Keeping Acro Secrets

[Troylee]

Is kalk that important?!

It’s the most simplest form of cal and alk there is! It also keeps ph and more stable.

 

[nkyreef]

Is kalk that important?!

I do see the value in kalkwasser. Many people have lots of success using it. I myself use BRS 2-part / Tropic Marin Hybrid Balling Method in both my display and frag systems.

 

[bubbgee]

Kalk adds alk and calcium.
Drives off co2 and binds up po4.
Keeps costs low with other methods.

Yeah, to me it is.

my pH issues solved with Kalk and I got my alk and cal dosing as well. So many things that Kalk does and it’s almost stupid to not use it. And it’s like Pennies cost vs AFR which doesn’t even raise pH.

 

[Hairyteeth]

We forgot no farting in the same room

 

[billyocean]

Soda ash 2 part with tm part c during the day...kalk at night

 

[Sams reef]

Why no one says bacterial stability? I think it’s the most important and leads what everyone saying.
With no bacteria stable in your tank no method can help you.

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

My secret is dumping money directly into the tank. I can get rid of it faster that way.

 

[hadams356]

Is kalk that important?!

I do see the value in kalkwasser. Many people have lots of success using it. I myself use BRS 2-part / Tropic Marin Hybrid Balling Method in both my display and frag systems.

Does your NKY stand for Northern Ky? If so, where you from? I live in Florida now but was born and grew up in Newport.

 

[Troylee]

Why no one says bacterial stability? I think it’s the most important and leads what everyone saying.
With no bacteria stable in your tank no method can help you.

Yeah I agree a healthy biome is a major part.. I didn’t think about that when I commented.

 

[Featherweight]

Why no one says bacterial stability? I think it’s the most important and leads what everyone saying.
With no bacteria stable in your tank no method can help you.

Good point. What are some of your recommendations for bacterial stability?

 

[nkyreef]

Is kalk that important?!

I do see the value in kalkwasser. Many people have lots of success using it. I myself use BRS 2-part / Tropic Marin Hybrid Balling Method in both my display and frag systems.

Does your NKY stand for Northern Ky? If so, where you from? I live in Florida now but was born and grew up in Newport.

Yep! Relocated from OH to Latonia in 2002 and now in Union, KY. Very nice area to live and raise kids (and coral!).

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Good point. What are some of your recommendations for bacterial stability?

I have dosed Tropic Marin NP-Bacto Balance in the past 2 months and my nutrients and 3 major have been rock solid.

 

[Featherweight]

I have dosed Tropic Marin NP-Bacto Balance in the past 2 months and my nutrients and 3 major have been rock solid.

I've been considering bacto balance. I'm having good results using phos feed

 

[nkyreef]

Why no one says bacterial stability? I think it’s the most important and leads what everyone saying.
With no bacteria stable in your tank no method can help you.

Definetly agree. I started dosing NoPox to help with high nutrients do to high bioload. I've now switched to a DIY version of it but since starting I've had a lot less casualties. I believe it's helped the balance of good/bad bacteria. It's been so effective that I am now decreasing the dosage from where I started.

 

[bubbgee]

Anyone have any experience with Dr Tim's Eco Balance? It says it beats out Vibrio in tanks.

 

[56longroof]

Good point. What are some of your recommendations for bacterial stability?

I like PNS Probio. Not sure if it actually does anything other than feed my sponges though.

 

[alindell]

It's now been about 2 years through ups and downs with some acros. I've lost some grew some. They can be a very stubborn Coral. A few things I've learned along the way with 15 years on and off with reefing.

Lighting: acros 100% need bright unobstructed light and with high par. Correct spectrum and intensity goes a long way.

Flow: acros do best with strong variable flow. Putting frags on the edge of rock structure where the base receives and under current is helpful

Sourcing/ environment: one if the most important things is buying corals that have proven themselves to survive in the hobby. They have gone through stress and a variety of conditions. They will do better and grow. Lots of acros die because they can not adapt to the synthetic environment we provide. I believe a large part of acros death from stn has to do with stress and weakness and not being able to adapt to the micro fauna and bacteria/ viruses in the aquarium. The microbiome plays a huge role for acros.

Nutrients: corals color up best with some levels of nutrients so having detectable nitrates and phosphates. The bacteria I believe break these down into bioavailable forms of nutrients the coral can uptake

Stable parameters: one of the most important things is keeping your reef within the correct parameters but even more important is stability. Whatever your method makes sure it is near seawater and stable. Coral can adapt especially aquacultured ones but when environmental changes happen quickly they have a hard time adapting especially across. Stress leads to weakness and infection then death. Acros are especially sensitive to parameters swings specifically alkalinity dkh.

Pests/ stressors: there are a whole host of bugs, worms that can kill acros and weaken them. A large part of acros death is the microbiome. Very important to reduce stress, use iodine on fresh cuts, and to not stress them out too much.

Sometimes you do everything right and they still do, but if you buy aquacultured pieces, have a stable environment and do everything you can possible to keep them healthy you should have success

 

[michael giordano]

The Key to my success with aqua cultured and Mari’s corals is a couple of factors. I subscribe to the heavy in (feeding corals not fish) heavy out method (large bi- monthly water changes). I keep only utilitarian fish that eat algea and pests, so lots of wrasses and tangs. I feed the fish a home made simple salmon based food once a day and I feed the corals 4 or more times a week with a variety of foods. I use moonshiners method to replace what the corals, bacteria and water changes take out of the water and I crank up the flow and light as much as possible. over the years i stopped glueing corals directly to the rocks and started utilizing big plugs to move them around the first six months to find their happy spot in the tank. I utilize a cryptic sump with live rock and sponges and a skimmer to help clean the water. I don’t dose any magic elixirs or phosphate removers, amino acids only calk and alk and have utilized Kalk as well for ph and co2 scrubber. i like my ph to sit at 8.1 to 8.3, I try to keep some of my wave pumps at surface for agitation and have utilized sand and bare bottom with similar success.,

 

[bikerbutter]

I wish I knew the secret to Acropora - if anyone does, feel free to leave all the info below . I've never been a collector since I've always been more of an LPS guy, but the colors of some are truly impressive.

However, I thought I could at least share one success story with my Walt Disney. It's been through mini crashes and tank struggles but has somehow survived my hands to look like many of the photos I've seen here on R2R and online.

Alk: 7.7 dkh, Cal: 420 ppm, Mag: 1450, NO3: 8 ppm, PO4: 0.02 ppm

Before - April 6, 2020:

Today - June 10, 2025

Taken with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra w/ Orphek 15k lens

Congratulations to you as well!!

 

[Perry]

Hybrids=
Photosynthetic: Strong light
Animalistic: Strong flow to bring particulate sized foods to feeding polyps, typically bacteria rich in PO4 in a closed system, as well as sweep digestive filaments from holobiant aura.
That simple- aim to remove that which is added and left unconsumed through chosen filtration method