Will my set up support a Ponape Birdsnest?

[NortheastReefer97]

Hi all, my coworker is taking down his set up and offered me a baseball sized Ponape Birdsnest for free. I’d like to take it but only if it’ll do well in my tank. I wasn’t planning on sps for this tank, but i’ve heard this is one of the easiest.

My issue is that I only have a fluval evo 13.5 so the lighting isn’t the best, (though i should be upgrading to an ai prime shortly.) The light is 14k and 16 watts, and due to that i thought i’d put it closer to the top about ~5” under the surface. According to an online resource this should mean about 180-200 par. I’ve got quite a few LPS (torch, duncans, blasto’s, acan’s) that are growing like weeds and have made a bunch of flow/filtration upgrades. My water parameters are steady and as follows:

dkh: 10.2
Nitrate 0.4
Phos 0.03
Ca: 450
Mag: 1200

So, do we think the birdsnest will thrive and survive in my tank? Or would i be better off telling my buddy to find it a home elsewhere? Thanks!

 

[MnFish1]

I would wait until you have the proper lighting (that matches the light the coral is in). Also depending on the size of the tank (I'm assuming its smaller)? you might have competition from the soft coral with a birds nest of that size. What size is the tank? Birdsnest tend to grow quickly? What are the sizes of the other coral?

 

[Jon's Reef]

It’s a nice sps to start with. If it is too big, break off a frag of it. If you put it in the upper 1/3, should be fine for light. Alk is a bit high, so I would check what your friend is running for that.

 

[NortheastReefer97]

I would wait until you have the proper lighting (that matches the light the coral is in). Also depending on the size of the tank (I'm assuming its smaller)? you might have competition from the soft coral with a birds nest of that size. What size is the tank? Birdsnest tend to grow quickly? What are the sizes of the other coral?

Im not too worried about competition from the soft coral, none around where this would be going. Would have about 3 inches to the surface and as much room as it wants out. Tanks 13 gallons, duncans pretty big with 8 heads, blasto has over 30, and the torch is only a single so far but seems to be doing well.

 

[NortheastReefer97]

It’s a nice sps to start with. If it is too big, break off a frag of it. If you put it in the upper 1/3, should be fine for light. Alk is a bit high, so I would check what your friend is running for that.

I think my dkh is due to my salt, I asked him and he said “its usually kinda high.” And he’s out of reagent so im not too sure. Mine stays consistent and the other coral don’t seem to mind so I haven’t done anything about it. Assuming his is “high” like mine once i add it to the tank will the high dkh have an effect on the corals health over time?

 

[Jon's Reef]

If it is going from 8 to 10 it may stress a bit. SPS like stability. Just watch the polyps.

 

[MnFish1]

IMHO, a baseball sized birds nest does not go in a 13 gallon tank. The issue is not the distance from the LPS - its the different chemicals released. As someone else said - a frag would be great. But - if your friend wants the coral to go to a good home - IMHO a 13 gallon tank is not.