Advice for Mariculture colonies

[HM3105]

Hi all,

I got it into my head that I wanted to try some maricultured SPS. I have kept fragged SPS without much issue (I've had two or three RTN or STN on me) and I liked the idea of getting something and watching it develop in my system.

Well two recent coral orders I decided to give it a go. Both time the colonies came in just fine and looked good in the bag, I acclimated them, dipped (Bayer) and added them to the tank in high flow.

Both times a few days would go by and then I would notice the flesh was peeling away which I've seen before and recognized as an RTN event. On the second attempt, I decided to remove the coral from the base and placed it on a tile, again in high flow.

I would still like to try maricultured colonies but I'm not interested in killing animals doing this on trial and error basis. So I would like to ask for advice or best practices for acclimating these larger colonies. Maybe the advice is "just don't buy them" which is fine but I would sincerely appreciate any advice that might lead to successfully keeping one of these colonies.

System Specs:
This is my QT/Frag system
System volume - 75 gallons
Lighting - Reef Radiance LEDs (2 of the Evergrow style boxes, 20 inches or so above the water). Blues are 70%, I don't run the white much but when I do its less than 20%.
Alk ~9.7 (Hanna)
Calc - ~430 (Salifert)
Mag - Im not sure, I haven't tested this in a while I realized =/
P04 - 0.024 (Hanna ULR, adjusted to ppm)
Nitrate - 5 (Nyos)
Temp - 77

Daily feedings, usually either, flake, LRS or Cyclopeeze.
Weekly 5% water changes using RSCP

The tank has several LPS, some zoas and montis. All of the montis are growing, have nice color and PE.

Your help is appreciated.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I would say the following would help...

Adding the new coral to a low light area and not blasting it with flow until it's acclimated for a good number of days. Most maricultures like lots of light, especially to keep the bright colors the coral has when it arrives.

Understand what subspecies of acropora your buying, some like abrotranoides and monticulosas are very hard to keep and need certain things to thrive. Buy the easier subspecies to start out with or ones you have kept before. Every tank has a certain coral that just doesn't do well for some reason.

A lot of the time wild or maricultures will stress easily from the shipping and holding process of suppliers. Don't buy corals with pale thin stressed flesh. Defiantly not ones that have fresh spots where flesh has died.

Once a coral has browned from stress it's actually got more of a chance of living in my experience. Picking brown maricultures that have been sitting for sale for more than a month are normally a cheap and more sure way to spend your money. It may take longer to color but given the right placement and parameters to the acro and if you chose an easier type of with. it should color in a month or two.

Don't move the coral trying to find a sweet spot until it's grown a good amount and you know what kind of placement will better the coral. I don't think placement has much to do with success on most maricultures. Unless it's the tougher acros you should only try after you have a lot of experience.

Make sure to not cut the coral when cutting the base off because it only adds to more stress, sometimes it's avoidable. I don't cut the bases because I have a good pest ridding process.

A gold practice is to only buy when a fresh shipment comes before it goes into the stores system, or wait til they have been there for a month orfor and aren't stressed. Unless you have a very good LFS or trust their tanks to be stable. I guess buying after they went into the system and have been sitting for a day or more won't hurt much but it just adds to the sudden changes the coral goes through in a short time. It's all about knowing what signs to look for in a stressed coral.

Get prices before you tell the store which corals are your favorite :)

Take all steps to prevent pests from entering your system. Maricultures are not as bad as most people say but like all corals they do carry pests. I have seen snail pests most, the worst part is the variety of different pests is hard to spot the ones you aren't looking for.

 

[HM3105]

I would say the following would help...

Adding the new coral to a low light area and not blasting it with flow until it's acclimated for a good number of days. Most maricultures like lots of light, especially to keep the bright colors the coral has when it arrives.

Understand what subspecies of acropora your buying, some like abrotranoides and monticulosas are very hard to keep and need certain things to thrive. Buy the easier subspecies to start out with or ones you have kept before. Every tank has a certain coral that just doesn't do well for some reason.

A lot of the time wild or maricultures will stress easily from the shipping and holding process of suppliers. Don't buy corals with pale thin stressed flesh. Defiantly not ones that have fresh spots where flesh has died.

Once a coral has browned from stress it's actually got more of a chance of living in my experience. Picking brown maricultures that have been sitting for sale for more than a month are normally a cheap and more sure way to spend your money. It may take longer to color but given the right placement and parameters to the acro and if you chose an easier type of with. it should color in a month or two.

Don't move the coral trying to find a sweet spot until it's grown a good amount and you know what kind of placement will better the coral. I don't think placement has much to do with success on most maricultures. Unless it's the tougher acros you should only try after you have a lot of experience.

Make sure to not cut the coral when cutting the base off because it only adds to more stress, sometimes it's avoidable. I don't cut the bases because I have a good pest ridding process.

A gold practice is to only buy when a fresh shipment comes before it goes into the stores system, or wait til they have been there for a month orfor and aren't stressed. Unless you have a very good LFS or trust their tanks to be stable. I guess buying after they went into the system and have been sitting for a day or more won't hurt much but it just adds to the sudden changes the coral goes through in a short time. It's all about knowing what signs to look for in a stressed coral.

Get prices before you tell the store which corals are your favorite :)

Take all steps to prevent pests from entering your system. Maricultures are not as bad as most people say but like all corals they do carry pests. I have seen snail pests most, the worst part is the variety of different pests is hard to spot the ones you aren't looking for.

Hmm interesting, very helpful!

 

[gig 'em]

You may want to test the water the maricultures were living in before you brought them home against your tank water. Say if the alk level of the shop water is 7.8 and yours is 9.7 and within the course of an hour you acclimate it to an alk level 1.9 dkh higher.... WOAH! No wonder it would RTN, my healthy corals RTN when alk shoots up that quickly in an otherwise stable environment. Lower light conditions at first will also help the acclimation process and prevent them from bleaching right away. I keep mine on the sand bed for a couple weeks before starting to move them higher up on the rocks.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I never aclimate or drip coral and was told not to. I float for temp and then dip and let the acros hit air for a bit after rinsing. I have never had an issue with acros dying from alk changes while going from tank to tank. A drip acclimation will still be the same alk rise just in an extra hour time. I think that would be the same as just throwing it in. Many ways to skin a cat though.

 

[HM3105]

All good ideas, I havent drip acclimated a coral in a while but I usually mix half tank water and half bag water during the dipping process.

The low light and lower flow ideas seem to be taking effect. I repositioned my powerheads so that they aren't blowing directly on the colonies any more. They should get a more even flow dispersed through out now.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I would test mag to make sure it's within range or else it can effect your alk and calcium. Keep updating this thread with your progress.

 

[HM3105]

I would test mag to make sure it's within range or else it can effect your alk and calcium. Keep updating this thread with your progress.

I meant to test mag yesterday, but I'll get to it today.

The colonies I have are still hanging in there, I've moved them to lower light and strong by indirect flow. I'm not seeing a lot of PE though which of course is concerning.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I don't judge health polyp extension, sometimes they tanks months to get polyps out during the day. If you see no sign of polyps even inside the coralite then that could be concerning. Normally that happens with harsh dips and or light pale color from stress.

 

[HM3105]

I don't judge health polyp extension, sometimes they tanks months to get polyps out during the day. If you see no sign of polyps even inside the coralite then that could be concerning. Normally that happens with harsh dips and or light pale color from stress.

Oh I can see the polyps, they are poking out a little bit but just not a lot.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Pics would be nice, everyone always enjoys pics :)

 

[luke33]

I really like maricultured corals but do find them pickier than aquacultured by far. Generally I do not purchase them unless I'm really confident in the LFS or wholesaler I'm buying from. I also only buy them if my tank is mature imo so 1-1.5yrs old. My experience with new tank's and maricultured sps is not great as I will lose quite a few for reasons I've never known. Once I get them I let them set for atleast 2-3mths and then I decide on where I want to move them or if I want to frag this one or that one(which rarely occurs as I'm a stingy sps person). I find this to be the most important thing in getting them acclimated. But I do like the fact you get a smaller colony vs small frag as they fill in much quicker.

Also where I purchase mine from the alk is generally about 10 dkh vs 8.5dkh in my tank, I acclimate with my tank water for around an hr and then introduce them.

 

[Fishphi784]

I have about a 1 in 2.5 success rate with maricultured. I'm not going to speculate as to why, but any number of reasons may contribute to the poor success rate. Some might be related to my processing and parameters while other might relate to the originator and intermediaries. Given the opportunity, I would much prefer to purchase a frag from a hobbyists or reputable supplier over a colony of any kind. My success rate is much higher, lower overall impact on environment, lower cost, and reliable coloration.

 

[luke33]

I have about a 1 in 2.5 success rate with maricultured. I'm not going to speculate as to why, but any number of reasons may contribute to the poor success rate. Some might be related to my processing and parameters while other might relate to the originator and intermediaries. Given the opportunity, I would much prefer to purchase a frag from a hobbyists or reputable supplier over a colony of any kind. My success rate is much higher, lower overall impact on environment, lower cost, and reliable coloration.

"lower overall impact on environment" I guess i don't understand that statement as Maricultured are just corals grown in the ocean, not wild colonies pulled out. So the only impact on the environment I could see is absorbing alk, calc, elements from the ocean and sunlight to grow : ) And maybe some hitchhikers as well. But agreed, the colors could fade..........or the complete opposite could happen. Where do you think all these named corals are coming from? Some are maricultured and some are wild colonies.

 

[Fishphi784]

"lower overall impact on environment" I guess i don't understand that statement as Maricultured are just corals grown in the ocean, not wild colonies pulled out. So the only impact on the environment I could see is absorbing alk, calc, elements from the ocean and sunlight to grow : ) And maybe some hitchhikers as well. But agreed, the colors could fade..........or the complete opposite could happen. Where do you think all these named corals are coming from? Some are maricultured and some are wild colonies.

By less impact I was referring to resources required to ship them, not so much the sourcing. Yes, the opposite could happen. However, new or high-potential maricultured pieces are often (not always) purchased by volume/specialty buyers long before they make it to a LFS. I have seen it first hand at the wholesalers who distribute to stores. It really comes down to if you a gambler or not. I would prefer spend the same money for a decent frag and watch it grow than purchase 8 colonies, have 4-5 die, and one become something special. But that is just me— by no means "advice."

 

[HM3105]

My battery died but I started with this so you could see what PE I was getting. Will get an updated shot with parameters in a few hours.

 

[HM3105]

Alk 9.5 (Hanna)
Cal. 470 (Salifert)
Mg. 1320 (Salifert)
Nitrates: 15 (Nyos)
Po4: 0.032ppm (Hanna)

 

[McMullen]

How old is your QT. I struggled for a long time with Sps in general, but killed every maricultured I placed until my tank matured. For me me it was somewhere around the two year mark. My tank is tight for space now, so I don't purchase often but I've not had a mariculture loss in at least my last 6 purchases.

Now, that said, what does happen sometimes is the colony begins to STN, I'll watch closely and if the whole thing is about to crap out I'll snip a tiny healthy piece furthest away from the dieing event. The tiny frag almost always survives!

So, there is something to tank maturity!!

 

[HM3105]

Alk 9.5 (Hanna)
Cal. 470 (Salifert)
Mg. 1320 (Salifert)
Nitrates: 15 (Nyos)
Po4: 0.032ppm (Hanna)

I forgot to add salinity is 1.025 with refract.

 

[HM3105]

How old is your QT. I struggled for a long time with Sps in general, but killed every maricultured I placed until my tank matured. For me me it was somewhere around the two year mark. My tank is tight for space now, so I don't purchase often but I've not had a mariculture loss in at least my last 6 purchases.

Now, that said, what does happen sometimes is the colony begins to STN, I'll watch closely and if the whole thing is about to crap out I'll snip a tiny healthy piece furthest away from the dieing event. The tiny frag almost always survives!

So, there is something to tank maturity!!

should be roughly a year at this point..

I did snip a few frags from the colonies when they started to go crazy and put one in the DT and left the other in the QT/FT. The snipped guys in the DT are pretty happy looking.