Polyp Extension. Keys to having PE and causes for no PE?

I

Im SpSing

New member
Hi All,

I decided to create this thread so i could learn some things myself and im sure this thread will also benefit the reefs of others.

So to move on to the topic: What causes the lack of PE ( polyp extension)? Such as lighting, flow, and water quality.

Also, What are the ideal parameters for having great polyp extension? once again: lighting, flow, and water quality?

I have a few corals with basically zero PE so I am trying to save myself future sadness as i look into my tank and see those SPS looking so unhappy with no polyp extension....

Ryan
 
this thread should be interesting...thats is if people post. I asked about PE awhile back and got no responce. I see friends with PE like crazy on milli's looking all fuzzy and stuff...and mine are a little fuzzy, but not like it should be

hope this thread gets alot of attention, thanx
 
One thing that causes lack of PE during the day, but not at night is a nipping fish.

I have read that PE occurs for a few reasons, resperation, collecting more light, feeding, and pooping. I have no proof to back any of those reasons up, but it may be a good place to start the conversation.

If we know what Causes PE, maybe we can be closer to finding out what prevents it, or causes lack of it.

HTH,
Whiskey
 
I agree completely, Thanks for your input.

What i have seen in most cases is the lack of PE during the day due to fish nipping and even though i had no fish, my corals that showed very little PE during the day had great PE only at night when they were first introduced to my tank. Now unfortunately they have almost none day/night. This is probably just an instinct caused by polyp-nipping fish in the wild.

Ryan

P.S. We need some more posts!
 
I had incredible PE, then added a Kole Tang which immediately started in on my Green Birds Nest.

I know, Kole are supposedly one of the safest tangs for a reef tank and he is TINY! I got him in prep for the 180 and almost as quickly as he hit the tank, he developed a taste for SPS.

I'd say about half of the SPS now have no PE and the other half seem unaffected.

Oddly enough, the GBN he favors still has good PE. I have seen him swim bye and take multiple stabs at it.

Needless to say, he will not be making the move to the 180 in a couple of weeks.

PS... if it means anything, he is the African spotted variant of the kole tang.
 
This is just anecdoctal but I noticed that my PE were not good when my ALK went from 9 dKh to around 6.5 dKh.
 
I don't have an answer but here is my experience

1) corals with poor polyp extension are generally in poor health, show loss of color, and growth.
2) handling corals often will cause less PE
3) poor acclimation to lighting cause poor PE
3) Heavily skimmed tanks that are fed very little with a low bioload have poor PE
4) The tanks that I have seen with waveboxes have awesome PE
5) Tanks that have a higher bioload and a little nitrate have great PE
 
Increase your flow, feed regularly (Coral Vibrance is excellent) and good lighting. I have a rabbit, tang and wrasse in with over 100 sps colonies and frags and I have great polyp extension. I really think flow is one fo the most important aspects. Since I put a Tunze on my tank, the polyps are extending a lot more. GL, Marcye
 
PE

PE

I agree with Me No Nemo.

I have had the same experience with PE and Tunze. Here is my storyââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦Ã¢â"šÂ¬Ã‚¦ I was struggling trying to keep a blue bottlebrush. The coral started to stn from the bottom up. At this time my tank (75 gallon) had 2 Seio 1100ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s, and the return pump for flow. My lighting has always been a 250 w Giesmann utilizing 14k Phoenix bulbs. I decided around Christmas to splurge on a tunze and bought a tunze 6000. It was an immediate reaction to the tunze. The blue bottle brush had wonderful PE and the coral stopped STN. To this day, I have added many corals and have had zero issues with PE or STN. For me PE is a combination of everything for that particular tank. There are many methods of keep a sterile box alive. I have chosen a method that works for me and my corals. This hobby is about experimenting until you get a setup that works for you and your particular components. In my opinion, I have chosen components that provided great nutrient exporting, proper and maintainable water chemistry, and proper flow and lighting. When I see peopleââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s tanks that do not have these items you can just tell something is wrong. My advice is getting a method to maintain a tank that works for you and stick with it. PE, coral health, etc. will come.
 
A few incidental observations from my tank. 90% of my sps frags and colonies have great polyp extension, pretty hairy and some monties with fat, lovely polyps all day long. A few (2 that I can think of right off) extend polyps at night primarily. I keep my alk between 6.5-7dkh. My phosphates are .04 (hannah colormeter), nitrate 0, and I don't feed any specific coral food. I currently have no nipping fish :). I did have a foxface that went to town on the sps and the coral extension was nill during that time. I agree that sicky and unwell sps corals will often show very little polyp extension, this from experience unfortunately :(. I run Zeo and I believe that my sps corals benefit tremedously from the system. I have seen other incredible tanks that run a different regiment and have PE that is equal to what I see in my tank. I think any healthy and stable acros in our tanks will have some PE either by day and night, day only, or night only.
 
I have been fighting this same issue in my 29g reef. I have a close loop on a SCWD and a mag 7 and not great PE except this one milli that is under direct flow and its PE is amazing so I am thinking of uping the flow to a mag 9.

Also another thing is my MH light over that tank is 2 y/o and iam about to switch to a new one so hopefully this will help too.

:fish1:
 
PE is different in each species but in my system I notice a trend with my different millepora's.

My long term Captive Stock (3-4 years) show tremedous PE in my main tank and in my frag tank. It doesn't even seem to be current dependent as they are all in various levels of current.

My newer millepora colonies (when I say "newer" I am referring to the lenght of time in CAPTIVITY i.e. Wild collected and even Ocean AC) show very little PE. One is colored up intensely but still lacks PE. The other is not showing much color or PE. This also includes the Ocean AC mills. I have a few of them and the PE is more than the WC but not nearly as intense as my lon term captive corals.

I am looking at one particular species here in order to bring up less variables. We all see alot of mill's with intense PE. It could be an acclimation to captivity issue.

I feed my tank:

Cyclopeeze
DT's Oyster Eggs
Kent Zooplex
DT Phytoplex
various other micro foods as well

2-3 times weekly

Refugium system with minimal skimming.

That is one conclusion I have drawn (right or wrong) from my observations. I have also noticed alot of ORA corals I bring in have good PE and often develop intense PE rather rapidly.

Todd
 
i think jackson6745 might have given me the solution to the problem. Im so stupid, i should've realized this.....

I have a 29 gallon skimmed by an asm-g3 with no fish and i feed very little.....haha
 
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