Acropora no PE - do I have too much flow?

[MissMolly]

Hi guys,

Earlier this week I got my first acro frags. They have been looking fine but only with sporadical PE. As an experiment I have just turned off my Eheim stream-on and one frag is now showing more PE than it has ever done.

I have an Eheim streamOn, a hygger nano wavemaker and a HOB filter that do create a lot of flow on it's own. The tank is 15 gallon. My mini-surface-skimmer makes airbubbles when stating up and I can see that that the frags are getting a lot of flow from different angles. Sometimes they do wiggle a bit in the rack.

So my question is - does this amount of flow sound like it's too much? AND does dif species like dif amount of flow?

I have tried to do a little map to show you the flow sources and where the stream goes.

I'm actually super nervous to turn off any flow sources cause I know that too little flow could be detrimental.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

My 15 gallon softie tank (zoa's and mushrooms) has 2 sicce powerheads and a hob filter. There's no way I would believe you have too much flow for acro's.

do a search for polyp extension, there are countless threads on it, and countless theories on the cause, but seems to be no straightforward answer. My acros also don't extend polyps during the day FWIW

 

[crazyfishmom]

Well, not every acro out there will show PE and PE is also dependent on tank inhabitants. If you have a fish that picks, they will not extend.

Do you have any fish that might be picking?

Also, how long have the frags been in your tank?

 

[Reefering1]

Are the polyps out in the middle of the night?

 

[Maho.B]

It's hard to sat in the pic but is that a lemon peel angelfish in there? If so I believe they are known to pick on corals sometimes. I have a ton of flow and it doesn't seem to have a negative affect on my acro's PE.

 

[UMALUM]

To much flow will usually result in tissue recession. While flow might play a roll in polyp extension it would be at the bottom of the list and have to be extreme to cause SDR. Acros are resilient and will acclimate to their surroundings. Every frag you buy will be coming from a laundry list of different conditions that you'll have no chance replicating. So as long as it's skin is intact it's not getting to much flow. :winking-face:

 

[MissMolly]

Well, not every acro out there will show PE and PE is also dependent on tank inhabitants. If you have a fish that picks, they will not extend.

Do you have any fish that might be picking?

Also, how long have the frags been in your tank?

I do have a nippy one. A dwarf Angel and I have been monitoring that one closely. She picked a LOT in the beginning but I think her interest in the frags have gone down. I still see her take a look and a nip every once in a while. This could be enough for them to not feel safe?

I have had the frags in there for a week now. I do see PE from time to time. Last time when I plugged out the eheim. Could be a coincidence but that was what led me to think about the flow. Also at nighttime I have seen polyps.

 

[MissMolly]

To much flow will usually result in tissue recession. While flow might play a roll in polyp extension it would be at the bottom of the list and have to be extreme to cause SDR. Acros are resilient and will acclimate to their surroundings. Every frag you buy will be coming from a laundry list of different conditions that you'll have no chance replicating. So as long as it's skin is intact it's not getting to much flow. :winking-face:

Okay that is good to know! I will continue with the current flow plan then. Might be stress from shipping, the new conditions or my dwarf angel.

 

[MissMolly]

It's hard to sat in the pic but is that a lemon peel angelfish in there? If so I believe they are known to pick on corals sometimes. I have a ton of flow and it doesn't seem to have a negative affect on my acro's PE.

Yes it sure is a lemon peel and she was picking a lot in the beginning but interest has somewhat subsided. I’m monitoring her closely and she still goes at them but less than before. I’m ready to rehome if I still see her going at them after a few weeks from now. Love that fish but can’t have her interfere with my plans

 

[MissMolly]

Are the polyps out in the middle of the night?

I turned off Hygger at 8 pm today, lights out at 23 pm and now at midnight there’s suddenly a lot of PE on two of them, last one just a little (that one is close to the eheim). Could it be the Hygger off or that they just extend at nighttime? And if it’s the nighttime why do they extend now?

 

[MissMolly]

My 15 gallon softie tank (zoa's and mushrooms) has 2 sicce powerheads and a hob filter. There's no way I would believe you have too much flow for acro's.

do a search for polyp extension, there are countless threads on it, and countless theories on the cause, but seems to be no straightforward answer. My acros also don't extend polyps during the day FWIW

Okay so probably same amount of flow in out tanks.

Someone asked me about PE at night so I just checked (it’s midnight here) and they’re actually two of them w quite fine PE. So probably it’s just that they do not extend at day ‍