are starting to get clubby. That is the look i like and am going for. Further, it causes tableing corals to table better. I'll see if i can find the link. I have 1 sps that hasn't grown up in almost a year but it has doubled it's size in girth as well as encrusting the plug and onto the rock.
I've noticed this on my acro frags as well. They have grown 3 new tips on the current frag and each tip is about 1/4"-1/2" only in almost a year, which isn't too bad but not phenomenal. However, the frags have increased their encrusted space by 3 fold. I think the acro has its own ideas on what it considers to be,"Good Growth." Maybe instead of wanting to grow upwards, it wants to expand outwards I guess.
MammothReefer
Active member
Frags just grow slow until they hit critical mass especially garf bonasi. I've have a garf bonsai for over 2 years now it went from a big frag..to a slightly bigger frag. They are just slow growers (for me at least) The best way to measure growth is with Monthly photos. Often times I think i have no growth at all and it isn't until I compare my photos that I see how much has changed. As long as things are stable and healthy it's just a matter of letting your corals do there things.
When I look at your params however there are things you can tweak to optimize growth. Increasing your alk (if you aren't carbon dosing), decreasing your phosphates to .03 or less, nitrates is debatable I shoot for 0 but a lot of people have good results with slightly higher nitrates.
When I look at your params however there are things you can tweak to optimize growth. Increasing your alk (if you aren't carbon dosing), decreasing your phosphates to .03 or less, nitrates is debatable I shoot for 0 but a lot of people have good results with slightly higher nitrates.
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d2mini
Premium Member
Yeah, I was just saying that was the only growth in like 6 months. Not even covering the whole plug, just most of the top of the plug. In other words, very little growth. Where on the other hand, my two red planets have completely covered their plugs and the rest of the frag has doubled or even tripled in size with new stalks. Now that seems like good growth. At least in comparison.
MammothReefer
Active member
Red planet is a notoriously fast growing coral.
MammothReefer
Active member
Millis can be slow growers, at least until they get to a decent size. I run my alk around 9-9.5. I used to go for around 8-8.5. 7.5-8 is good for carbon system from what I understand.
It's best just to see what works for your tank and one thing to I always make sure to check when people are talking about alk is to find out what kits they are testing with. If you are using an Elos test kit your 7.5 will be a 9 on my Salifert or Hanna checker. (not sure about red sea)
It's best just to see what works for your tank and one thing to I always make sure to check when people are talking about alk is to find out what kits they are testing with. If you are using an Elos test kit your 7.5 will be a 9 on my Salifert or Hanna checker. (not sure about red sea)
acrohead500ppm
New member
I would say this is the most intelligent answer/ recommendation to the OP, you have had them 6 months so they are stabilized and can hold up to a few snips.
In the decade+ I have worked with SPS, I have found cutting/ slightly damaging tips of "stagnant" frags or even individual branches that dont seem to grow, while the rest of colonies' the branches take off can successfully spur new growth, particularly in the genus of Acropora.
I like to take a fine icepick and gently tap the dead center (mouth) of the axial corallite on top of the branch, basically gently crack/shattering it to the point where it still stays together/ regrows. I have found this method produces more new branches than simply cutting the tip off with bone cutters.
I will say your PO4 level is a bit high and that will slow/ impede on the process of calcification. despite a previous reply saying your Mg is too high, I will say this is incorrect,.... yes its a bit higher than NSW levels but as long as your DKH is stable/ not affected by it, no worries.
damage the tips of the stagnant acropora colonies, do some PO4 control and in a few weeks you will see new growth on the damaged tips.
good luck
MammothReefer
Active member
I've always wondered if there is scientific evidence to support this claim? Is increased growth rate a defense mechanism of some kind to damaged corals or simply a healing response that detracts from the overall growth rate by a repositioning of it's resources? Is it a matter of perception or is there any truth behind it? I know if I break a piece I will see it heal, and maybe if spawn new branches but when something is healing or encrusting it's easy to measure changes. I can't say for sure if it's a perceived increase in growth or if the coral has actually been stimulated.
If there is nothing obviously wrong, our corals will keep growing. The best way to tell is just by measuring your consumption of alk/calc. There are many times I think specific corals aren't growing however when I compare pictures months apart I see that they are.
While I'm not trying to refute this claim. I'm wondering if there is any evidence to support it, or is it simply a matter of perception? I can see it making more sense with larger colonies where fragging your coral will allow better light/food penetration to the original colony and the frag if it were starting to stifle it's self but I am not so sure with frags.
acrohead500ppm
New member
My evidence is reading about the method in calfos book of coral propagation and in volume 2 of sevin A Fossa and Alf Jacob nieslens "the modern reef aquarium" series and then successfully seeing it work wonders for "stagnant" frags in many of my clients aquariums and my own as well.
Scientific evidence?? Ain't nobody got time fo dat !
