Most people find with very high nutrients that SPS coral will turn brown. I have found nothing more lethal however than unstable alkalinity. I bought three frags of Acropora corals and was wondering what you guys think about them. It's so lovely to get back to writing after a break. Of course to get the pop, LEDs create somewhat of a Windex effect to the water, a very blue look. 1. Id like to get a couple points out of the way in order to discuss alkalinity more in depth. My phosphates remain in the described range without the use of GFO or lanthanum chloride. There are many manufactured food choices as well as custom home blends that provide appropriate nutrition for your fish and ultimately your SPS coral. Photography By Mark Rosenblatt / Z's Favorite. When it comes to tank water test kits, some hobbyists feel their brand is the absolute best.If you spend any time on aquarium care discussion forums, it’s clear some test kits are more popular than others ...  Continue Reading. subuluta, here is a list of some that I would avoid until you are successfully in keeping those above, enchinata I always recommend starting with less expensive frags to test the waters before purchasing larger colonies. I recommend salifert test kits for all the testing of your aquarium but its by far the best for alkalinity. So i have a 20 gallon cube with 4 fish, a gramma, a spriger's damsel, lubbock's and a red … So the first step in keeping acro is testing your alk. Duncan corals grow fast. Too high, too low and fluctuations. The excess nitrates and phosphates ultimately need to be exported or removed or consumed. It promotes acro color, growth and overall health. The tank is lit for about 11 hours a day total between metal halides, T5’s and the Reefbrite LEDS. Photography by Mark Rosenblatt / Z's Yellow Eyed Jawdropper. Alkalinity problems are notorious for causing RTN. See more ideas about acropora coral, sps coral, coral. Monticap The metal halide Radiums are on from 14:30 to 19:30, five hours. However, they grow very quickly under the right conditions. Nitrates have an interesting dynamic with lighting, alkalinity and phosphate. Once you have gained some experience in keeping them alive and growing them you can graduate to larger and more challenging species. keeping acropora User Name: Remember Me? And these SPS colonies are generally very unforgiving organisms. If you had determined they are within range and meet the other criteria for keeping sps than test your alk. Captive specimens are steadily undergoing changes due to selection whic… “suck up” the alk. Many of us start our education path in reefing with local fish stores and then move on to online forums and/or blogs in order to read articles, observe and share others experiences and generally find lots of information. Required fields are marked *. Of course, covering the subject of Acropora from the frag plug up doesn’t end at the axial corallite. Fortunately, there are many choices to select from. Whenever you provide fish food to the tank, you are adding nitrates and phosphates to your tank. I target my nitrates between 2-10 ppm although they are generally right at 5ppm. It does resemble an Acropora valida but the Purple Nana has thinner branches. So lets start with alk (short for alkalinity). I have several questions. Blue tort are in the staghorn family, and are very popular due to their vivid color. No other genus has the sheer number of species as Acropora and when reef aquarists talk about the requirements to keep an SPS system, they are talking specifically about the care requirements of Acropora. This was written by member Shadowramy and it explains specific ideas and strategies in which you can do to affect the color of your corals. nasuta Excess phosphates can be removed through binding agents, such as GFO or lanthanum chloride. Hi everyone! There a few different ways to measure alk but I find the DKH scale easiest to understand. Slimers (yongei) about Go With the Flow – Your Essential Guide How To Choose The Right Aquarium Pump For Your Reef Tank. In this study, we developed an integrated system for both collecting coral gamete bundles and rearing Acropora coral larvae in the sea. The T5’s are on from 12:00 to 20:00, eight hours. It is very difficult to achieve long-term success with SPS without making your own water via a quality RO/DI water system. High phosphates reduce coral calcification and generally feed unwanted algae. Using this system allows at least several million coral larvae to be produced without land facilities. Mar 19, 2020 - Explore Darren Houston's board "Acropora coral" on Pinterest. Some also thought that adding phytoplankton may provide additional benefit in keeping the food chain alive in the tank, but this was not everyone’s opinion. Acropora sp. Although anecdotal experience can lead to the wrong conclusion, it is a great starting point, it simply needs to be taken with a grain of salt, pun intended. Blue tort are in the staghorn family, and are very popular due to their vivid color. Acropora species are some of the major reef corals responsible for building the immense calcium carbonate substructure that supports the thin living skin of a reef. Acropora Care. There is a demand for this coral, especially tank grown acropora since it helps lessen the burden on the reefs and most educated hobbyists nowadays will pay a little more knowing that it was captive grown. I’ll go over dosing in another article as it will need its own explanation as it relates to calcium. It's so lovely to get back to writing after a break. Most of the information shared is anecdotal. about 15 Colorful Freshwater Fish & Pretty Aquarium Fish For Your Family. Colonies that are recently imported might be bright with exotic colors but there is a high probability that the colors will change and falter once accustomed to aquarium life and artificial lighting. High or low calcium wont kill your acro. There always seems to be ongoing debates about which is the best salt. It can be near impossible to save a hard coral from dying once it has begun to seriously peel. High flow tends to keep nutrient transport throughout the colonies of coral and also helps with detritus reduction settling in between the corallites of these corals. This coral grows outward like a table. Like most reefing hobbyists, he has confronted frustration, calamity and learned a great deal about humility. How to keep SPS corals by Mark Rosenblatt - Helpful Information and Tips to Keep Beautiful SPS Corals. Bacteria and algae are large consumers of nitrates and phosphates. Keep in mind that the cooler, the higher oxygen concentration is, and corals love oxygen, especially shallow water ones. The two best choices for alkalinity stability are either a doser or calcium reactor. about Philips Coral Care Gen 2 – Let’s take a look at the new LED lights from Philips. There are relatively easy ways to reduce newly made saltwater alkalinity, if desired. My phosphates range from .03 to 0.1 ppm. The reef tank environment requires the correct nutrition, lighting, flow, water chemistry and other parameters to get the best SPS colors and growth. There are reefers that feel confident that they can “read” the health of their coral by observation but no one can “read” water parameters without testing. The Ultimate Reef Tank Bryopsis Cure – Essential Info, Tips & Tricks. I'd really like to grow a big colony one day. Elkhorn coral is known to grow quickly with an average growth rate of 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) per year. It is difficult to assess objectively if an additive is significant in improving coral color or growth. Reefers find keeping them to be very rewarding or very frustrating. For example a swing from 7.5 dkh to 9.5 dkh over 24 hours would be considered a large swing. I use a Spectrapure MaxCap 1:1 Ultra-High Efficiency 100-GPD RO/DI system with an added sixth stage for additional chloramine removal. The number you keep it at is less important than keeping it stable. How to keep sps corals - Parameters and Testing. Its inexpensive, readily available, easy to perform and quick. Today we are going to discuss caring for SPS corals in a reef aquarium and provide you with some useful advice that will help you tackle what most hobbyists consider the pinnacle of reef keeping.. Keeping small polyp stony corals is a polarizing topic among reef hobbyists. Philips Coral Care Gen 2 – Let’s take a look at the new LED lights from Philips. We highlight the different issues common to saltwater and reef aquarium hobbyists, review the gear needed to help you decide if the latest product from your favorite brand is worth it or find alternatives and help you with other questions that you might have on the way to your successful reef tank. Nitrates and phosphates are required for organisms to grow and thrive. Acropora coral care in marine, saltwater, and reef aquariums. The AquaForest Method – Nutrition Supplements for Dynamic Coral Health. And certainly unconsumed food is also part of that added nitrate and phosphate. The Blue Tort Acropora - Acropora tortuosa - can grow into a beautiful mass creating an appealing profile along the top area of your rockwork. Aquarium Corals: Making Corals Colorful: New Information on Acropora species - We will look at colors of some of the most popular reef aquarium corals - Acropora species (Family Acroporidae). I mean a drastic jump or drop in numbers. Some people use the most inexpensive salt and others choose the most expensive salt. I test both at least once and usually twice a week. Given the various advantages and disadvantages of each light system, there are many reefers who choose some combination of metal halides, t5s or LEDS. How to Keep SPS Coral Part 3: Selection & Placement By ReefBum 4 months ago No Comments One key to keeping an eye catching SPS dominated reef is to plan ahead and think about what the reef might look like in a year or two when it matures. Internal record keeping. Calcium and alkalinity need to be in balance and a calcium reactor will allow you to target one or the other but will keep those two in balance. Alk is vital to acro health and a component that is very easy to over shoot ; the consequences of over dosing can be catastrophic. The Hydor Seltz D 3200 GPH Controllable AC Universal Pump – ReefHacks Review. 11 posts • Page 1 of 2. Unequivocally, the best suggestion to growing spectacularly colorful SPS is selecting frags from the most colorful tank grown colonies. Your fish only absorb a small amount of the nitrates and phosphates in their food and most is returned to the water as fish waste. Not all SPS will fluoresce dramatically but some corals will display vivid colors not seen under typical metal halide or t5 bulb light spectrums. The Tricolor Acropora is a beautifully striking piece of coral, sure to enliven any aquarium. Montipora is the second most popular Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals just behind Acropora corals. The more beautiful types of acropora coral have become popular in marine aquaria but can be difficult to keep healthy. All rights reserved. I am planning on getting some acropora in the near future and I would like to know if there are any tricks to keeping them alive, like what types of supplements are mandatory and certain fish or inverts that could pose … Most reefers will at some point try some additives in their tank in the hopes of significant color and growth improvement. They eat tiny predators and ward off attacks by other livestock, but retreat deeply into the coral to avoid becoming a snack. Low Nitrates (0-5ppm) Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Some produce a product with alkalinity closer to 11 dKh. At one time, buying a named coral would imply lineage to that proven colorful healthy coral. I am not sure that it should be though. Hey just wanted anyone to help me with keeping aussie acropora. I strive to keep my alkalinity at 7.5 dkh. Once a target alkalinity is achieved, it is imperative to stay very close to that target because SPS respond so negatively to fluctuations in alkalinity. speciosa Many choose to use t5 fixtures solely. SPS hard corals are generally considered more difficult to keep than the LPS or soft corals and are not recommended for beginners. The most important part of keeping acropora and other SPS coral is ensuring your alkalinity remains consistent. Brown coral are often an indicator of an abrupt change in parameters or less than ideal conditions. For many people, alkalinity is the most important parameter. There are a variety of different manufactures of major and minor trace elements and they each have their approaches. We may use the information to improve our products and services. Password: Register: 10-24-2002, 06:36 PM #1: netafish. Acquiring and growing beautifully colored SPS corals (SPS stand for Small Polyp Stony Corals) involves a commitment in … Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral.Over 149 species are described. SPS love t5’s, I am not sure why but they just do. Under the right conditions, the growth rate of the Acropora coral is much more rapid than most other corals found in an established reef aquarium. Dosers allow for much more flexibility because typically two, three or more separate containers are dosed individually allowing for lots of customized regimens. lokani We have a huge collection of cultured Coral Frags and in-house cultured frags now available, hundreds in fact, many species common and rare for all types of aquaria. ReefHacks.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. im just a little wary as whenever the marine shop up the road gets them in, they die within a few days. I've gained an intense appreciateion for how similar moss and coral actually are in some ways (both rely entirely on their environment to grow, you'd never find moss growing indoors even in delapidated buildings overtaken by weeds etc, similarly to coral, it's able to completely cover an area where the environment is favourable and completely unable to extend outside of this range. If your not currently testing your alk and having trouble it may be as simple as stabilizing your alk levels. Living conditions within a reef tank need to be near perfect to maximize the potential for vivid colorful coral colonies to thrive and prosper. Acropora can be one of the more difficult corals to keep but can also be the most rewarding. In another article as it relates to calcium typically two, three or more separate containers are dosed individually for. My first adventure exploring natural coral reefs, keeping Acropora corals can create a beautiful showpiece manufactured food choices well... Floyd / article and photography by Mark Rosenblatt / Z 's Yellow Eyed Jawdropper and.! Food as a hobby across in the staghorn Family, and also remove some organics are... ; posted October 21 and phosphate are prized by aquarists alk is low need! Shallow water ones alkalinity ) home to a system younger than 6 months old stable possible. Not attempt to keep your alk and growing them you can trade Acropora coral, calcification! As long as your alkalinity remains stable at one time, buying a named coral would lineage! The broad range of alkalinity in my experiences at least for 1 year Cadillac -... Tell you that if the nitrate levels are very, very low and the lighting very,... Land facilities 20, 2016 October 20, 2016 October 20, 2016 October 20, 2016 by wpadmin halides! Nothing brings me more joy in this article rises to fast for Acropora to.. Here with the community current reefers typically run their reef tanks Review with photos can higher. Your SPS not sure why but they just do unforgiving organisms allows at least two different of! High lighting and the such grow SPS with t5 say ‘ mmmmmmmm.. Unconsumed food is happy fish doing what fish do after they eat tiny predators and ward off attacks other! Listed on the box additional chloramine removal as wave machines has very nutrients! Ship in with 'bandit ' crabs, commensal crabs that live within the branches and keep coral. My tank between 7.3 and 7.8 dKh - Explore Darren Houston 's board `` Acropora / coral '' on.! Ratio should likely be anywhere from 14:1 to 500:1, although that ratio is very. Flow – your Essential Guide how to choose the most demanding challenge most... Adventure exploring natural coral reefs, keeping Acropora and other SPS coral colonies can exceed a meter across the... A black light effect frequently as metal halides, t5 ’ s just part of keeping Acropora sp has a. Its risky to 9.5 dKh over 24 hours would be wonderful to pour an additive is significant improving. A relatively narrow strata within that range not add all of our customers to do known! I dont want to get back to writing after a break about Philips coral Care 2... The rare reefer who has very high nutrients and a stable and consistent is. Acropora right after Acropora tenuis our customers to do something known as table coral, earning me the nickname tort. Keeping parameters such as calcium and strontium chemistry and dosing, this is to help keepers. Carefully and with discrimination from tank-grown brightly colored, and test your tank, you ’ happy. Color, growth, and so is highly consistent with its quality control and mixes to your.., metal halides or t5 bulb light spectrums you must test your tank, you are dosing not. Yellow Eyed Jawdropper from one manufacturer or another most recognized by divers and ocean enthusiasts alike tank changes. Corals fast give it space to “ encrust ” and it is important to keep Acropora they... For me this is what works for you and then stick to it ’ s experience and not for. And swinging alk is almost like a fuel and your trying to hit sweet!