Polyp Extension or Lack Of

[seaweed88]

I have a 6 or 7 year old 90 gallon setup which is running 2- 250 watt MH lights and 2 96 watt PCs. I have 4 Modded MJ 1200 set up on a timer.
I get no polyp extension on any of my SPS corals. What do I need to check? This has been driving me nuts for over a year and I would love some help.
Thanks

 

[ronnie]

Pests first - Red bugs would be likely - they tend to limit polyp extension

Nippers - List what fish you have. Any Angels?

Nutrients - Too high phosphates/nitrates can cause them to be unhappy

Nothing - Some SPS just don't have good polyp extension - FWIW, polyps extension isn't always a good determination of whether a coral is healthy or not.

 

[seaweed88]

Thanks for the reply. I am going to have to look up Red Bugs tonight because I would not know them if I had them. I do have a Flame Angel in this tank so that is a possibility. NO3 tests less than 5 and the PO4 tests at 0 but I am using an AP test for that and I do not know how accurate the test is.
Most of these corals had very noticeable PE before I brought them home but some have been there for months and have not had any.

 

[ronnie]

Melevsreef.com - Interceptor | Red Bug treatment

 

[swannyson7]

I'd be willing to bet that the flame angel is your culprit. I used to have a flame angel and never had any polyp extension on my SPS. Once I upgraded tanks and he died in the move, almost overnight I began to get great PE. How's your coloration & growth? Does the SPS look healthy other than the PE?

 

[FaviaFreak]

Pests first - Red bugs would be likely - they tend to limit polyp extension

Nippers - List what fish you have. Any Angels?

Nutrients - Too high phosphates/nitrates can cause them to be unhappy

Nothing - Some SPS just don't have good polyp extension - FWIW, polyps extension isn't always a good determination of whether a coral is healthy or not.

+1 these are all excellent starting points

 

[seaweed88]

Everyone seems to be happy and growing. The Flame is at least 5 years old so I bet I will find out if he is the problem soon.

 

[Emoney]

+ one one flame! I took mine out and 2 weeks later everything was looking great

 

[seaweed88]

I might have to give that a try. I have a tank I could move him to . Is it a nipping thing makes the corals not extend its polyps?

 

[ronnie]

Yes - if you have nippers, the polyps won't extend in the daytime typically. It is a safety response. Most will extend during the night, though (SPS are, in general, night feeders anyways).

 

[Troylee]

i have noticed that in low flow tanks the polyp ext is crazy and in high flow tanks the polyps are small...... just a observation i have seen.... don't know the logic behind it but a friend of has a tank 180gal with just his return for flow which is like 2000gph no ph's in the tank and his sps have the biggest and longest polyps i have ever saw..... i got a few pieces from him and when there in my high flow tank i get about half of what he has....
im thinking maybe they don't need to stretch so much to feed in higher flow... just a thought anyways.... i always wandered the same...:(

 

[seaweed88]

When I addressed this last year I was told that my flow was to low and that was the reason for the lack of PE. So I modded the MJs and it made no difference that I ca see. Just keeps me wondering.

 

[Laird]

The lower flow areas of my tank is where I get the biggest amount of poly extension. I assume its because in the low flow areas they get less nutriets being pushed accoss it so they need to open up more. But just because you don't get poly extension doesn't mean they aren't happy and healthy. My high flow areas that have very little poly extension have the best color and grow the fastest.

 

[MimicOcto8]

I have a 90g tall with moderate alternating flow and my sps also lack PE. but in my 160gal frag tank with HIGH flow I get Amazing PE. I dont know if its from the ATI lights, HIGH flow, or lack of fish to bother the corals, but that frag tank is heaven for SPS. I wish I could get PE in my 90g tall tank :( I just cant seem to figure it out.

 

[drainbamage]

the coral with the most extended polyps is my red planet colony that has grown itself directly in front of a K1, maybe 2 inches away, and the PE is quite good. A pink birdsnest on the other side of the tank has almost minimal PE which I have always assumed is due to the return PH's hitting it. So I'm not one to make hard and fast rules on flow for all the SPS's, I think it's more some like so much flow, some like something else.

I'd check your water, see if you do a larger than normal change if you get some PE for a couple days right after. Having a 'trate reading int he 5's and 0 phosphates, I'm guessing you do actually have some low level of "dirty" water that's making the SPS's reluctant to go food hunting. But if you have a fish wandering around nipping at a polyp every time it gets put out, not helping your cause any.

 

[MimicOcto8]

drainbamage- I thought those numbers sounded great( "5's and 0"). one of my LFS has phosphates at 2 and nitrate at 15 with great PE. I completely agree with you though on all corals liking different environments...flow lighting etc.

 

[kuyatwo]

I noticed I got more polyp extension when I raised my temp to 79 from 76.

 

[drainbamage]

drainbamage- I thought those numbers sounded great( "5's and 0"). one of my LFS has phosphates at 2 and nitrate at 15 with great PE. I completely agree with you though on all corals liking different environments...flow lighting etc.

The numbers are low, but what the numbers read and what is actually going on in the water is something I've found to be very different. In my frag tank I had a huge chaeto growth, so trates and phos were reading 0's at all time. Still, the corals weren't opening up the way I wanted (blasto's, Zoas, SPS's) and the way they were not opening up made me think of 'dirty' water. Did a big water change, ripped out almost all the chaeto, and siphoned up a ton of detritus that had been gathering in the chaeto. Since then, everyone's opening up much more (and yea, the SPS's did have good PE both before and after, so not definitive by any means, but all the other corals were much more open) so even though my tests were reading Goose Eggs, I'm of the opinion the water was in fact dirty to some level.

For testing I use Salifert test kits, so that's as accurate as I can get with the numbers.

if your LFS is running phosphates at 2 and getting PE and color on their SPS's that's amazing, I've always been told and experienced a need for that "ulta-clean" water for SPS's.