Please help! (again)

[Ralph ATL]

I have a monti that is growing pretty good. Various acro frags that were put in tank 2 months ago seem good. 2 months ago, I put in a wild 6 inch Acropora Loripes (according to Dr. Foster & Smith's) that was purple, pink, & blue. The color has lightened up some, and it is mostly pink champagne with some blue tinge. However, it has zero polyp extension, and it has not grown (as far as I can tell) one millimeter! I was having trouble with my light fixture for about 3-4 weeks in that time (a little dimmer than it should have been), but that has been replaced 2 weeks ago with new bulbs and all. I feed DT's oyster eggs every third night. Is is ok? Shouldn't it be growing some by now?

I have a couple of good magnifying glasses, and I cannot see any redbugs. There are no bites either! (as far as I can tell!) Can corals grow with nitrates & phosphate so low 24-7?


please see below for other info on lights, skimmer, etc.

perimeters:
ALL are rock solid:

2 part C-balance w/ doser:
Alk: 9.0 or 3.20
Calcium: 450
Salt: 1.026
PH: 8.2
trates: 0 (salifert)
Phos: .008 (Merk)
Mag: 1250
Temp: 79-80

Sincerely,
Ralph

 

[jjjimmy]

With wild colonies it can be almost impossible to get them to hold their colors. Most often they will brown out when put into a confined system for several months before they start regaining color and it may very well not be the color that you started with.

A. Loripes is one of several corals that you may never see daytime polyp extension. That is just the way it is, it is nothing that you are doing wrong.

 

[Ralph ATL]

Thanks for your reply, but even at night I cannot see any polyps!

 

[zedman]

you never stated what kind of lights you have or watts.
Please include. could be the problame

Zed

 

[Serioussnaps]

you left out FLOW....thats a big factor

 

[Ralph ATL]

Lighting & Flow are already posted except the MH are 14K's & the return is not listed, but it's a mag 7.