What are your opinions about keeping Acropora coral?
11 posts • Page 1 of 2
-
newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
What are your opinions about keeping Acropora coral?
I bought three frags of Acropora corals and was wondering what you guys think about them. I've done my research on them and they seem to be fairly difficult to care for. What have been your experiences?
-
lightsluvr - Posts: 26
- Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:04 pm
1.)Lots of light in the proper spectrum,
2.) proper balance of alkalinity, magnesium and calcium
3.) excellent water conditions.
If any of these is missing, acros and other stony coral will not flourish...
I get about an inch growth a month on my acros, montis and millis...but it takes a lot of work.
LL
2.) proper balance of alkalinity, magnesium and calcium
3.) excellent water conditions.
If any of these is missing, acros and other stony coral will not flourish...
I get about an inch growth a month on my acros, montis and millis...but it takes a lot of work.
LL
-
newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
So far everything is doing fairly well, but it's only been two weeks. However, I did lose one frag of acro because I had a nitrate and phosphate spike after the guy on e-bay told me to try and save a half dead toadstool and brain coral that he sent me. Big mistake!!! Fortunately the other two frags seem to be growing. I currently have two day time and three actinic T-5's that I have set for 12 hrs actinic and 8 hrs daytime. Both frags are placed about 8-10 inches from my Koralia 4's. I've been feeding them some Roto feast everyother day. My temp ranges between 78-81 degrees, but is a gradual temp change from day to night. My water is perfect and back to normal after I did a 20 gallon water change 10 days ago. I also add purple up once or twice every week to increase the iodine, calcium, and alkalinity in the water. I've notice everything from my inverts, corals, and live rock are flourishing. Do you think I need to do anything else?
-
gumbii - Posts: 1695
- Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:31 am
how big is the tank...? and how many watts are the lights...
i thought you needed metal halide lights...
i thought you needed metal halide lights...
-
newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
It's 100 gallon with three 80 watt actinic and two 10,000k daylight bulbs. I thought I needed metal halide's too, but my LFS told me these should be sufficient. Unfortunately, I bought the entire setup for $800 on e-bay and am still trying to figure out exactly what I need to keep a reef tank. Is that enough lighting?
-
schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
Newbie916, What are your BIG 3 readings...Ca, Alk and Magnesium and are they stable?
What salt are you using? Purple up sucks and is a waste of money. Nuff said
To keep an SPS tank, you really need at least a 6month old tank and that is assuming you have got your nitrates and phosphates under control and have your calcium , mag and alkalinity nice, tight and stable.
Stable alkalinity is the biggest thing. Big shifts in alk can cause an SPS coral to RTN(rappid tissue necrosis).
Lighting is not as big a deal. SPS can survive under low lighting and can bleach under very intense lighting. It's all about acclimation to a light intensity it's not accustomed to. Some of the sweetest SPS tanks are lit purely by T5HO lighting.
I changed my 2-250w halides from Reeflux 12k to Phoenix 14k 6 weeks ago which almost doubled the PAR output and even though I raised my lights 8in more, I still had quite a few SPS expel a lot of their zooxanthellae and are just now recovering.
Some SPS require a lot of intense light to grow well and some require less. I have a Hyacynth Seriatapora that can't stand any direct light from the halides. I have to keep it far to one side and at the bottom of the tank or it bleaches out.
Use a reef grade salt(not instant ocean), unless you want to supplement the crap out of calcium.
Keep decent parameters and keep them stable. Stable means you don't have to check every day. Stable means, if you check every other week or once a month and maybe make small adjustments.
Calcium---380-450
Alkalinity---Dkh 9-10 or 7-11 or 7-12 ......whatever so long as it is stable
MAgnesium---1250-1350
What salt are you using? Purple up sucks and is a waste of money. Nuff said
To keep an SPS tank, you really need at least a 6month old tank and that is assuming you have got your nitrates and phosphates under control and have your calcium , mag and alkalinity nice, tight and stable.
Stable alkalinity is the biggest thing. Big shifts in alk can cause an SPS coral to RTN(rappid tissue necrosis).
Lighting is not as big a deal. SPS can survive under low lighting and can bleach under very intense lighting. It's all about acclimation to a light intensity it's not accustomed to. Some of the sweetest SPS tanks are lit purely by T5HO lighting.
I changed my 2-250w halides from Reeflux 12k to Phoenix 14k 6 weeks ago which almost doubled the PAR output and even though I raised my lights 8in more, I still had quite a few SPS expel a lot of their zooxanthellae and are just now recovering.
Some SPS require a lot of intense light to grow well and some require less. I have a Hyacynth Seriatapora that can't stand any direct light from the halides. I have to keep it far to one side and at the bottom of the tank or it bleaches out.
Use a reef grade salt(not instant ocean), unless you want to supplement the crap out of calcium.
Keep decent parameters and keep them stable. Stable means you don't have to check every day. Stable means, if you check every other week or once a month and maybe make small adjustments.
Calcium---380-450
Alkalinity---Dkh 9-10 or 7-11 or 7-12 ......whatever so long as it is stable
MAgnesium---1250-1350
-
newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
Hey Schigara,
Unfortunately, I didn't do my research before I ordered the Acro's online. After I ordered them I looked up the requirements to keep these guys. It sounds like I have my work cut out for me.
I just bought a bucket of Red Sea Reef Salt and used the last of my Crystal Reef salt in my last water change.
My nitrates have been stable at 0-10 ppm for about a month, since I moved the sand forward and placed the LR at the bottom of the tank. I also found out that I had two nitrate testing kits that were defective because they always read 80-100 ppm. It was driving me crazy doing water changes every 3 days for 3-4 weeks. I started taking my water to 3 different LFS's to figure out what was going on and they read 0 and the highest was 10 ppm. I also increased my flow with two Koralia 4's in addtion to my Rio's to reduce dead spots. The only nitrate and phosphate spike I had recently was when I took the guys advice from a dealer on e-bay to put half dead toadstool and brain coral who were attached to a dead mussel during shipping in my tank. Long story, but it caused a major water problem last week. I also added a phosphate reactor last week with Rowa as a media.
I've been keeping my calcium between 430 and 450. I don't even have a test kit for Magnesium and haven't used my Kh test kit. I will pick one up this weekend. To be very honest, I just started checking the calcium the past few weeks since I bought the corals and started mixing my own water because I found out the LFS doesn't use reef grade salt. They sold me that Purple up stuff before I started using the reef salt. Do you think I should find a good home for the Acro's until I get my parameters straight?
Unfortunately, I didn't do my research before I ordered the Acro's online. After I ordered them I looked up the requirements to keep these guys. It sounds like I have my work cut out for me.
I just bought a bucket of Red Sea Reef Salt and used the last of my Crystal Reef salt in my last water change.
My nitrates have been stable at 0-10 ppm for about a month, since I moved the sand forward and placed the LR at the bottom of the tank. I also found out that I had two nitrate testing kits that were defective because they always read 80-100 ppm. It was driving me crazy doing water changes every 3 days for 3-4 weeks. I started taking my water to 3 different LFS's to figure out what was going on and they read 0 and the highest was 10 ppm. I also increased my flow with two Koralia 4's in addtion to my Rio's to reduce dead spots. The only nitrate and phosphate spike I had recently was when I took the guys advice from a dealer on e-bay to put half dead toadstool and brain coral who were attached to a dead mussel during shipping in my tank. Long story, but it caused a major water problem last week. I also added a phosphate reactor last week with Rowa as a media.
I've been keeping my calcium between 430 and 450. I don't even have a test kit for Magnesium and haven't used my Kh test kit. I will pick one up this weekend. To be very honest, I just started checking the calcium the past few weeks since I bought the corals and started mixing my own water because I found out the LFS doesn't use reef grade salt. They sold me that Purple up stuff before I started using the reef salt. Do you think I should find a good home for the Acro's until I get my parameters straight?
-
schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
You can keep the Acro's you have but just be careful about any changes. Keeping SPS means no more big water changes unless you match the new water to the old as far as temp, alk, ca and ph.
Keep the nitrates under control. 0-40 won't kill SPS but they can hinder growth.
Until you find a sweet spot with ca and alk, don't make anymore hard coral purchases.
The other things to worry about are red bugs, nudibranchs and acro eating flat worms.
Inspect closely, dip as needed and quarantine if needed.
Also flake, pellet and unrinsed frozen foods are packed with phosphates. I no longer use any flake or pellet foods and only frozen foods that I have rinsed with ro/di. The reactor with RowaPhos is a good thing.
Keep the nitrates under control. 0-40 won't kill SPS but they can hinder growth.
Until you find a sweet spot with ca and alk, don't make anymore hard coral purchases.
The other things to worry about are red bugs, nudibranchs and acro eating flat worms.
Inspect closely, dip as needed and quarantine if needed.
Also flake, pellet and unrinsed frozen foods are packed with phosphates. I no longer use any flake or pellet foods and only frozen foods that I have rinsed with ro/di. The reactor with RowaPhos is a good thing.
-
lightsluvr - Posts: 26
- Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:04 pm
I agree with Schigara's previous post. All good advice.
Newbie wrote, "I currently have two day time and three actinic T-5's that I have set for 12 hrs actinic and 8 hrs daytime"
From reading the above, I assume that you have 5 T5 bulbs over your tank. Are all the T5s 80 watts? If so, that means you have 400 watts of total lighting over a 100 gallon tank. The actinics are for "pretty" (color) and don't do much for growth. That leaves you with 160 watts in the 10K range which is as close to sunlight as you have for the SPS to convert to energy. What are the dimensions of your tank (LxWxD)? Your lighting may be adequate, depending on light intensity (PAR) and the depth you have placed the Acros. If they're on the sandbed, you probably don't have sufficient light for them to really thrive. If they're up high on the rock, you might be alright in the short term.
As to water quality, Ammonia and Nitrites must be zero. If you have cycled your tank for several months, these shouldn't be an issue. As Schigara pointed out, Nitrates should be very low, but small amounts won't be fatal. Everytime a fish poops, you'll see a little of the above, but assuming you have adequate live rock and skim aggressively, the water should be able to process waste.
Get good test kits, like Salifert or Tropic Marin, and let everyone know what your CA, ALK and MG readings are. Forget Tetra, Hartz Mountain or similar kits from the freshwater trade.
JMHO.
LL
Newbie wrote, "I currently have two day time and three actinic T-5's that I have set for 12 hrs actinic and 8 hrs daytime"
From reading the above, I assume that you have 5 T5 bulbs over your tank. Are all the T5s 80 watts? If so, that means you have 400 watts of total lighting over a 100 gallon tank. The actinics are for "pretty" (color) and don't do much for growth. That leaves you with 160 watts in the 10K range which is as close to sunlight as you have for the SPS to convert to energy. What are the dimensions of your tank (LxWxD)? Your lighting may be adequate, depending on light intensity (PAR) and the depth you have placed the Acros. If they're on the sandbed, you probably don't have sufficient light for them to really thrive. If they're up high on the rock, you might be alright in the short term.
As to water quality, Ammonia and Nitrites must be zero. If you have cycled your tank for several months, these shouldn't be an issue. As Schigara pointed out, Nitrates should be very low, but small amounts won't be fatal. Everytime a fish poops, you'll see a little of the above, but assuming you have adequate live rock and skim aggressively, the water should be able to process waste.
Get good test kits, like Salifert or Tropic Marin, and let everyone know what your CA, ALK and MG readings are. Forget Tetra, Hartz Mountain or similar kits from the freshwater trade.
JMHO.
LL
-
newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
Hey Schigara and lightsluvr,
Thanks for the info. I'm not sure of the exact dimensions and I'll have to take out my tape measure in the morning. I have about 125lbs if live rock and 100 lbs of live sand and I took out the bio balls in my 20 gallon sump and will replace them with a refugium in the next few weeks. I also have a Euro protein skimmer and a phosphate reactor with some Rowa in it. I placed the frags at the top of my LR about 6 inches away from my Koralia 4's on both sides of the tank. My nitrites and ammonia have read 0 for the last three months, but my nitrates did fluctuate for a little while. I will go out and buy some good test kits next week. There are 5 T-5 bulbs total and are 80 watts each. The tank was established for 18 months prior to me purchasing it and I've been running it for about 3 months now, that's why I really don't know a lot about the equipment. I took my water samples in to my LFS a day after I took the dead toadstool and brain coral out and my nitrates had jumped to about 20 ppm. I immediately went home and did a 20 gallon water change and took another sample in two days later. My water was perfect. I will take Schigara's advice and do smaller water changes once a week and make sure the water is the same temp as my tank.
Appreciate the imput and there is definitely a lot of learning to do in this hobby. I'm really enjoying it though.
Thx,
newbie
Thanks for the info. I'm not sure of the exact dimensions and I'll have to take out my tape measure in the morning. I have about 125lbs if live rock and 100 lbs of live sand and I took out the bio balls in my 20 gallon sump and will replace them with a refugium in the next few weeks. I also have a Euro protein skimmer and a phosphate reactor with some Rowa in it. I placed the frags at the top of my LR about 6 inches away from my Koralia 4's on both sides of the tank. My nitrites and ammonia have read 0 for the last three months, but my nitrates did fluctuate for a little while. I will go out and buy some good test kits next week. There are 5 T-5 bulbs total and are 80 watts each. The tank was established for 18 months prior to me purchasing it and I've been running it for about 3 months now, that's why I really don't know a lot about the equipment. I took my water samples in to my LFS a day after I took the dead toadstool and brain coral out and my nitrates had jumped to about 20 ppm. I immediately went home and did a 20 gallon water change and took another sample in two days later. My water was perfect. I will take Schigara's advice and do smaller water changes once a week and make sure the water is the same temp as my tank.
Appreciate the imput and there is definitely a lot of learning to do in this hobby. I'm really enjoying it though.
Thx,
newbie
