Colorless stylophora?

[Aeiyr]

So I've had a few stylo frags for a few months, and only one of them has really done any growing. I believe I've found the culprit, and am correcting it the last few weeks. That being I have mistakenly let my phosphates sit super low (0.02) s8nce I set the tank up nearly 2 years ago now. I've since corrected it to 0.1ppm and have seen good results from corals that were living, but only barely.

Anyways, one of the stylos is a Milka. It's actually the one that has shown some growth since I added it. It encrusted the plug quickly, and also quickly spread down to the rock i glued it to. The issue is, one side of its tissue is almost completely transparent. The polyps are extended, very much so, and it receives about 150-175 PAR, but that side just has no color. Mind you it is a side that doesn't get direct light hitting it because of the angle etc, but it does make me wonder.

Any clues as to why this may be happening? Pics included. I also have other sylo frags that have not grown at all in 5 months, any tips are appreciated. Pics are with a filter lens so the color will look odd, though the transparent portion should stand out.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

No/little light = clear polyps. the shaded potion of my purple stylos always clear/white.
Even lighting can help

 

[JGT]

From the pic it looks like that side is shaded. They will get completely white where no light is hitting. I have a large one where the branches are a beautiful blue-purple but the base is completely white because the branches block out the light.

 

[Aeiyr]

No/little light = clear polyps. the shaded potion of my purple stylos always clear/white.
Even lighting can help

From the pic it looks like that side is shaded. They will get completely white where no light is hitting. I have a large one where the branches are a beautiful blue-purple but the base is completely white because the branches block out the light.

Gotcha, so it is what I suspected then. I'm not able to provide light from that angle very well because the tank is a peninsula and only 14 gallons, but i will be moving things to a 24g lagoon style tank in a month or so, so I'll keep that in mind when picking a spot to place those rocks. Any tips for getting the others to grow out? This is the only one that's shown any skeletal growth at all in 5 months. It's probably to do with the super low phosphates I have since corrected and raised but, if there's more I can do I'd love to know.

Salinity: 1.025
Calc: 440-450
Mag: 1450-1500
Alk: 10.5dkh
pH: nights/mornings 8.1 to 8.25 at peak/mid day to lights out.
N03: 15-20ppm between water changes.
P04: steady 0.1 for second week since the correction. Used to be 0.02-0.03.

 

[JGT]

Sounds like you are on the right path. Your numbers look fine. Just make sure PO4 isn’t near 0.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Gotcha, so it is what I suspected then. I'm not able to provide light from that angle very well because the tank is a peninsula and only 14 gallons, but i will be moving things to a 24g lagoon style tank in a month or so, so I'll keep that in mind when picking a spot to place those rocks. Any tips for getting the others to grow out? This is the only one that's shown any skeletal growth at all in 5 months. It's probably to do with the super low phosphates I have since corrected and raised but, if there's more I can do I'd love to know.

Salinity: 1.025
Calc: 440-450
Mag: 1450-1500
Alk: 10.5dkh
pH: nights/mornings 8.1 to 8.25 at peak/mid day to lights out.
N03: 15-20ppm between water changes.
P04: steady 0.1 for second week since the correction. Used to be 0.02-0.03.

Even with your Po4 low, it was enough. Having some present within testing error is ok.
Lighting/flow and water changes are important with new tanks and especially nano's. Even with that, supplements are also important, because the amount of trace elements a new tank uses. Even with a 10-20% water change you are only replenishing 10-20% of your trace.

 

[Aeiyr]

Even with your Po4 low, it was enough. Having some present within testing error is ok.
Lighting/flow and water changes are important with new tanks and especially nano's. Even with that, supplements are also important, because the amount of trace elements a new tank uses. Even with a 10-20% water change you are only replenishing 10-20% of your trace.

Sounds good. I have recently begun using 1ml of reefenergy ab+ every other day. I mix it with the same volume of easyreefs phyto gel for my clam, then add 10ml of tank water before giving the corals all a little squirt. Since increasing p04 I've noticed my nitrates aren't climbing as fast anymore either, leading me to think the animals are actually using up some of the nitrates now with the extra p04. I could be wrong, but whatever going on, nitrates have been more managable and I've seen my purple monti cap go from a sad pink to being actually purple and pushing out a new growth rim.

Water changes are currently every 5 days, I add neophos to the newly mixed water to keep it in the 0.1 range, otherwise I'd be cutting it by nearly 40% each waterchange.