What happens if I give my Digitata low light?

[GHOSTLY]

Question. What happens if i place a digitata in medium flow but low to medium light around 100 150 par? The flow should be fine as its medium current but the light directly under my leds but only a inch higher than my hammers which means par should be around 100 to 175. Would this be ok?

 

[GHOSTLY]

Also will digitata do fine in 11 DKH?

 

[JohnMzreef]

Seems like most montis will tolerate lower light but they wont grow the same way. Digi will probably encrust but not branch out.

 

[GHOSTLY]

Seems like most montis will tolerate lower light but they wont grow the same way. Digi will probably encrust but not branch out.

By tolerate do you mean live or have decent colour? Also dang I just posted a minute ago and you responded within like 10 seconds. Thanks

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I have a mind trick digi in 150. Colors are ok, nothing special. Grows really slow. Around 225 par a drag off the same colony grew fast with great colors.

 

[GHOSTLY]

I have a mind trick digi in 150. Colors are ok, nothing special. Grows really slow. Around 225 par a drag off the same colony grew fast with great colors.

may i see the difference in the low and high light digi?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

may i see the difference in the low and high light digi?

Edit: I’m a goon and was going on about my undata. My bubble gum digi is in about 225 par and high flow where my return pump and a wave maker converge. It’s happy as can be and has marked daily visual growth. I also feed phyto daily .5mg per gallon

 

[UnderseaOddities]

@GHOSTLY

may i see the difference in the low and high light digi?

It may be a good idea to start it out in the bottom corner were there is less flow and less light to start out then wait a week and move it gradually to desired par(175 to 250) depending on flow and parameters...digita also enjoy more of a gyre over a current and need rapid indirect circulatory movement to help with skeletal growth and forming a thicker tissue and more round coralites...you guessed it more circulation more skeletal growth

you should also try fatening up the coral by feeding aminos and or a probiotic, aswell as feeding foods such as reefroids,cyclopeze and oyster feast with the flow off

As well as making sure your alk doesnt swing more than a .1 up or down

Keeping a stable environment

Keeping up with the demand for cal and mag aswell as trace minerals

Keep the water colum clean by doing a daily to bi weekly water change
depending on water volume and #s after testing sometimes replacing 35% daily wc may be more cost effective than dosing as a beginner

Sucking out detritus daily and bastering rocks and frag plugs

Avoid doing to much to the piece right out of the gate, slow gradual change over a period of time not many rapid changes inconsistency is a killer

And rember polyp extension means a healthy specimen no pe then no chance to eat and the coral slowly starves itself

I've starved many sticks when I first started thinking I could get by with just mysis shrimp and spirulina. Nope you need a phyto almost daily every other day bi weekly for sure

Also dont put stick to close together its instinct to wanna do this when you get ur first couple of sps but once they take off,they take off! And what looked like space before is now a coral warzone and they can and will grow into each other

Hope this helps! Have a great night

 

[UnderseaOddities]

To me personally @GHOSTLY that dkh seems a little high I would suggest lowering it over the course of a month to a more suitable range via waterchange

A suitable dkh is more like natural seawater most wholesalers run
8.4-8.6 for optimum uptake only letting it shift up or down a point or to, and base water is usually mixed at 1.025 salinty a dkh of 10 a cal of 450 and mag 1450 and it gets added to the system slowly,most systems usually get fresh water through out the day aswell so it usually equal itself out at a equilibrium of
Dkh 8.4-8.6
Calcium: 420-440
Magnesium: 1400

 

[GHOSTLY]

super @GHOSTLY

It may be a good idea to start it out in the bottom corner were there is less flow and less light to start out then wait a week and move it gradually to desired par(175 to 250) depending on flow and parameters...digita also enjoy more of a gyre over a current and need rapid indirect circulatory movement to help with skeletal growth and forming a thicker tissue and more round coralites...you guessed it more circulation more skeletal growth

you should also try fatening up the coral by feeding aminos and or a probiotic, aswell as feeding foods such as reefroids,cyclopeze and oyster feast with the flow off

As well as making sure your alk doesnt swing more than a .1 up or down

Keeping a stable environment

Keeping up with the demand for cal and mag aswell as trace minerals

Keep the water colum clean by doing a daily to bi weekly water change
depending on water volume and #s after testing sometimes replacing 35% daily wc may be more cost effective than dosing as a beginner

Sucking out detritus daily and bastering rocks and frag plugs

Avoid doing to much to the piece right out of the gate, slow gradual change over a period of time not many rapid changes inconsistency is a killer

And rember polyp extension means a healthy specimen no pe then no chance to eat and the coral slowly starves itself

I've starved many sticks when I first started thinking I could get by with just mysis shrimp and spirulina. Nope you need a phyto almost daily every other day bi weekly for sure

Also dont put stick to close together its instinct to wanna do this when you get ur first couple of sps but once they take off,they take off! And what looked like space before is now a coral warzone and they can and will grow into each other

Hope this helps!

 

[GHOSTLY]

I

To me personally @GHOSTLY that dkh seems a little high I would suggest lowering it over the course of a month to a more suitable range via waterchange

A suitable dkh is more like natural seawater most wholesalers run
8.4-8.6 for optimum uptake only letting it shift up or down a point or to, and base water is usually mixed at 1.025 salinty a dkh of 10 a cal of 450 and mag 1450 and it gets added to the system slowly,most systems usually get fresh water through out the day aswell so it usually equal itself out at a equilibrium of
Dkh 8.4-8.6
Calcium: 420-440
Magnesium: 1400

I use Red Sea pro so water changes won’t do justice. I keep my calcium at a specific 481 and I really and I mean REALLY hate the other salt with calcium at 550.
My dkh is 11.4
Cal 481
Mag 1481
Dosing amino acids twice a week
Nitrate is at 5 to 10 I can’t tell

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Now I'm not saying high alk wont work but what's the point in running those high numbers to try to push the coral because eventually it will color down or get burnt or even worse stn rtn or die... even though it's a learning experience you still will have to deal with the loss which is hard sometimes,you cant be too hard on yourself... alot of people are...but I guarantee with a lower dkh(you not being a wholesaler and chasing nd pushing those numbers for maximum $$$)you will have better coral coloration, less stress on your end, and more growth around 8.5 as it is the sweet spot for most sticks. And be able to keep the fickle mistress known as acropora long term

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I

I use Red Sea pro so water changes won’t do justice. I keep my calcium at a specific 481 and I really and I mean REALLY hate the other salt with calcium at 550.
My dkh is 11.4
Cal 481
Mag 1481
Dosing amino acids twice a week
Nitrate is at 5 to 10 I can’t tell

With those numbers your digi will grow anywhere in your tank. From 100 -250 par. Keep your nitrates between 5 and 10 if your alk is that high and you will be good.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

With those numbers your digi will grow anywhere in your tank. From 100 -250 par. Keep your nitrates between 5 and 10 if your alk is that high and you will be good.

Yup I agree digis are pretty easy going as long as you dont blast her with too much flow out the gate u should be fine @GHOSTLY

 

[GHOSTLY]

Like said above there is no point in running alk that high. The other salt I use had mag around 1550 calcium around 550 and alk around 7 8. Is that level of calcium really needed or should I just flat out buy another bucket of salt

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Even with the alk that high u should be fine alot of mixes like redsea io fritz are high outta the box I've heard of some people buying something like seachem acid ph buffer or muriatic acid or 5%hcl to lower the alk but I wouldnt try this(too risky unless your really know the chemistry behind what you're about to fo... ) I would try mixing salt at a diluted ratio and doing wc with diluted saltwater instead of your normal ratio until I desired number is reached over a period of time

 

[GHOSTLY]

Even with the alk that high u should be fine alot of mixes like redsea io fritz are high outta the box I've heard of some people buying something like seachem acid ph buffer or muriatic acid or 5%hcl to lower the alk but I wouldnt try this(too risky unless your really know the chemistry behind what you're about to fo... ) I would try mixing salt at a diluted ratio and doing wc with diluted saltwater instead of your normal ratio until I desired number is reached over a period of time

What do you mean “diluted”?

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Redsea is a good brand eventhough I've never used it personally( I use fritz rpm) really it's all preference I used io reef crystals when I first started and it was dirty dirty i went with the brightwell had to adjust to much went to tropic marin pro reef salt(then covid hit brs ran out so I had to come up with a solution) used the tropic marin old formula then switched to fritz rpm out of all the salts I've tried it seems to be the cleanest for the price, mixes on point to where I need it to be and is cost effective buying the 50# box

 

[GHOSTLY]

What do you mean by dilute it though? Could I just add 1ml of pure calcium to bring it up a bit but lower the alk?

Redsea is a good brand eventhough I've never used it personally( I use fritz rpm) really it's all preference I used io reef crystals when I first started and it was dirty dirty i went with the brightwell had to adjust to much went to tropic marin pro reef salt(then covid hit brs ran out so I had to come up with a solution) used the tropic marin old formula then switched to fritz rpm out of all the salts I've tried it seems to be the cleanest for the price, mixes on point to where I need it to be and is cost effective buying the 50# box

 

[UnderseaOddities]

At a lower volume(lower salinty lower dkh lower cal lower mag) i.e diluted ratio but I wouldnt look much into it if the corals are healthy at 11dkh