High light. High flow.

[RichReef]

My tank is doing well except ..... I can not keep an encrusting coral at the top of my rock work. I have about 5 branches of tonga sticking up in the center of the tank. The PAR there is around 450. I have bought 3 different encrusting frags and none made it. I acclimated every one and they did well lower in the tank. It was only after I raised them up did they go south. Only one died but the others are hanging on by a thread so I lowered them last night to see if they will recover. I have other SPS that is doing great. Actually everything else is doing really well.

So my question is ... Is there any encrusting SPS that can handle this position in the tank? Looking for suggestions.

 

[blaxsun]

I have a chip's acropora that's growing like a weed in 350-425 PSR right now. The other montis and acros are in the 275-325 PAR range.

 

[hexcolor reef]

I have a stylo and chalice at the top of rock work about 1”-3” below water level

 

[RichReef]

I have some corals that high. I just don't want to add anything that will shadow because of corals below. So really looking for something encrusting.

 

[exnisstech]

Hey Rich did you ever come up with anything?

 

[skey44]

What kind of nutrients are your running? Just curious if PO4 under 0.10 ppm. I have had harder time acclimating corals to high light with lower nutrient levels.
I used to grow Superman/sunset montipora right under 250w halides but my tank was also really “dirty.”
I didn’t test but fed like crazy and was way overstocked with minimal skimming by today’s standards.

 

[56longroof]

Most encrusting corals I've seen are mid to low light.

 

[exnisstech]

What kind of nutrients are your running? Just curious if PO4 under 0.10 ppm. I have had harder time acclimating corals to high light with lower nutrient levels.
I used to grow Superman montipora right under halides but my tank was also probably really dirty.

Not sure about Rich but the tank I want to put something in runs pretty low N and P. NO3 was 1.5 and PO4 0.04 last test. It mostly acros and does well so i wouldn't want to change anything.
I do have another that runs N03 20 - 30 and PO4 0.6+ I have high spot in that tank I may try one in there. I've had poor luck with any monti except caps but I've always had them in cleaner tanks. Thanks for the info

 

[skey44]

Not sure about Rich but the tank I want to put something in runs pretty low N and P. NO3 was 1.5 and PO4 0.04 last test. It mostly acros and does well so i wouldn't want to change anything.
I do have another that runs N03 20 - 30 and PO4 0.6+ I have high spot in that tank I may try one in there. I've had poor luck with any monti except caps but I've always had them in cleaner tanks. Thanks for the info

And I’m not sure what is out there research wise, just an observation I’ve made that seems to be consistent for me tank to tank. I recently bleached an acro I had in one of my par hot spots running lower nutrients. Have elevated to .1 po4 and 12 No3 and seen improvement with color returning to said coral in same spot with possibly increased PAR (need to retest after some recent adjustments). I also added flow, not science here FWIW

 

[skey44]

Basically I had been starving the tank and the coral most at the limit lighting wise showed me it wasn’t happy.