paly ??

[RobTop]

My tank is making me more and more confussed each day. Here is what currently has me scratching my head. On one side of the tank I have Armor of God, the other I have some stardust GPE. These are both paly, right? So they are at the same hight in the tank, so are getting the same type of lighting. The AOG have gone from 5 poylps to 10 in about 3 weeks. During the same time the poylps on the GPE have shrunk, and faded. As a matter of fact other things in the tank seems to have exploded in color and growth during this same time. SPS, LPS and softies seem to be growing as I watch, but these GPE seem to be shrinking as I watch. Any one have a thought? Water quality is good, alk a bit low and I have been slowly adjusting it over the past 3 weeks. Which is the same time frame that this has been going on.
Mag is 1500
Ca is 450
Alk is 3
Ph averages 8.3

 

[smcnally]

What size tank is this? If they are at opposite ends of the tank, are they under different bulbs (one could be going bad). Also, FWIW, different paly's and different zoas will grow at different rates and require different lighting/flow. I have some zoas that love to be high up under directly under the lights while others prefer to be down really low. Your Mg seems high to me 1280-1350 is what I've always gone by for a target area.

 

[clsanchez77]

Expanding on smcnally, I would just move the GPE's to a different environment...lower or higher light and higher flow and see what happens. If everything else is growing, then it certainly is not water quality.

What do you have in the immediate vicinity to the GPE's. If they are adjacent to a LPS, then I suspect nightime warefare with tenticles. Again, recommend moving.

Also, if you have a powerhead or other flow outlet hitting one (or more) coral(s) first and then hitting the GPE's, chemical warfare could be the answer. You could start using carbon aggresively and if the health returns then this was likely the culprit. Recommend moving and carbon.

Magnesium, and Calcium to a lesser extent, are higher than normal; I would drop them to 1280 and 420 personally. But these are not the problem. Alk and pH are fine.

Tank size AND pictures always help.

Chris

 

[RobTop]

Mag and Ca are up there as it seems this gets me the best growth for the sps in the tank. Which is a 220, with another 200 in sump and fuge. There are only other zoas and palys near the GPE. I'll try readjusting the position. The lighting (2x175 20k & 2x400 14k) are the same age bulbs. I replace the 400's together and the 175's together. As for growing and likeing differant enviros I get that, I just haven't seen it at such are ends of the spectrum.

 

[clsanchez77]

I don't much about zoa's, I just come here to learn about them because I want them in my tank as well when I start stocking corals. What I do know zoa's and paly's can vary from high to low light, but I also now that they all require high flow for optimum growth.

It also might be worth trying to feed some frozen brine shrimp or other appropriate sized food. If it is a light source issue, the feeding should counter the light issue. This would be experimental though.

Chris

 

[Peter Eichler]

PEs don't seem to like as much light as other zoas and palys IME.