green goblin anacropora

[mattzang]

hello, perhaps someone can help me here

so i got this coral a couple of months ago, it seemingly has done well in my tank for the most part (it's so brittle i broke a piece off awhile back while i was 3 am asterina starfish hunting)

but i've noticed lately it seems to be dying kind of from the tips which should be getting decent light. kind of halfway down my tank and a little to the front

basic parameters
alk- 8.5 (tested at least 2-3 times a week)
calcium- 450
magnesium-1470 last time i tested
nitrates i keep around 10ish
phosphates-usually around .1ish
tank 50 gallon cube 24x24x20
lighting is two ai primes
flow should be pretty good, i struggle to keep the sand from blowing all over. the anacropora actually kind of wobbles due to flow, not a great glue job on my part i guess

sorry for bad picture quality, but hopefully it gives an idea. the kind of grayed out areas are browned out and seemingly dead despite being in areas that are getting direct light. nearby is a purple stylo and a green birdsnest that seem to be doing fine. i've never tested par so, that could be an issue

are anacroporas higher light? there seems to be conflicting information on that. some sites list it as lower light, some list as high light. i've had acros rtn and stn, but this seems different. the tips are still alive and colored, but it's kind of like the areas that would seemingly get the most direct light are dying

 

[rkpetersen]

They do like light, at least the couple I've kept do.
I'd re-attach that rock so it doesn't wobble.
It's hard to prove but I think I've seen SPS corals react negatively to not be rock-solid stationary.

 

[mattzang]

They do like light, at least the couple I've kept do.
I'd re-attach that rock so it doesn't wobble.
It's hard to prove but I think I've seen SPS corals react negatively to not be rock-solid stationary.

oh i hadn't really considered that, that does make sense. might prove useful if i want to move it, though. i was shocked how easily i broke a piece off

 

[motortrendz]

Anacropora is good in high flow high light. One thing they dont do is crate a base like anacropora. The single attach point is all the get. I have green goblin that started about the size of yours it's about 12 inches underwater with a hydra 52 directly above it set at 65%blue and 10% white. It has grown into a small colony in about 8 months. Sorry for the overtly blue color as the lights are setting now. I'd make sure the base is secure and that there is no alk swings. As that could cause tip burn out as well. Mag seems a bit high but I dont thing that'll affect anything. I'd secure it and make sure it's not getting tossed all over.

 

[mattzang]

Anacropora is good in high flow high light. One thing they dont do is crate a base like anacropora. The single attach point is all the get. I have green goblin that started about the size of yours it's about 12 inches underwater with a hydra 52 directly above it set at 65%blue and 10% white. It has grown into a small colony in about 8 months. Sorry for the overtly blue color as the lights are setting now. I'd make sure the base is secure and that there is no alk swings. As that could cause tip burn out as well. Mag seems a bit high but I dont thing that'll affect anything. I'd secure it and make sure it's not getting tossed all over.

yeah it's a tough one to glue down well since the base is so tiny. i kinda wedged it into a rock to get it done, apparently not well enough

no worries on the pic, i didn't want to mess with my lights either, it scares my wrasse into burying and i'm only home a couple hours today before work, just wanted people to get an idea of it

 

[DesertReefT4r]

My green goblin has only branched as well, has not even tried to encrust. Its growing well and is pretty hardy.

 

[motortrendz]

Anacropora from everything I've read and witnessed in my own tank (I have a green, red and yellow) none of them encrusted. And every once in a while they get knocked off. The coral never breaks. It just separates from the glue or epoxy to the rock point.

 

[danreefman]

Got mine as a freebie. Glued to the rocks. It was not doing great. It fell to the sand. I never picked it up. One of those hey your coral fell. I'm lazy about things sometimes. Well it went from a little cornbred nub to what I call a tumble weed. Literary grows like a tumble weed in the sand. When tank wasn't as full of beauty it had room to just roll around like a tumble weed. Did well even when shaded or a bit.

 

[mattzang]

so i tested my alk and it's somehow up to 9.7 from 8.5ish so that might be why. i guess i made the kalk too strong.. again.. me and kalkwasser just don't seem to be on good terms

surprised the only sps that seems upset about the situation is the anacropora, maybe i'll let the flow blow it off and see if it goes tumbleweed mode

 

[ktn87]

Are you having issue with algae. Your nutrient looks very high to me. I had high nutrient a while back and some of my SPS receded and had algae growing on them. They were losing the battle to algae.

 

[mattzang]

Are you having issue with algae. Your nutrient looks very high to me. I had high nutrient a while back and some of my SPS receded and had algae growing on them. They were losing the battle to algae.

no algae

 

[Hemmdog]

so i tested my alk and it's somehow up to 9.7 from 8.5ish so that might be why. i guess i made the kalk too strong.. again.. me and kalkwasser just don't seem to be on good terms

surprised the only sps that seems upset about the situation is the anacropora, maybe i'll let the flow blow it off and see if it goes tumbleweed mode

Why are you doing kalk over 2Part?

 

[mattzang]

Why are you doing kalk over 2Part?

i was doing both

i was just manually adding some really weak kalkwasser water to my tank by hand for the pH boost, but when i switched bottles i think i made the kalk too strong and my alk jumped

 

[Hemmdog]

i was doing both

i was just manually adding some really weak kalkwasser water to my tank by hand for the pH boost, but when i switched bottles i think i made the kalk too strong and my alk jumped

Ohh yea that’s right. Idk why I keep forgetting that. My bad lol.

 

[mattzang]

Ohh yea that’s right. Idk why I keep forgetting that. My bad lol.

you still not on the kalkwasser train? i swear i started adding that stuff and both times i could visibly see growth over the span of a couple weeks despite my inability to maintain stable alk with it lol. imagine if i can actually dial it in!

or i'm just crazy

 

[danreefman]

Helps hold Big pile of sand under rocks.

Hope you figure it all out.

 

[Jettareefer223]

I wouldn’t say they like a ton of light at all I’ve had the die from it in clients tanks or slowly bleach withering away in to dust. It looks similar to the OP’s picture when it happens. Mine gets/got 150-175 par most of day and 225-250 par during 6-8 daylight. Earlier pictures (first 2)

Springeri laid eggs and spawned in it regularly

Cut up and in piles well what’s the springeri damsel didn’t ruin I threw half of itin the trash. I’m breaking down my tank lots piles right now.

 

[mattzang]

hmm, so less light maybe?

i could break it into 2 pieces and try one in higher light and one in lower light. i'm doing that experiment with a ponape birdsnest right now and neither scenario seems to be a win so far

 

[mattzang]

ok did water change and it snowballed into gluing a bunch of stuff and moving stuff

i cut the coral in question in half and put one higher up and one lower down so we shall see how it goes. i'm not super optimistic, there was a lot less green than i thought, but non acro sps seems pretty hardy for me lately so fingers crossed.

 

[Aaronhome27]

Mine is only about months old. It grow like a weed. It needs high light but medium flow. Thier flesh and structure is pretty weak. I had mine in high flow. Not super high mind you and it grew away from the flow. But where the flow hit it, it looked like someone took sand paper to it. Mine has about 1/8 to 1/4 inch or more growth on all braches weekly. I trim it pretty often to keep it away from acros and control the shadowing.