What is a healthy Acoropora supposed to look like?

[justthewife]

We have a couple of Acropora. One is a purple, the other is a tri color valida. I am just not sure about the colors. They are growing well, they have good polyp extension that are bright green but I am not sure what color the skeleton is supposed to be. My purple one is encrusting and new branches are coming up all over it that are a pretty purple but around the purple on the older base and branches are whitish areas that are kind of bleached looking to me and have just the bright green polyps. I just don't want it to be starving or something and not realize it. Is the whole thing supposed to be purple? It floureses well under blue lights. I have this Acro at the top of my tank so it gets plenty of light and good random flow. No pests are on it although a crab likes to sleep in it.

The Valida is mostly green with purple-ish tips. It has grown a lot in size so far from when I got it. It was just a tiny guy. It is also encrusting and branching well.

We do run carbon and gfo, and two part dosing, all params are excellent, water quality is excellent. We have Eco Tech led lights on a natural reef setting. We are down to no nitrates. No pest algea or cyano. We do use Acro Power and that has helped a bit once a week and we snow the tank as well. We also feed both fish and corals.

Since we are new to Acro's, I keep wondering if there is something else we should be doing to make the colors better.

Any suggestions to add more color to them or are they just supposed to look like that since they are not fully grown yet?

 

[justthewife]

No one uses anything for their Acropora to keep them healthy?

 

[St.james of reefdom]

I have been using the Elos amino acids and Pro Skimmer. I have since switched to the Aquavitro Seachem Fuel. I have seen excellent color and polyp extension from both of them.
from an economical perspective the Fuel wins out .
Other than the normal water parameters kept in synch via water changes and additions(Calc ,Mg etc)...

 

[justthewife]

Thank you St. James of reefdom!!!! I will look for the fuel. My Acro's are growing and branching, just the colors are too pale for my liking except for the tips of them and the polyps.

 

[Capt_Cully]

I think it's important to know where the corals came from befor you acquired them. Specifically, what lighting. Going MH to T5 or to LED or any combination thereof can have an effect on the coral. Even among similar lighting schemes, there are differences in wavelength, intensity, PAR.

Not that you have to give it a ton of thought, just consider it. I always try to put new corals in a spot that they can slowly acclimate, and move them to their final destination over about a month.

If they are growing, that is important, and a great sign. I've seen some corals not obtain optimal coloration under LEDs as some discuss, there is a certain wavelength of light that they don't cover (420-440nm or something...don't quote me). This causes some corals to fail to achieve expected coloration.

I have seen many corals languish in pastel hues for month to then unexpectedly POP! With color. I've seen it when going from MH to T5s, I've seen it with adding LEDs or going from MH & T5 to purely LEDs.

There are other factors that factor in to coloration. Fluctuations in specific gravity. Irradication of phosphates (many SPS) thrive with a low level, not zero. Many SPS gurus are careful not to keep the number at zero.

Certain pests can stress the corals, red bugs on acropora come to mind.

Personally, sounds like you're doing everything right. Keep at it. Avoid rapid fluctuations in the basic parameters, pH, temp, mg, alk, Ca, SG. A few frags of SPS should be fairly tolerant. Larger colonies and reefs are more finicky as their consumption rates of said important parameters cause the very fluctuations you are trying to avoid.

I've tried various additives, snows, pixy dusts, and didn't get much gratification from them. It made me feel like I was doing something, but I believe many of them have high amounts of silicates. This will benefit problem algae before it will your SPS. That's just my experience with them. Kept many heavily stocked SPS systems without them.

Sorry for rambling.

 

[justthewife]

Not rambling at all Glad for the insight. The Acro's I have came from LED lighting. I have had them long enough that there has been quite a bit of growth. Did you mean nitrates not at zero or phosphates?

 

[St.james of reefdom]

Actually truth be known neither Capt. nor I answered the question. I believe the simplest answer to your question would be something along the lines of ...
If the coral you have is showing signs of growth and thriving then short of a microscope and a scalpel to stare at the inner workings you can say its healthy.
Unhealthy corals do not usually last long.
I think the coral has an amazing adaptive behavior which aids it in its life in a frag tank or reef tank to a point , so relax don't panic and do your best.
All in all take your time read a lot,drink a ahomebrew and observe your coral. But be ready for the inevitable, regardless of doing everything correctly(as far as we know) some days corals die for inexplicable reasons.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Well said sir!

Wife, I was saying some, a very low level, of phosphates is desired. Nitrates, shoot for zero.

 

[justthewife]

Well said sir!

Wife, I was saying some, a very low level, of phosphates is desired. Nitrates, shoot for zero.

Hmmmm, that is very interesting. I always thought it was desired to have 0 phosphates as well. Ours is a little over 0 so then that is good.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Yes, you don't want them high at all, but not zero. Say 0.2 ish.

I think you're on the right track. I'd put money on it, that one of these days when you've forgotten about it, you're going to walk by your tank and do a double take. Those suckers will twinkle twinkle with color.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Actually, you got me leafing through some old threads. Some say they prefer a hint if nitrates as well.

 

[justthewife]

:lolspin: Thanks! Ours are zero at the moment but we do feed them lots of goodies.

 

[Chrisjbarry]

That is a few pics of my sps. I feed reef chilli and reef roids every other day. Feed algae to the tangs all day. Feed frozen every 2-3 days (which is a blend of every frozen food for saltwater blended then refrozen, with garlic and amino acids and prosipro).

 

[justthewife]

Nice pictures!!! We just started feeding the tank Reef Chili that my husband ordered just before I posted this.

 

[degibson84]

Every coral reacts different. I have a few SPS that love when my PO4 is almost undetectable they will grow like mad and color like crazy.


While at the same time During undetectable Po4 inhave some sps that lose all color and growth stunts.

I am currently trying to find that happy medium where all my SPS will have color and growth.