When will the SPS polyps open up?

[jackie]

Picked up a couple of frags at the meeting and still waiting for the polyps to open up. Pink pocillipora and a digitata. I have 2, 175W mh lights about 4" from the top of the tank, and the corals are about 3-4" from the top of the tank. I"ve been using b-ionic every day. First try at SPS, so I"m clueless......I keep staring at them as if they're going to just open up any mintue Thanks for your help!

Ooops, posted this in the lounge.... where are the mods???

 

[NateHanson]

Have you been tested Ca and Alk?

The various SPS frags I've gotten all opened within about a day.

 

[Moe_K]

Moved.

 

[jackie]

Gee, the same day? I'm testing every day, Alk is 9.3 and Ca is about 350-400. Do I need to go higher on both?

Strange thing though, I have a sinularia that hasn't been doing well since I moved it to the bigger tank, it's shrunk and deep green, defintely not happy. Could it be releasing something the SPS don't like?


BTW, thanks Moe...

 

[NateHanson]

ok, I'm going to keep posting, but only because nobody who actually knows what they're talking about is showing up here. I'm sure they'll undo any damage as soon as they get here.

You want to get your Ca above 400 but not higher than 450. Alk is in the recommended range, but I'm told it doesn't hurt to be higher, so you may want to dose more B-ionic for a little while until you get those up.

Ok, let the corrections begin!

Nate

 

[Moe_K]

Jackie, do you have carbon running? If any softie is engaging in chemical warfare, the carbon should pull a lot of the toxins out of the water.
How about contacting the frag donors or sellers and asking them for their lighting conditions?

 

[Armando]

According the Randy, if your Ca is low and your Alk is OK then you should only raise Ca by adding [insert name here]. If you add two-part additives you will raise Alk too high and cause problems.

 

[Moe_K]

Alk increase according to Randy by using baking soda.

 

[Syris]

I don't feel your Alk and Ca levels are the cause for the polyps not coming out. Although you may want Ca a bit higher (~410).

I agree with Moe on running carbon if your not already doing so and you have a mixed reef(SPS and softies)

Also how long has it been since you switched to the 55g? I ask because I doubt its Amm or NO2 problem but hows your NO3(nitrate)? High NO3 can cause SPS to stress or other corals for that matter.

 

[jackie]

Well, I checked to see if I had the right requirements before I got the frags, so the lighting seems OK. This new tank has been up for about 5 weeks, and for some reason something just doesn't seem right. I put in some new live rock (cured) last Saturday so I checked for amm, nitrite and nitrate Sunday and they're pretty much 0. Then I thought it might be phosphate, so checked that too last night and nothing. What else , I had to pull out the carbon (always running carbon) and turned off the skimmer last night becuase i started using kick-ich, but the problem started a few days before. I have a sponge (not invert) between the skimmer and the return in the sump to trap detritus, could it be harboring anything? Maybe I can move the SPS, they're next to the glass kind of under the 'lip' of the tank, maybe they need to be more in the middle?

Thanks everybody...

BTW, I've used baking soda for quite a while before I bought b-ionic and it works great! Really inexpensive way to bring up Alk.

I just thought of something, I"m only using Deionized water, not RO/DI will that make a difference?

 

[NateHanson]

Maybe the Kick-Ich is bothering the corals. I know it's not supposed to, but . . .

Also, what are the amm, nitrite and nitrate levels?

Nate

 

[KAS2]

I would also expect the polyps to be out by now. Like you, I have 2x175 MH for lighting and I have my Poci on the bottom of the tank and I can place digitata anywhere. Do the frags look OK except for the polyps? No tissue sloughing off? If not, that's a good sign that the frags aren't in super trouble yet.

My guess would be that your environment is different enough from the original owners that they are still adjusting. You might try moving them around a bit but be careful to not move them too much. Let them settle in for a few days in each place unless they are going downhill.

I know that wasn't much help. Keep us posted.
-Karen

 

[Brian]

How much time did you allow them to acclimate to the light in your tank? How's the flow on/around the corals in question?

 

[Moe_K]

Other SPS corals you have are showing good polyp extension?

 

[Tstone]

I would suspect the Sinularia. if its not happy it is releasing toxins. SPS just don't like that.
The SPS you have are pretty tolerant of the different conditions in our tanks. Knowing your set up i would say the Sinularia is the issue.

 

[denvig]

"I have 2, 175W mh lights about 4" from the top of the tank, and the corals are about 3-4" from the top "

The lights just 4" off the water and Pink pocillipora and a digitata just down 3 or 4" may be too much light too fast.

 

[jackie]

I have no other SPS in my tank, this is my 'maiden voyage' in the SPS world. The frags look fine and are not sloughing any tissue. Now that I think of it, they came from a tank using 400mh lighting, so they're probably adjusting to the lower light. Thanks Karen, I hadn't thought of that, I made a point at the meeting to find out what lighting they were under. Also realized that I had a maxi600 directly aimed at them about a foot away (when you notice the small frag rock swaying in the current that's a good sign) so moved it to the back of the glass with the flow directed at the front of the glass. Your right Marvin the leather's gotta go but I dont' have another tank set up and don't plan on keeping a separate softy tank. Anyone interested?

Thanks again, you have ALL been a great help!!!!!

 

[Rick and Sandy]

Our $.02 worth: As others have suggested, your lights are probably not the issue. SPS are very sensitive to movement/handling and some take a long time to adjust. Proper acclimination is the key here.

Assuming water parameters are in line (which appears to be the case here), issues such as water flow/placement also come into play. And, as mentioned above, all of the other inhabitants in the 'new' environment also come into play.

That being said, I would also suspect the presence of the 'un-happy' Leather as part of your problem(s). As far as the sponge is concerned, you're probably OK doing that. The down-side is that as it gets 'dirty', it becomes a little 'nitrate-factory'. Though, if kept clean, this isn't the case.

Also, 5 weeks is a little 'young' for a tank with SPS. Rule-of-Thumb we heard is 12 months. Likely, the new LR, the fresh tank, the un-happy Leather, the movement/handling of the SPS, and the medication(s) are all contributers to stress for the SPS.

In any case, if the SPS tissue looks healthy and all water params stay as good as they are now, you should be OK. Keep up with your Skimming, add Charcoal 24/7, and consider routine water changes, as appropriate.

 

[jackie]

Does it count, though, that I transferred over to a 55 from a 30g that I had running for a year?

I"ll keep the sponge in there as you mentioned because a lot of 'crud' goes back into the tank which I"m sure doesn't help. I'll keep a close watch on things. Lately I sleep, eat, and work reef

Thanks!

 

[Greg Hiller]

Any chance some fish are picking at them also?