Two SPS Questions for the Experts

[d2mini]

1. Still confused on the telltale signs that you have too much light or you have too little light. Signs of each?

2. Having a weird issue where some of my sps frags don't want to encrust, but do grow out. I'm use to the opposite where they will encrust first, then start to grow out. What gives? This is annoying because sometimes I may slightly bump a mini colony and the whole thing pops off the rock and I have to reattach it.

Many thanks.

 

[billwill]

Good questions. Following along.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

By no means an expert and tagging along for more input, But on light, I have a friend growing acros and a few corals I have in my tank too(gorgs chalice). He's using 250w MH @8 to 10in above the corals on about a 8 or ten hr lighting period. I believe his par is in the 2000+ range.

 

[gioNVA]

I'm not an expert but in my experience, darker/brown colors usually mean too little light or too much nutrients. Also, pale/light colors on SPS usually mean too much light or ultra low nutrients. There are a lot of other things that can affect it but those are the things I would look into first. If you have access to a PAR meter, that would be a good start.

For the second question, flow is the first thing I would check. The frags that I have under really turbulent flow tend to encrust and anchor themselves on the rock before they start shooting up. Lighting can also affect how the corals grow. A good example for me was my red robin staghorn. When I got it, I put it close to the surface of the water. The growth was almost tabling. I moved it near the bottom of the tank since it's a fast grower and the branches started to shoot up like stags.

 

[TNT32D]

Tagging. I've only experienced the no encrusting with LED. MH would always encrust first?

 

[joseserrano]

no expert here, but regarding the encrusting, corals tend to want to build a solid base before wanting to extend out. Good thing I would say. Light wise, its all about acclimation to light, ppl have grown acros in 200 or little less par to 1000 plus. Guys use to have 1000 watt halide bulbs over their tanks, supplemented with t12 or 5s.

 

[d2mini]

Tagging. I've only experienced the no encrusting with LED. MH would always encrust first?

Interesting observation since I'm running LED now.

 

[dragon99]

Hoping there's a simple answer. I'm curious also.

I'm seeing very few corals with any vertical growth, but tons of encrusting.

 

[hybridazn]

1. Turning brown usually indicates too little light, bleaching obviously too much. Just make sure all your parameters are stable before questioning your lights.

2. In my experience more flow makes the corals encrusting than grow vertically. If they are taking off vertically right away that tells me that they feel stable enough with the flow you are presenting to grow that way.

 

[d2mini]

no expert here, but regarding the encrusting, corals tend to want to build a solid base before wanting to extend out. Good thing I would say.

Exactly. Which is why I'm wondering why mine are not encrusting.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

no expert here, but regarding the encrusting, corals tend to want to build a solid base before wanting to extend out.

Not sure I agree. I have some that are on the sand that are branching. And also several acro growing without encrusting. Hmmm.

I also think we may need to define SPS. We I assume are talking now especially Acropora?

From what i understand, acropora and all sps, some softies and actually many inverts(abalone in one project, see macna 2016 Sandy Trautwein plus their effort to spawn corals in captivity) , a chemical signal is need to spur encrusting, corallines do this well for coral apparently.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I always remove frags from plugs before placing them in my tank. I typically try to use rubble in its place. Something I've noticed(this is also a recent observation) is coralline covered rubble gets encrusted much faster than "newer" dry rock/rubble. In fact I have a red planet on a frag plug that seems slightly apprehensive to the plug. The plug itself isn't covered in coralline either. I'm also noticing this with styophora. Though, they don't seem to have an issue with encrusting glue? Just my observation. I would love to get more insight on this!

 

[Duberz]

I have been in the same boat for a long time regarding too much or not enough light. Everywhere I would look there was a different answer. My sps didn't turn around until I stopped by world wide corals. They were running the same radion g4 pros I run. The display is way bigger than mine and their lights were at 45%! The tank is absolutely unreal. They told me they never measure par. I don't think anyone who knows WWC can disagree they know what the heck their doing. I lowered my lights to 45% and my sps(and lps) started to come back. My jedi mind trick for instance started growing out its blue rim within a week. I'm by far a sps expert but I'm sold on less light now.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Following

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

@reefwiser and @Tahoe61 . Love your Input...

 

[His & Hers. 240 Reef]

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[kid976]

Interesting observation since I'm running LED now.

I have G4 radions as well and my sps have no problems encrusting, some faster than others. But I have noticed paleness in some. I'm guessing it's due to my low nutrient level. Btw I'm definitely not an expert. Just what I've observed in my tank.

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

I have 20K LEDs and three hydnophora frags. Two on the bottom and one half way up. The higher up one looks to be branching more than the other two and it is smaller and has had more current for a longer time. The others are two to three times bigger but more encrusting. I added more current to them a few months ago and the largest one looks to be branching now. There is definitely more polyp extension with the added current. I keep the lights on for about 12 hours a day.

Wasn't aware that I may be able to control it's growth patterns, branching vs encrusting. Curious to hear what others say.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Not all sps will encrust first. Some will grow branches/upwards with little or no base growth at all. Regarding lights, don't be upset with browning or greening frags. You will see colors once they start sprouting new branches, provided you have adequate light for that species of sps you have. You should worry when they turn whites even with good water parameters and some nutrients. They are bleaching!. Not enough light, they will slowly die.

 

[d2mini]

As far as the encrusting goes, I was looking at my frags tonite and their position in relation to my mp40 and I think those who mentioned flow may be on to something. Just so happens though that I brought home a second mp40 tonite. Lol

As to the lighting question, I'm not having any specific issue, I'm just curious what my sps are telling me so I can react accordingly and get things dialed in. Very interesting comment from @Duberz too. I do keep getting the feeling that PAR as we know it from previous lighting tech is useless when it comes to LED.

Thanks for all the replies so far! Great stuff. :)