Yummm Acropora: What is your "recipe" for successfully keeping acros?

[DE FISH]

Sps = stability produces success

 

[Privateye]

I put "other". No recipe needed. Just keep things stable with ample light. Not quite "just add water" but I've been successful with acros since I first tried in 2014. As a poor marine biologist at the time, prior to then I didn't have ample light so I didn't try. They seem to be less-capable of handling extremes or extreme swings in chemistry.

 

[PeterC99]

 

[Privateye]

Weird flex but better than okay.

 

[PeterC99]

Weird flex but better than okay.

Flex?

 

[Greego]

Being honest with yourself and understanding your own capabilities when establishing your husbandry routine.

When I started out I bought into that weekly 20% water change, testing 4 times a day feeding 4 times a day and I just couldn't keep up. Instability was caused by my own exhaustion and burnout. I could maintain that for a few weeks but over time it became a hassle and was nonsense to me. Reefing is one of many hobbies and I have a demanding job and a busy family life.

I re-aligned my personal capabilities with a routine that is consistent and works. I do all my testing on Sundays along with a 15% water change on the last Sunday of the month. I feed 1 time daily and for the past 9 years have had a massive tank full of acro colonies. Yes there have been problems along the way but they are rare events I learn from rather than events that add to exhaustion in the hobby.

My lights, flow and nutrients are pretty much set and forget once the tank is established after the first 6 months. I don't chase parameters because someone decided it was trendy on social media/forums. Experience in this hobby has shown that people have success with all different types of parameters and trying to mirror someone else's tank by forcing yours isn't the way.

The only thing I tweak is nutrient control here and there when I feel a number is climbing with a consistent trend over time ( not stopping ).

Excellent post. I agree. Many always echo the buzz word “stability?” What is “stability!”

The hobby is not so fun if all you’re doing is chasing parameters and changing water. I learned to enjoy my tank for what it is and not what it should be.

Just keeping my hands out of the tank, doing a 10 percent water change every two weeks and actually spending more time watching my tank than fiddling with it has done wonders for me.

Besides what my Neptune Trident measures, I test no other parameters. I let my tank tell me when something may be too high or too low. I have gotten the best coloration and happy corals with this method compared to when I was testing stuff all the time and hovering over the tank all the time like it was a baby.

 

[yusufhadiwinata]

The source of the coral is also important
Coral from aquaculture is more harder than marineculture than wild catch

 

[Jjd531]

I have had partial success with acros. I will say proper lighting is a big part, I agree with everyone on stability, but my issue with acros has always been once they get to a certain size they start bleaching heavily under the branches and base because of shadowing, I only have two prime 16s on my 65 gallon so shadowing is definitely an issue, my across are all gone now. I would not get acros again unless I had a hybrid lighting system, a box light, or just a full halide setup.

 

[amoore311]

Honestly, time has nothing to do with it in regards to system "stability". Time does have everything to do with the experience of the hobbyist.

My 220 had SPS and Acros in it 5-7 days after it was filled with water. You just need to keep the minerals and nutrients stable.

-barebottom tanks help keep nutrients low
-adding small fish periodically during the set up phase keeps nutrients from spiking. Even my tangs were purchased as small juveniles.
-Adding lots of corals right away. The corals act as the biological filter for the tank, consuming no3 and po3.
-kalkwasser keeps PH up, helps bind PO4, and keeps calcium and alkalinity stable.
-Keeping PH UP in general. Fresh air, kalk, co2 scrubbing... whatever needs to be done to keep PH over 8.0
-Keep your darn hands out of the tank.
-Change water consistently. (10% every 2 weeks for me, every system is different though)

-Keep the system simple. My 220, while being monitored by an Apex+Trident, is rather simple. The system consists of lights, 2 heaters, wave maker pumps, a return pump, a protein skimmer, and a couple dosing pumps to dos my Kalkwasser and Acropower. I also employ Co2 Scrubbing on the skimmer intake, as my system is in a finished basement and co2 levels tend to be high.

No fuge, nano filter socks, no filter roller, no crazy elaborate sump (its a 40 breeder), no manifold with reactors running "x" media, no UV sterilizer, no ozone.... none of it.

 

[Privateye]

Flex?

Yeah! It's just in reference to the meme "weird flex but okay" which is like "oh, you're showing-off, that's not totally applicable, but okay" but by adding the "better than" part I meant I appreciated it too. Gorgeous.

You just photo-bombed instead of a "recipe". That's what I'm poking fun at. All in jest.

 

[PeterC99]

Yeah! It's just in reference to the meme "weird flex but okay" which is like "oh, you're showing-off, that's not totally applicable, but okay" but by adding the "better than" part I meant I appreciated it too. Gorgeous.

You just photo-bombed instead of a "recipe". That's what I'm poking fun at. All in jest.

Now I get it!

 

[Reefasaurus X]

I never had much success with acros, even with 20+ years in the hobby, until I started using the Reef Moonshiners method to keep all my trace elements at levels at or above that of natural sea water. I send out for an icp test every two months. I’ve come up with a weekly trace element dosing program, guided by icp tests. Since using this method, I no longer do regular water changes.

In addition to that, acros need a lot of flow. The more turbulent the better. They will not grow in low flow areas of a tank.

 

[burton14e7]

Same as Reef Oscar. I didn't have success until I stopped water changes and started the Reef Moonshiners method.

 

[Koty]

I choose other as Acros/sps spells no/very few fish.... Big no no for me I will stick to LPS

 

[MikeyG]

We're still discussing acropora for the week because we love our acros! Well it's a love/hate relationship at times. Today we would like to hear from those of you who have had a good amount of success in keeping acros healthy and thriving! What's your "recipe?" Let's talk about it

What is your "recipe" for successfully keeping acros? Share your personal tips for a higher success rate/recipe!

image via @Zoaddicted

Consistency, stable environment, low nutrients, above adequate flow, proper lights and feed regularly.

 

[Brian_68]

Don't let your alk drop too low or they will RTN and don't change alk too fast in a short period of time.

 

[SPS247]

Throwing in what I’ve personal tried from a nano to my current 220.
Hands out of the tank as much as possible for sure as everybody mention already.
I don’t do water changes but add bacteria phyto and trace elements.

Pick an Alk number and stick with it. This will be your daily goal. The rest of the parameters will follow accordingly.

DKH 6, 7 requires lower nutrient uptake (no3, 1-5ppm 5 being ideal/po4 .01 minimum) par can be lower but if you blast high par 450+ you might get washed out colors or worse bleached corals

8 dkh or above equals higher nutrient uptake (no3, 5-10+ppm/po4 .03.) word of caution high nutrient with low par can lead to browned out acros.

My tank goals always: 7.5/8 dkh, no3 @ 5-10ppm, po4 .03 seems to be my happy balance for my style of reefing. 350/400 par and a ton of chaotic flow.

pic attached (orange lens used)I don’t have a build thread but here’s my tank as of tonight.
2yrs running. Hope this helps.