Why are my SPS preferring lower light?

kartrsu

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I’m a bit perplexed on my sps corals. I have stylos and pocillopora. They are my first sps corals. I’ve been having some tank troubles lately (disturbed biome with wild sand, some parameter swings, and lighting changes). It’s been three weeks since everything stabilized, but these corals won’t extend polyps unless I really dial back the lighting. They are probably at 100ish par right now and will retract polyps mid day.

I’m using AI prime running at 15W peak using saxbys schedule. Blue and royal blue peak at 45%.

Parameters: 35 ppt, 78.5F, 8 dkh (steady), ca 480, mg 1400, po4 .08, no3 7.5ppm.

thanks!
 

SteveEreef

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I’m no expert and this is just my experience with pocillapora. I have the common green one in two tanks. They are not picky about lighting. Some are at 75 par and the picture attached is at 150-200 par. I think what is more important than lighting is they seem to like a lot of flow
0C2ADC28-2556-44C2-8591-190E4855D2F7.jpeg
 
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kartrsu

kartrsu

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Thanks, glad someone else is able to grow poci at lower PAR. Are poci and stylos not as light hungry? My frags have good color, a bit of browning, which I thought meant more light, but at higher light they close up. Strange.
 

2Wheelsonly

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poci and stylo are like weeds, they can grow in par as low as 25 in my tank. Literally get stuck under the rock work in the dark and will grow. I try to cut them out when I see them and am usually surprised when one is literally growing under rocks.
 
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kartrsu

kartrsu

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Thanks for sharing. Just trying to avoid STN. Seems like poci, stylos, and monti digis are pretty adaptable? Almost feel like I splurged on new lights for no reason lol.
 

ReeferBean

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I love purple stylo, very forgiving coral.

Just to warn you, poccilipora will spawn in your tank and can become a nuisance.
 
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kartrsu

kartrsu

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I second the forgivingness of stylos. It's been through quite a bit of changes like lighting, flow, nutrient levels, alk swings, iodine dips, microbiome disturbances. Thought I was gonna lose it cause it was closing up all the time, but once I found it's sweet spot, it is now fluffy again. Favorite SPS so far lol. Oh my monti digitata the same way, except no change in appearance through the ruckus.

Yeah I've read that pocillopora is the xenia of SPS. I still think it'd be pretty cool to grow it though. I mean is this thing gonna grow on the base of LPS like euphyllia or just around the general rockwork?
 
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