Tips of one acro are inflated

[Bongo Shrimp]

I bought this acro colony about two months ago and up until a few weeks ago it was colored properly and growing. Now it has seemed to have stopped growing and some of the tips are inflated. It was all green with purple tips when I first bought it and it was dull at first but colored up. Now the tips directly under the lights (see below) are purple but inflated and the ones off to the back are not purple on the tips anymore. I have two other large acro colonies which are doing great and are growing. One is off to the side of the lights so it is not fully colored.

The tank is a Biocube 29 and the lights are 30 cree LEDs in the hood. That's why things are "off to the side" of the lights. I have one vortech running reef crest at about 80%. It blows above one acro and directly blasts another. Those two are doing great. The inflated on is off to the back of the tank not in the direct line of the vortech. It is my suspicion that it is not getting enough flow and that's why it's inflated.

The parameters are around as follows because they fluctuate since I have so much acro per gallon.

pH- 7.9
Alk- 8.6-9.0 dosed twice a day
Cal- 300 trying to get it higher and keep it higher
Mag- 1250-1300 also trying to get it up and keep it up
Phos- 0.25
Nitrate- 0
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0

Here is the inflated acro. It's a fair bit worse since I took this pic. It's an iPhone pic so excuse the quality.

And just so you see how another acro is doing...

I really want to be sure of what the problem is before I just go buy a 285$ pump plus a wireless card for the other one.

 

[alford35]

Do you find that the pump runs out of direct flow around 13-15" from it? That is my experience with my mp10 in a 16g 24" long tank. I really got hyped up about it until the flow didnt reach the other side. I've had mine running for a couple of days and am already thinking about a second one.

I have no idea why they are inflated but from my experience with the pump is that they are barely getting any direct flow if any at all.

 

[reefmutt]

I think you have an ionic imbalance. That's why the calcium is so low and you are having trouble raising it.
What do you use for supplements?
I've seen this growth pattern when the coral has trouble taking up the minerals due to imbalances in the ca/alk/mg ratio.
In your size tank. A very large water change will take care of the problem..

 

[stevedola]

What fish do you have in that tank?

I have this exact issue with my A. Gemafera which gets tips just like yours. I think it has to do with nipping because my levels are spot on and rock solid. They arent "inflated" really (since they are hard to the touch) but rather growth at a rounded pattern. My power head (mp10) is about 8" from my mini colony but slightly off to the left. My Gemafera is very high in the tank and seems to grow quickly. I think that it was from my tang nipping at the tips and then growing over the top but I never see white skeleton to suggest the tang bites all the way through could be just enough to alter growth. Im not 100% sure that its the nipping but thats the best I could come up with. Either way, my colony is growing steadily with no problems apart from rounded misshapen tips.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Do you find that the pump runs out of direct flow around 13-15" from it? That is my experience with my mp10 in a 16g 24" long tank. I really got hyped up about it until the flow didnt reach the other side. I've had mine running for a couple of days and am already thinking about a second one.

I have no idea why they are inflated but from my experience with the pump is that they are barely getting any direct flow if any at all.

I have noticed that the flow is very confined to right in front of the pump. This colony is not that far from the direct flow but it seems to have little flow going through it. There IS flow, but not aggressive by any means. Particles just seem to drift through it.

I think you have an ionic imbalance. That's why the calcium is so low and you are having trouble raising it.
What do you use for supplements?
I've seen this growth pattern when the coral has trouble taking up the minerals due to imbalances in the ca/alk/mg ratio.
In your size tank. A very large water change will take care of the problem..

I use part 1 of the Randy Holmes Farley 2 part for alk because the alk is what goes fastest.

Then I use Brightwell mag and calc solutions.

What fish do you have in that tank?

I have this exact issue with my A. Gemafera which gets tips just like yours. I think it has to do with nipping because my levels are spot on and rock solid. They arent "inflated" really (since they are hard to the touch) but rather growth at a rounded pattern. My power head (mp10) is about 8" from my mini colony but slightly off to the left. My Gemafera is very high in the tank and seems to grow quickly. I think that it was from my tang nipping at the tips and then growing over the top but I never see white skeleton to suggest the tang bites all the way through could be just enough to alter growth. Im not 100% sure that its the nipping but thats the best I could come up with. Either way, my colony is growing steadily with no problems apart from rounded misshapen tips.

It's absolutely not the fish. I have no fish which pick on the acros. Clowns, a basslet, a blenny... It's 100% not the fish.

 

[stevedola]

try moving it to a higher flow area or adding another pump. see if that s the case.

water changes wouldnt hurt either but I find it odd that only 1 coral is effected by water chemistry issues...which would lean me towards coral location relative to either flow or lighting.

 

[stevedola]

Ive seen flow do odd thinks to growth patterns so its possible.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

try moving it to a higher flow area or adding another pump. see if that s the case.

water changes wouldnt hurt either but I find it odd that only 1 coral is effected by water chemistry issues...which would lean me towards coral location relative to either flow or lighting.

That's what I was thinking. The others are great so it has to be flow or something. I can't move it cause it is epoxied down. I will see about adding another pump just to see if that's it before I go buy a second vortech.

Will it be ok that the temporary pump will be constant flow rather than randomized? I mean I'm just going to stick a powerhead or small korilla in there if I can find one laying around.

 

[stevedola]

if you have a controllable pump and a standard pump it should be fine. I have 2 MP10s and a Tunze 6045 and the flow is very nice with the consistant flow being altered by the contolled pump. I wouldnt blow it right at the coral but tweak it so its definitely stronger flow on the coral.

 

[pstank1]

Will it be ok that the temporary pump will be constant flow rather than randomized? I mean I'm just going to stick a powerhead or small korilla in there if I can find one laying around.

I use two koralia's and my return pump for the flow on my tank. All of them are on at a constant speed and my flow is incredibly random. I'll have to post a movie of my milli to show how random it is. You'll be fine with one mp10 and any other pump. Just bounce the other power head off the glass a few inches away from the target coral. Once you get the angle right, you'll get a nice random flow.

 

[myzislow]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the flow. IME I have had acros do this when my water quality was off. Like reefmutt said, I'd be more opt to believe it has something to do with an imbalance or swaying of parameters on top of your already crazy low Ca level. If you Ca is consistently low @ or around 300 then your Alk is more than likely swaying from 8-9 on the reg as well. When my Alk was hanging out in the low range and my Ca through the roof I experienced bubbling in tips on my Lokanis...I got everything in line and the bubble went away and the coral began growing like normal once again.

I would focus on getting your parameters inline and stable before you go moving an established large acro colony around. The color and growth you've achieved is obv not that bad so it has taken somewhat of a liking to the spot that you have it.

You said you are only dosing the Alk twice daily? I'd entertain switching up and spreading out your doising throughout the day if you have the ability to do so.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the flow. IME I have had acros do this when my water quality was off. Like reefmutt said, I'd be more opt to believe it has something to do with an imbalance or swaying of parameters on top of your already crazy low Ca level. If you Ca is consistently low @ or around 300 then your Alk is more than likely swaying from 8-9 on the reg as well. When my Alk was hanging out in the low range and my Ca through the roof I experienced bubbling in tips on my Lokanis...I got everything in line and the bubble went away and the coral began growing like normal once again.

I would focus on getting your parameters inline and stable before you go moving an established large acro colony around. The color and growth you've achieved is obv not that bad so it has taken somewhat of a liking to the spot that you have it.

You said you are only dosing the Alk twice daily? I'd entertain switching up and spreading out your doising throughout the day if you have the ability to do so.

Well I can figure out how much cal and mag to dose a day and go from there to get those stable. I dose alk in the morning and at night. I am not in the house all day to dose much more than that.

 

[myzislow]

Well I can figure out how much cal and mag to dose a day and go from there to get those stable. I dose alk in the morning and at night. I am not in the house all day to dose much more than that.

Oh, I guess I assumed you had automatic dosing of some sort. Try to get your levels inline and stable before making any other changes IMO.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Oh, I guess I assumed you had automatic dosing of some sort. Try to get your levels inline and stable before making any other changes IMO.

Nope I do it all by hand every day. They are now up and stable cal 400 and mag 1350.

 

[defchild84]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the flow. IME I have had acros do this when my water quality was off. Like reefmutt said, I'd be more opt to believe it has something to do with an imbalance or swaying of parameters on top of your already crazy low Ca level. If you Ca is consistently low @ or around 300 then your Alk is more than likely swaying from 8-9 on the reg as well. When my Alk was hanging out in the low range and my Ca through the roof I experienced bubbling in tips on my Lokanis...I got everything in line and the bubble went away and the coral began growing like normal once again.

I would focus on getting your parameters inline and stable before you go moving an established large acro colony around. The color and growth you've achieved is obv not that bad so it has taken somewhat of a liking to the spot that you have it.

You said you are only dosing the Alk twice daily? I'd entertain switching up and spreading out your doising throughout the day if you have the ability to do so.

+1

I agree, especially for what appears to be a maricultured specie- any fluctuation, frequent or infrequent in just the alkalinity a couple dkh during the week has triggered these symptoms or just browned out, and even worse, stn, or just rtn for me. However... I do think that having adequate flow is paramount in the sps game.... I love this hobby :lol2:

 

[defchild84]

I forgot to ask what I was originally going to ask- how frequent do you test for alk. , and what is your fluctuation in alk during the week?

 

[ataller]

Take everyone's advice.

This is because you Alk is off and or fluctuates too much.

Buy some dosing pumps.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

I forgot to ask what I was originally going to ask- how frequent do you test for alk. , and what is your fluctuation in alk during the week?

Alk is my most stable parameter. I dose twice a day and test usually every day but it is so consistent I don't really have to. It drops about .7 from the morning to night time and I dose every morning when I wake up and before I go to bed. It doesn't sound stable but if I let it go and don't do one of the twice daily dosings then things really get crazy.

So so far I have heard the reasons for this could be:
Flow
ionic imbalance
alk fluctuations
parameters off

 

[stevedola]

its not alk fluctuations in my opinion. I have the same issue and my alk is ROCK solid from a doser 5times a day. I used to dose once a day before my doser and never had this issue.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

its not alk fluctuations in my opinion. I have the same issue and my alk is ROCK solid from a doser 5times a day. I used to dose once a day before my doser and never had this issue.

So do you think it could be flow?