No Polyp Extension

apuhl20

apuhl20

New member
So I am trying to figure out why I get no polyp extension on any of my acros or milis. I get good extension on all of my other sps, but nothing on those two.

Tank: 125
Flow: 2 mp40
Lights: 3x250 14k phoenix
nitrates/nitrites/ammonia: 0
Phospates: .02
Calcium: 470
Dkh: 8.6
Ph: 8.1

I get good growth, and encrusting, and now that I changed bulbs my color is better, but zero polyp extension. I can't figure it out.
 
Yes, Phosban and carbon. They were just changed last week, but I haven't had extension in 6 months.
 
I just changed them last week because they hadn't been changed in a while, so they probably weren't doing much at that point. I have a total system of about 200 gallons, and the skimmer is rated for 300. Does a fairly good job pulling out junk, clean it every 4-6 weeks.
 
If you have good poly extensions on certain corals but not others, I would check for pest or fish that could potentially nip at them. Are you seeing good polyp extension at night?
 
There is no polyp extension at any time, day or night. I have never seen anything nip at them, and there are a bunch of different ones.
 
Any chance of seeing a photo of your milli without ployp extension? What position are the milli in the tank with relative to flow? What's your fish stock list?
 
Don't have any pictures at the moment. I only have one milli I got as a small frag a month ago. It has tripled in size, but no extension. It is in the upper third, under one of the mh. Indirect flow from one of the mp40s. Fish list is a little heavy. The only thing that would possibly nip would be a flame angel but I have had him for over a year and never seen him nip at any sps.
 
apuhl20 said:
Don't have any pictures at the moment. I only have one milli I got as a small frag a month ago. It has tripled in size, but no extension. It is in the upper third, under one of the mh. Indirect flow from one of the mp40s. Fish list is a little heavy. The only thing that would possibly nip would be a flame angel but I have had him for over a year and never seen him nip at any sps.
Click to expand...

Winner winner, chicken dinner! I have a flame angel (now in my sump), and never got good polyp extension from my millies. I actually stopped buying them because I thought "they just didn't do good in my tank". I never saw my flame nip at anything, and I had him for over a year. Then one day my "fuzzy" porites that I have had for over a year suddenly wasn't fuzzy. I tested every parameter, ran carbon, checked for pest but nothing. Couple days later I am sitting there watching my tank and I witnessed my flame do a drive by! First time I saw him do it, but it was enough. I promptly acquired a fish trap and relegated him to the sump. Since he has been out of the display I have seen polyp ext on corals I just thought didn't have any, and millies do great. I spend hours a day looking at my tank and am amazed he did so much damage without me ever seeing it. Also, either some corals didnt care if they were nipped, or he just had a preference for others.
 
Same happened with my cherub angel. Was great for months, then my birds nest lost PE, then the acans shriveled up, then the red planet, and so on. Everything in the tank lost PE. I took him out of the tank and within a week PE was back to normal.
 
If your milli is still growing nicely and color is good and it's just a lack of poly extension, it's very possible a fish is nipping it from time to time. Adding to that, I have heard lots of stories of fish suddenly turning around and become a nipper for no apparent reason. To give you another reference point, I have never heard anyone mention Chrysiptera parasema (aka yellow tail damsel) is a nipper but I know they can be. I have witnessed a couple of times that a few of mine (I have a group of 8) nipped at one of my milli. I have this group for close to 10 month and only saw this behavior a few times. They also seem to only bother "hairy" acros and leave everything else alone. Fortunately, they don't do much stress to the corals to be a concern. If I haven't seen this myself, I wouldn't have think Chrysiptera parasema is a nipper either.

If you run GFO pretty much all the time, it's also possible that there are dust released in the water column which irritate certain corals. I would make sure to wash the media extremely well.
 
apuhl20 said:
Well maybe the flame will have to find a new home then. I didn't think he was bothering anything.
Click to expand...

imo, this is the culprit... last year i had the same problem as you, and it wasnt every coral... i swore up and down it wasnt my flame angel and i NEVER saw him nip anything, not once... i had no other reason to think it was anything else though, kinda like you, i was very convused... sure as hell, i took that flame angel out, and within two days, my corals were open more than ever, and have been ever since...

i am willing to bet if everything else is in order, or even if it isnt for that matter, that this little guy is the issue... dwarf angels are notorious for this...

GL
 
flame angel i had nipped at every sps i had. i had about 10 at the time. the were irritated as stated before. got rid of the bugger, everything was back to being happy. possible cause of the problem imo.
 
I would check for pests (AEFW).

It's known that AEFW has a special taste for millis and acros.

Stylos and other SPS are doing good and mills with no PE. Grab one and dive on melafix solution to see if not falls.
 
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