Can you grow acros in a new tank?

[rtparty]

Excellent and Thanks for not talking about algae at least!

I’d get that under control. At a minimum, I wouldn’t talk about it like it’s an accomplishment

 

[HomebroodExotics]

I’d get that under control. At a minimum, I wouldn’t talk about it like it’s an accomplishment

Nature will take its course. Let's see if it kills all my corals. So anyway i didn't realize you did all the salt experiments I seen that reef dudes episode. Very cool and I appreciate what youre doing there. I do have some questions if you wouldn't mind. I see you are dosing eliminp and mb7. Is that something you have done from the start? Is there any other supplements you use on a regular basis? What foods do feed your fish? Appreciate any info.

 

[i cant think]

Can you grow Acropora (or even any SPS) in a young tank? Yes. Is it recommended? No.

Take my 3’x16”x1’ tank for instance, it’s a 99 day old tank and yet I’m growing SPS like there’s no tomorrow.

In this tank I have been getting growth from new corals within the first week. However I plan to keep this tank lower on the stocking end, currently I have 6 fish total. Those fish are;
- Pseudocheilinops ataenia trio
- Macropharyngodon bipartitus
- Gobiodon acicularis
- Stonogobiops yasha

Now, due to this my nutrients remain slightly lower (Still rather high as I sometimes over feed this tank to boost the nutrients).
Yes, this tank is only 99 days old but has been growing SPS and even one of my 2 clams since day 1 of being wet.
Here’s photos of each of my coral (The only one that isn’t photoed under blue lighting is my newest one - a Red Planet that was grown under Metal Halides in my LFS).

And my 2 clams, a Tridacna maxima that’s around 2 inches and a Tridacna deresa that’s around 3-4 inches.

The reason we don’t recommend it is because SPS (and clams) require a tank with stable parameters and yes, the algae can suffocate the coral if you let it get out of control. The algae will also be competing with the coral for the nutrients - remember, all photosynthetic ‘coral’ share a symbiotic relationship with their true food source of Zooxanthellae. The coral itself isn’t photosynthetic but their food source is. The Zooxanthellae is a type of algae and without enough of a nutrient source it likely will die off due to the other algae in your tank.

 

[GHOSTLY]

Used dry rock here. Tanks 2 months old and doing ok for having acros. That being said they of course lost some cokpur and aren't as good as when I had them before

 

[GHOSTLY]

This tank cost me less than 500 dollars to set up as well.

I have to ask what are you using for lighting and flow? The whole tank for 500?

 

[HomebroodExotics]

I have to ask what are you using for lighting and flow? The whole tank for 500?

2 nicrew hyper reef 50 watt, Jeboa slw20, an undergravel filter with air pump.

 

[fish farmer]

Can you grow Acropora (or even any SPS) in a young tank? Yes. Is it recommended? No.

Take my 3’x16”x1’ tank for instance, it’s a 99 day old tank and yet I’m growing SPS like there’s no tomorrow.

In this tank I have been getting growth from new corals within the first week. However I plan to keep this tank lower on the stocking end, currently I have 6 fish total. Those fish are;
- Pseudocheilinops ataenia trio
- Macropharyngodon bipartitus
- Gobiodon acicularis
- Stonogobiops yasha

Now, due to this my nutrients remain slightly lower (Still rather high as I sometimes over feed this tank to boost the nutrients).
Yes, this tank is only 99 days old but has been growing SPS and even one of my 2 clams since day 1 of being wet.
Here’s photos of each of my coral (The only one that isn’t photoed under blue lighting is my newest one - a Red Planet that was grown under Metal Halides in my LFS).

And my 2 clams, a Tridacna maxima that’s around 2 inches and a Tridacna deresa that’s around 3-4 inches.

The reason we don’t recommend it is because SPS (and clams) require a tank with stable parameters and yes, the algae can suffocate the coral if you let it get out of control. The algae will also be competing with the coral for the nutrients - remember, all photosynthetic ‘coral’ share a symbiotic relationship with their true food source of Zooxanthellae. The coral itself isn’t photosynthetic but their food source is. The Zooxanthellae is a type of algae and without enough of a nutrient source it likely will die off due to the other algae in your tank.

Nice tank.

Question, that rock looks mature and not dry rock like the OP's. So I would expect a better start/stability/microbiome/more things to compete with GHA with that approach.

 

[i cant think]

Nice tank.

Question, that rock looks mature and not dry rock like the OP's. So I would expect a better start/stability/microbiome/more things to compete with GHA with that approach.

The three largest pieces of rock are all dry and we’re new into the tank when it was started up but the rest (I think 3-4 other rocks are in the tank) are all 10+ years old by now - most of it came from my first ever reef tank.

 

[GHOSTLY]

2 nicrew hyper reef 50 watt, Jeboa slw20, an undergravel filter with air pump.

How's your luck with those jebaos so far? I want one for movement at the surface of my tank

 

[GHOSTLY]

Used dry rock here. Tanks 2 months old and doing ok for having acros. That being said they of course lost some cokpur and aren't as good as when I had them before

Edit: the tank is doing ok. There is algae, coral have lost colour, parameters swing more, and they aren't healthier. When I added sps when coralline grew fast my coral were much much happier than when they were put in undesirable conditions. Your tank isn't doing "good" but I can see some growth on your coral. Although, compared to some systems like lost in the sauces and some other people on here it is undesirable since of the algae and coloring of your coral

 

[i cant think]

The real question I often wonder is what makes a thriving SPS?
We often put them under lighting that pushes out these bright colours but in the wild those colours are often muted and more brown. So is a thriving SPS a coral with fast growth but browned colours or a coral with slower growth (due to a lot of energy being used to bring out those colours) but with really bright colouring?

 

[HomebroodExotics]

The real question I often wonder is what makes a thriving SPS?
We often put them under lighting that pushes out these bright colours but in the wild those colours are often muted and more brown. So is a thriving SPS a coral with fast growth but browned colours or a coral with slower growth (due to a lot of energy being used to bring out those colours) but with really bright colouring?

This is 100% something I think about a lot as well. I am also taking note of colors and trying to make things better to my satisfaction. I can say that zero nitrates is not affecting my acros or other corals to make them more bleached. That's as much as I know for sure though. But that's for another thread where people can mock me some more.

 

[StatelineReefer]

The real question I often wonder is what makes a thriving SPS?
We often put them under lighting that pushes out these bright colours but in the wild those colours are often muted and more brown. So is a thriving SPS a coral with fast growth but browned colours or a coral with slower growth (due to a lot of energy being used to bring out those colours) but with really bright colouring?

Coral don't use much energy to bring out color, think of it like a selective suntan. The zooxanthellae are the base color, the pigment in the flesh is the filter. If anything, they are just regulating sugar and oxygen intake inside their cells by shading their symbionts.

 

[Hugster78]

All I could see past the green algae was GSP and pulsing zenia on your main rock. Seeing that alone makes my head hurt. Good luck with the sps though.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

All I could see past the green algae was GSP and pulsing zenia on your main rock. Seeing that alone makes my head hurt. Good luck with the sps though.

Thank you for your words of inspiration.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Assembled and filled Black Friday. Corals went in on the 2nd. Dry rock, new sand, 130g total water volume. Cryptic rock in the sump, old rock that sat in rodi for 8 months. Seeded with a small bottle of Fritz in 1.018sg, temp 86⁰ for six days. Ammonia added for flavor. Currently at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 7 nitrate, 0.06 Phos. 1420 mag, 8.6 alk, 8.2 ph, 450 cal.

NOT what I would recommend for a beginner or someone who isn't familiar with the nitrogen cycle or leaving their hands out of the tank at every little parameter shift.

 

[ReefHunter006]

I posted something tangentially related op. You might like the read.

SPS Failure

Beautiful, are those fans in the back wall? Thank you, Yes! GHL fans

www.reef2reef.com

The conclusion that I find myself toying with is that waiting too to long to add the coral, under certain nutrient control techniques, might actually cause you to struggle maintaining sps over the proceeding months.

I kind of want to throw a Bali slimer in a new tank with fresh rock and see what happens.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Thank you for your words of inspiration.

I'm not sure your on the right track

I seen your Friday picture vs your Saturday picture and there is definitely color loss and the polyps were not as extended, I don't believe it will be long now, I love following these threads, then they just drop off usually the person with this kind of attitude close up shop, and change hobbies, it's entertaining for sure but it's like a movie I know the ending too... but the responses are gold!

Reefit

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Assembled and filled Black Friday. Corals went in on the 2nd. Dry rock, new sand, 130g total water volume. Cryptic rock in the sump, old rock that sat in rodi for 8 months. Seeded with a small bottle of Fritz in 1.018sg, temp 86⁰ for six days. Ammonia added for flavor. Currently at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 7 nitrate, 0.06 Phos. 1420 mag, 8.6 alk, 8.2 ph, 450 cal.

NOT what I would recommend for a beginner or someone who isn't familiar with the nitrogen cycle or leaving their hands out of the tank at every little parameter shift.

Yes, beginners avert your eyes you sensitive souls, this thread is not for you. Thanks for the info that is the kind of thing Im looking for exactly. Do you continually dose things like aminos? carbon, bacteria, coral food? anything you used you feel helped or is important? Thanks.

 

[Dkmoo]

On the algae front: it is not just aesthetic - new research has shown that there is a very specific chain of biological link thats proven in lab setting to be detrimental to corals.

Conventional knowledge has mostly alluded to something like, algae competes for nutrients, cause nutrient instability, or physically covering and killing corals as the reasons for it being bad.

What is now evident is that algae also directly damages corals via the DOC->heterotroph bacteria route. Specifically, all algae produce and release DOC into the water column, DOC feeds heterotrophic bacteria. These bacteria grow on all services, including on corals. A healthy coral usually can fight off the bacteria. However in elevated DOC settings the bacteria will overgrown and cover the coral tissue and suffocate it to death. This will not be visible bc its not like cyanobacteria, but results in slow tissue recession and eventual death.

With this mechanism, even something like a refugium may not always be good but in a otherwise healthy and mature system you will also have many filter feeders and sponges that will keep the DOC in check.

In your system the reason I think the algae has not caused noticeable damage is either 1) its not long enough yet or 2) your system started off as sterile so bacteria has not reached the biomass population to harm the coral yet.

Check out this post. It discusses in the context of carbon dosing but its the same concept - introducing sugars (DOC) to feed bacteria, algae release sugars naturally via photosynthesis. Especially check out that first video from the post.

Post in thread 'Should We Be Carbon dosing?' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/should-we-be-carbon-dosing.879717/post-9702635