How are your Acros doing today?

[Troylee]

What is everybody dosing? I’m just using
A4r for now, but plan to use kalk too once I reach the a4r limits.

Do it the other way around! I personally top off with fully saturated kalk and use all for reef to keep the numbers up cause kalk cant alone.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I chopped mine down to below 2 inches from the surface. The branches have fused to make thick columns. I need a saw.

Are they that hard to cut? (never cut one before so I'm curious, haha)

 

[Bob Weigant]

upgraded my tank with better filtration so things are looking better

 

[SPS2020]

Are they that hard to cut? (never cut one before so I'm curious, haha)

Can be incredibly difficult! Once the branches get about 3\4" thick, it's almost impossible without a saw...at least for me.

 

[UMALUM]

Average.....
But it does appear I have an aptaisa that's doing fantastic! :zany-face:

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Are they that hard to cut? (never cut one before so I'm curious, haha)

The fused branches are1/2-1” in diameter, too big for bone cutters. I bought pruning shears supposedly for coral but they look like something from a garden store. They work but still takes a lot of force. I’m trying to be judicious in the pruning so the acros don’t look like they just got a buzz cut!

 

[Ancient Mariner]

What is everybody dosing? I’m just using
A4r for now, but plan to use kalk too once I reach the a4r limits.

I have a Ca reactor plus I use ESV 2 part.

 

[UMALUM]

The fused branches are1/2-1” in diameter, too big for bone cutters. I bought pruning shears supposedly for coral but they look like something from a garden store. They work but still takes a lot of force. I’m trying to be judicious in the pruning so the acros don’t look like they just got a buzz cut!

Back in the day we had to drain and dremel.

 

[Joe462]

for the moment mine are doing pretty well, one of my newer additions

 

[SomeHappyFish]

I added a Acropora cerealis and I have no idea if it's doing good or bad. Nothing changed since I added it.

 

[Frank RiZZo]

 

[Paris by Night]

I added a Acropora cerealis and I have no idea if it's doing good or bad. Nothing changed since I added it.

How long have you had it? Take a flashlight and check PE hour or 2 after lights out.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

How long have you had it? Take a flashlight and check PE hour or 2 after lights out.

About 9 days now. Ok will try and what if I don't see any PE 1-2h after ?

 

[REEFRIED!]

Mine have been looking great lately.

 

[billyocean]

Decent today

 

[Paris by Night]

About 9 days now. Ok will try and what if I don't see any PE 1-2h after ?

It’s not 100% indicative of a problem, however it will just be a positive sign. If you don’t see any, then you can try later at night or earlier in the morning. When polyps come out at night it can be a good sign of water quality and generally a sign of coral health. However 9 days is still pretty young. So give it time.

Try to keep tabs and take pictures. Its color will be a big indicator of health. Lightening could be starving from nutrients or darkening and browning too much phosphate etc

 

[tzabor10]

1st mixed reef about 1.5 years years old. Some live, some grow. A few just turn green.

 

[Dburr1014]

My large tri-color valida browned out last week but the color is coming back. I think it's because my alk dipped. Forgot to add lime to the reactor.
This is my canary in a coral mine coral.

 

[skey44]

Do it the other way around! I personally top off with fully saturated kalk and use all for reef to keep the numbers up cause kalk cant alone.

I considered using kalk as top off from the start.
I do like the simplicity of dosing the a4r though and have been satisfied with the results thus far.
Do you think I would get better growth/health with kalk?
I don’t monitor my pH but know this may be a benefit of kalk vs a4r. I do closely monitor my alk and have it pegged at 8 with Ca and Mg running 440 and 1350 when I spot check them. This also makes me feel that my traces are consistent since a4r has those too. I have yet to do any icp testing to confirm this feeling.
Most corals are visually looking great, except a couple I bought that came in bad health and they seem to be improving. I see growth tips/edges on most of my corals. They’re just small frags and obviously this takes at least a little time to get everything to a size I’m happy with.
I also think I could ramp my peak light intensity up to get more growth, but I have a mixed stony coral reef and worry a little how this would affect some of my LPS.
Love seeing the massive colorful sticks here! Just impatiently waiting to have gardening “problems” like you all!
Picked up this ACI Shenanigans yesterday. It was already looking shaggy last night when I checked for PE after lights off! Pick of new coral and FTS for reference. Right before lights out blue/violet lights on.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

About 9 days now. Ok will try and what if I don't see any PE 1-2h after ?

PE does give an indication if the frag is in growing mode. If there isn’t any PE, making sure parameters, light and flow are OK. If all is OK and still no PE then it’s probably a system maturity issue. I almost gave up on Acropora at the 1.5 year mark as I couldn’t get them to grow while all other SPS were ok. For some Acropora I bought the same frag type 3 times before it finally survived and grew. Expect frustration and loss.