Polyp extension with lights on ?

[Crackem]

I don't see any polyp extension with the lights on. When its totally dark in the tank I shine a flashlight and on some sps like my strawberry shortcake I see unbelievable polyp extension. Is this normal? Most of my other sps have very good pe as well, but a few species have almost none with or without the lights on. Just curious. I have 2 150 mh with 14k Phoenix and 2 single 48" t5 with geisman pure actinic. Flow is 2x tunze 6105's.

 

[MammothReefer]

I have plenty as long as I keep my OSFF in the other tank. Could be something picking on your corals in the day. Could be a lot of random things to be honest would need to know more about your setup.

 

[sahin]

Most of my sps have nice polyp extension during light hours. One or two like my Acropora Turaki only has polyp extension after dark. Others like some of my milleporas have very nice polyp extension 24 hours.

Depends on species I suppose.

 

[sahin]

Just check for pests to be on the safe side. AEFWs can cause corals to not have polyp extension.

Bad water parameters can also affect corals negatively.

But on the whole, as long as there are no pests or certain types of fishes causing stress, it's ok.

 

[Garrettericks]

I don't see any polyp extension with the lights on. When its totally dark in the tank I shine a flashlight and on some sps like my strawberry shortcake I see unbelievable polyp extension. Is this normal? Most of my other sps have very good pe as well, but a few species have almost none with or without the lights on. Just curious. I have 2 150 mh with 14k Phoenix and 2 single 48" t5 with geisman pure actinic. Flow is 2x tunze 6105's.

Not normal at all. My friend told it could be really harmful . Get rid of them ASAP:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[toothman]

I would say all acros have more pe at night. Mille will be open day/night. As long as there is growth on the tips, no need to over worry. However I would also say that pe all day long is generally a sign of a healthier tank.

 

[jda]

If your WQ is otherwise good, then PE is probably an extension of tankmates and flow. My PE is amazing with a wavebox - way more than with flow pumps. The PE went down when I put my fish back in the tank after leaving it fallow for 3 months.

 

[galleon]

The positive impact of daytime polyp extension is solely on the aesthetic pleasure of the aquarist.

 

[sahin]

The positive impact of daytime polyp extension is solely on the aesthetic pleasure of the aquarist.

Any idea why some peoples SPS get very good PE during the day and some dont?

I get amazing PE on my SPS. My Millis are so HAIRY! During the night those same polyps are almost like 1cm long on some of my SPS! :wildone:

No kidding!

 

[galleon]

I've seen thousands of shallow acros in the wild, and the situation is no different, some will have great daytime polyp extension, others will be clammed up tighter than a drum.

 

[Crackem]

My strawberry shortcake has crazy PE at night, but during lights on its very hard to see any. This goes for most of my sps. I assume they come out to feed at night. My calc, alk, and mag are very stable but I was thinking my slightly elevated po4 and nitrates at times were the cause. I'm pretty sure I have enough flow and light for a 72 bowfront.( See sig)

 

[Garrettericks]

I don't see any polyp extension with the lights on. When its totally dark in the tank I shine a flashlights and on some sps like my strawberry shortcake I see unbelievable polyp extension. Is this normal? Most of my other sps have very good pe as well, but a few species have almost none with or without the lights on. Just curious. I have 2 150 mh with 14k Phoenix and 2 single 48" t5 with geisman pure actinic. Flow is 2x tunze 6105's.

Not normal at all. My friend told it could be really harmful . Get rid of them ASAP:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Were you able to eliminate them?

 

[premilove]

Parameters?

 

[sanchoy]

Yes, mine show medium polyp extension during the day and all out extension at night. Depending on your system some fauna and pods are more active at night, corals sense this and extend at night to feed.

 

[mess7777]

Same here, even milles are closed up during the day for me. Some others are wide open. Makes no sense but nothing is dying so you are probably alright. Sometimes when you try to fix a little annoying problem like thisyou'll create a bigger one, so tread lightly!

 

[Allmost]

Yes, mine show medium polyp extension during the day and all out extension at night. Depending on your system some fauna and pods are more active at night, corals sense this and extend at night to feed.

or maybe they extend their polyps, to increase surface area for greater gas exchange, at night when o2 concentration are lower !

could be anything, we simply do not know yet.

 

[Allmost]

for me, NO PE during the day, specially on millie, means something is wrong.

could be something nipping or a crab or something.
could be decline of health of coral due to any sort of reason.

and in my tank, when everything is fine, but Millies show no PE, or low PE during the day, I add Amino acids, usually fixes the problem. when stylophora or corals like that show low PE, I feed particle food ... like Oyster feast, reef roids, or Coral vit.

just my 0.02.

 

[Crackem]

Thx for all the input. I'm trying to keep my nitrates down so I've been feeding the fish a lot less, but I am going to look into different types of coral foods or supplements.