LPS questions

[tribbitt]

My sps are growing (encrusting, new tips and branches, new polyps) but none of my lps are - some of them have grown more meat, but no new skeleton that I can tell.

Fox coral has been doing well. Number of mouths has gone up (Old picture looks like 7 mouths, now is 11) but the skeleton has not grown. Any tips?

It is under 200 par, nitrates and phosphates decently high (20 and 0.15), ca is 470 and alk is near 10, fluctuating depending on time of day.

My PFP’s hammer I got 4 months ago with 3 heads. It still has 3 heads.

Story is consistent with every other LPS i have.

(bottom right hammer - it got moved)

Yet I see people who have to trim their hammer colony twice a month, or with massive mounds of LPS coral that they grew in the same amount time that mine have languished.

There must be something I am doing wrong, can someone give some pointers? Is this a “mature tank” thing? I don’t really get it.

 

[MichaelB]

My sps are growing (encrusting, new tips and branches, new polyps) but none of my lps are - some of them have grown more meat, but no new skeleton that I can tell.

Fox coral has been doing well. Number of mouths has gone up (Old picture looks like 7 mouths, now is 11) but the skeleton has not grown. Any tips?

It is under 200 par, nitrates and phosphates decently high (20 and 0.15), ca is 470 and alk is near 10, fluctuating depending on time of day.

View attachment 56448


My PFP’s hammer I got 4 months ago with 3 heads. It still has 3 heads.

Story is consistent with every other LPS i have.

View attachment 56451
View attachment 56452
(bottom right hammer - it got moved)

Yet I see people who have to trim their hammer colony twice a month, or with massive mounds of LPS coral that they grew in the same amount time that mine have languished.

There must be something I am doing wrong, can someone give some pointers? Is this a “mature tank” thing? I don’t really get it.

I can only comment relating to hammers, my fav coral thus far. I've had some since I had my tank. They all grow at very different rates. Ive had some start with 2 heads and double, while others haven't gained a single new head. I've had some actually grow new Skelton after growing new mouths while others only seemed to get new heads without the Skelton.

I think that lager the colony the faster the growth potential. More heads more chances for them to grow into new heads.

Honestly nothing your doing wrong, it’s a patience thing. Or start with a mini colony over a frag for faster growth. Once you get them to a certain point than their growth will eventually multiple.

Also light, flow, target feeding, water conditions, available space for them to spread in all directions, placement relating to if any of the heads are getting shaowed by other heads to many varribles that can effect growth as well.

Again only related to what I've observed with hammers/ euphyllia.

 

[dioworld]

maybe too much flow.

 

[derek_SR]

Sounds like my tank. I have a lot of happy growing SPS but struggle with softies and LPS.

I notice that when I move things to the sump, they usually perk up and do better. Exact same water and exact same light (Reefi Uno over my sump) but dramatically less flow. It's confusing to me because I see folks with LPS getting quite a bit of flow...but mine just don't like it!

 

[Patio]

They look good though. Maybe they just need more time to settle in before taking off?

That fox corals looks very happy. I don't see many of them around. Cool coral.

 

[tribbitt]

They mostly gently wiggle. There is one head that gets a lot of flow, but the others are gently moving a little bit.

I target feed once, maybe twice a week. I used to do more, but nutrients got annoying to deal with since I don’t have a skimmer.

And I know a couple people who got a hammer at a similar time I did and now have many more heads.

 

[MichaelB]

They mostly gently wiggle. There is one head that gets a lot of flow, but the others are gently moving a little bit.

I target feed once, maybe twice a week. I used to do more, but nutrients got annoying to deal with since I don’t have a skimmer.

And I know a couple people who got a hammer at a similar time I did and now have many more heads.

As I mentioned earlier, I have some hammers haven't gained a head in over 2.5 years. I also have a ramp up period ie. Call it high noon when my lights go max- only time I actually run white lights for like 2 hours. During that time the euphyllia, and leathers all just about double in size. If I can catch it when it happens, Ill snap pictures to share to show difference. Just wanna keep them happy.

 

[Darkxerox]

A mixed reef is the hardest thing to keep. You'll never be able to keep everything at their ideal state. The most important thing is that they're staying alive!

 

[derek_SR]

A mixed reef is the hardest thing to keep. You'll never be able to keep everything at their ideal state. The most important thing is that they're staying alive!

I think I underestimated the challenge of keeping everything successfully in a mixed reef. It does seem incredibly difficult to keep all types of corals growing/thriving at the same rate in the same tank.

 

[IOnceWasLegend]

I think I underestimated the challenge of keeping everything successfully in a mixed reef. It does seem incredibly difficult to keep all types of corals growing/thriving at the same rate in the same tank.

100% this.

I've been toying around with stuff in my tank, but it's like...

"Too much flow here. Not enough flow here. Let's experiment and see if this torch can handle high flow. Oh whoops I hammered this torch with 430 PAR. How much can I lower it so that it's still happy but the acros nearby are happy too. Oh the mushroom doesn't like it here. Two of three hammers are happy here but this one hates life."

It's an interesting challenge, but MAN yeah keeping a mixed reef is challenging.

 

[Bruce Spiegelman]

How old is the tank?

 

[tribbitt]

How old is the tank?

4.5 months now. Young, but things seem to be doing well

 

[tribbitt]

A mixed reef is the hardest thing to keep. You'll never be able to keep everything at their ideal state. The most important thing is that they're staying alive!

In the ocean, hammers would be hundreds of meters from any kind of shallow water acro. I can appreciate the vastly different care requirements lol

 

[Adauqua]

100% this.

I've been toying around with stuff in my tank, but it's like...

"Too much flow here. Not enough flow here. Let's experiment and see if this torch can handle high flow. Oh whoops I hammered this torch with 430 PAR. How much can I lower it so that it's still happy but the acros nearby are happy too. Oh the mushroom doesn't like it here. Two of three hammers are happy here but this one hates life."

It's an interesting challenge, but MAN yeah keeping a mixed reef is challenging.

Yes 100% this and all the above.

I found out the hard fact that keeping my hand out-of-water the sensitive corals have a much better chance to survive and thrive than I put my hand in to play around with flow/placement/rearrangement.

 

[derek_SR]

100% this.

I've been toying around with stuff in my tank, but it's like...

"Too much flow here. Not enough flow here. Let's experiment and see if this torch can handle high flow. Oh whoops I hammered this torch with 430 PAR. How much can I lower it so that it's still happy but the acros nearby are happy too. Oh the mushroom doesn't like it here. Two of three hammers are happy here but this one hates life."

It's an interesting challenge, but MAN yeah keeping a mixed reef is challenging.

Yeah, it's fun but definitely a huge challenge. My recent attempt w/ flow: https://www.bareefers.org/forum/threads/dereks-225g-magnifica-sps-reef.34370/post-508870

 

[Bruce Spiegelman]

4.5 months now. Young, but things seem to be doing well

In my experience your tank is to young for much "growth." I never expect to see a decent amount of growth until a tank is one year old. By then the tank is stable and corals begin to "feel" secure to put more energy into growth and not just survival. I never expect any growth at all the first six months. I'm pleasantly surprised by nice growth in zoas, acans, etc at that stage and decent encrusting by SPS.

The accelerated growth you desire that you see from just a handful of other reefers are almost always in well-established tanks and very often in tanks that they really aren't doing much for growth except providing stability. Patience. Let it happen.

 

[Bruce Spiegelman]

100% this.

I've been toying around with stuff in my tank, but it's like...

"Too much flow here. Not enough flow here. Let's experiment and see if this torch can handle high flow. Oh whoops I hammered this torch with 430 PAR. How much can I lower it so that it's still happy but the acros nearby are happy too. Oh the mushroom doesn't like it here. Two of three hammers are happy here but this one hates life."

It's an interesting challenge, but MAN yeah keeping a mixed reef is challenging.

Toying with stuff is almost always recipe for low growth. Just my opinion.

 

[tribbitt]

In my experience your tank is to young for much "growth." I never expect to see a decent amount of growth until a tank is one year old. By then the tank is stable and corals begin to "feel" secure to put more energy into growth and not just survival. I never expect any growth at all the first six months. I'm pleasantly surprised by nice growth in zoas, acans, etc at that stage and decent encrusting by SPS..

That’s what confuses me. My SPS is encrusting very fast, sending out new branches and tips. The LPS is not lol

I glued it a month ago (before, it was sitting on the rockwork)

Not sure if you can see properly, but in that month the tri color valida has encrusted 1/4 inch in every direction, new polyps on that area, and the growth tip has new polyps (not in this pic)

My hawkins echinata has ~6 new growth tips/baby branches, and many existing branches have new polyp-nubs on them, and like 2 have branched. It has encrusted even more. I have some older progress photo on my journal.

Sps is doing better than my lps.