PSA: Leave your corals alone :)

Ketan

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This applies to all corals, specially stony corals but I have to post it somewhere so posting on SPS.

I would like to remind everyone...... leave your corals alone, if they are already established and looking happy. Even if they are closed or otherwise looking a bit iffy.

If your water parameters are ok, and no other inverts or fish are bothering them then there is nothing you can do that is likely to help. In fact moving them again or again, or adding stuff to tank to make it grow etc, is going to do more harm than good. Changing lighting or flow too often is also not good.

As long as they are getting appropriate light, flow and water is stable they will be ok. I have had several frags on the verge of dying but have come back from the brink, simply after I made sure the above happened and didn't move them. Corals are a lot more resilient than we think and will survive across a wide range of salinity, ALK, PH, temp, lighting and flow variations IF they are not in the extremes, and stable and, no one else is bothering them including .... you.

The biggest factor, for coral growth, for me was making sure my PH and Alk were in range and stable. Changing lights, pumps, skimmers, algae scrubbers, salts, etc. has no effect. I also have high NO3 (30ppm) and PO4 (+0.5) and my hammers and other corals are happy and growing quite a bit. I know SPS needs much lower nutrients but rest of it still applies.

Happy Reefing!
 

PeterC99

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I respectfully disagree - a one size fits all situation doesn’t work in the hobby. I’ve learned to split hammers if one head bails, frag torches when they get multi headed, and moved corals higher or lower in lighting when they were looking iffy.

Agree that best to leave thriving corals alone but find change can be great for iffy or unhappy corals.
 
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Ketan

Ketan

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I agree with you that if your corals are being bothered by shrimp or other corals and getting hurt or getting blasted by flow, then there is no option but to move them. However some of us have a tendency to move them thinking they will grow faster, when they are already settled down.
 

PeterC99

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I agree with you that if your corals are being bothered by shrimp or other corals and getting hurt or getting blasted by flow, then there is no option but to move them. However some of us have a tendency to move them thinking they will grow faster, when they are already settled down.
Excellent post! Agree 100%!
 

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