My acros wont open and my water is perfectly fine!

[Danny_15]

I have a 20g reef tank with a pretty good amount of sps. All my parameters are good and my light is also a good light. My acros just wont open i need help.
Ammonia-0
Nitarte-0
Nitrite-0
Phosphates-0
Calcium-360
Alk-dont remember but it was good too
Salinity-1.024


My tank also has good flow and i use ocean revive light.

[thegrun]

I would recommend slowly raising your salinity to 1.026 over several days by topping off with saltwater, then raise your calcium to 425. Be sure your magnesium is close to 1350. Next find out where your alkalinity level is. It is the most important number to watch and your success with SPS is largely determined by your ability to maintain consistent water chemistry at the proper levels.

[Tripod1404]

What is your light and alkalinity? Frankly "they are good" doesnt mean much, good is a subjective term.

[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by Tripod1404

What is your light and alkalinity? Frankly "they are good" doesnt mean much, good is a subjective term.

My light is an ocean revive and its about 8 inches above the tank running at 45% blues and 5% whites my alk is at 9 i think

[vanbro1]

Across are about flow, salinity, light and alk. Higher flow is what they want to extend. I have seen beautiful tanks with alk between 9-11.5 ish. My experience is that 0 nitrate is a bad thing for sps they want to eat too.

[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by vanbro1

Across are about flow, salinity, light and alk. Higher flow is what they want to extend. I have seen beautiful tanks with alk between 9-11.5 ish. My experience is that 0 nitrate is a bad thing for sps they want to eat too.

Yes im trying everything to raise nitrates but i still cant get a reading no matter what i do

[Spunky Bob]

This may be the same issue as what I'm having.
I used to have great extension but now nope.

They are still growing just no polyps.

I'm at 1.027, alk 8, nitrates 5 phosphates .08

Now I was talking to an SPS guy the other week and he said alk at 8.. and his tank is crazy SPS and he sells frags all over Australia.

Maybe he is just lucky?

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[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by Spunky Bob

This may be the same issue as what I'm having.
I used to have great extension but now nope.

They are still growing just no polyps.

I'm at 1.027, alk 8, nitrates 5 phosphates .08

Now I was talking to an SPS guy the other week and he said alk at 8.. and his tank is crazy SPS and he sells frags all over Australia.

Maybe he is just lucky?

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Thats exactly what im going threw, i just have no nitrates

[Tripod1404]

Originally Posted by Danny_15

Thats exactly what im going threw, i just have no nitrates

You can dose nitrate. I need to dose nitrate every other day to keep it around 2-3ppm

Or you need to lower alk if you want to keep nitrate and phosphate low.

[Bpb]

Yeah your water isn’t perfectly fine. Your alkalinity level, as mentioned, is too high for having such clean water. It’s much much easier to maintain a tank with lower alkalinity, and higher nutrients


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[Uncle99]

Are these new additions, or ones that were fine but now won't open?

[Spunky Bob]

Originally Posted by Bpb

Yeah your water isn’t perfectly fine. Your alkalinity level, as mentioned, is too high for having such clean water. It’s much much easier to maintain a tank with lower alkalinity, and higher nutrients


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Me or op?

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[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by Uncle99

Are these new additions, or ones that were fine but now won't open?

They were fine at the store, and now like 1 or 2 months you could see the polyp but its just not opening all the way its like 1/4 of coming out.

[Uncle99]

Originally Posted by Spunky Bob

Me or op?

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I guess applies to both, just trying to understand if this is a transfer issue or some months down the road....

[Bpb]

Originally Posted by Spunky Bob

Me or op?

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OP.


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[Uncle99]

Originally Posted by Danny_15

They were fine at the store, and now like 1 or 2 months you could see the polyp but its just not opening all the way its like 1/4 of coming out.

What light are you using?

How long has this tank been running since cycled?

What is the current magnisum level?

What us the current calcium level?

My numbers are and have remained this way fir 17 months (for example)
Ph 8
Alk 8-10
Calcium 420
Magnisum 1350
Nitrate between 2-5 ppm
Phosphate <.005

Is there any other coral close to the SPS, you can always run carbon in case of coral warfare

[marinelife]

If your phosphates are 0 I would try to raise them some. You need a little for corals!

[Lsufan]

Does your tank grow coraline well? If it does then I don’t think u have to low of nutrients. IMO most tanks that are nutrient deprived & causing corals to struggle, coraline would also struggle to grow or be non existent.

What brand test kits are u using? Reading 0 on a api kit isn’t the same as reading 0 on somthing like salifert, Red Sea or a Hannah checker. They have other good kits to, I just used those as examples. Same thing for alkalinity. It is one of if not the most important params to watch. All stability is just as & maybe even more important than the actual number as long as u are in the 7 to 10 dkh range. Although as Bpb states, in most setups a alk closet to 7 or 8 dkh is what people who have low nutrients aim for. Not only that but a lot of LFS & online vendors run a alk around 8. If u run a alk from 10 to 12 dkh then it could shock the corals when u put them in your tank. A coral that isn’t 100% healthy to begin with, that swing from the vendors tank to yours can do some damage.

[mic209]

Pest are a big reason why acro polyps won’t extend. Check for AEFW and red bugs.


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[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by Lsufan

Does your tank grow coraline well? If it does then I don’t think u have to low of nutrients. IMO most tanks that are nutrient deprived & causing corals to struggle, coraline would also struggle to grow or be non existent.

What brand test kits are u using? Reading 0 on a api kit isn’t the same as reading 0 on somthing like salifert, Red Sea or a Hannah checker. They have other good kits to, I just used those as examples. Same thing for alkalinity. It is one of if not the most important params to watch. All stability is just as & maybe even more important than the actual number as long as u are in the 7 to 10 dkh range. Although as Bpb states, in most setups a alk closet to 7 or 8 dkh is what people who have low nutrients aim for. Not only that but a lot of LFS & online vendors run a alk around 8. If u run a alk from 10 to 12 dkh then it could shock the corals when u put them in your tank. A coral that isn’t 100% healthy to begin with, that swing from the vendors tank to yours can do some damage.

I use red sea test kits and phosphates i use sulafert (sorry i dont know how to spell it) and for alk i use aquaforest

[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by Lsufan

Does your tank grow coraline well? If it does then I don’t think u have to low of nutrients. IMO most tanks that are nutrient deprived & causing corals to struggle, coraline would also struggle to grow or be non existent.

What brand test kits are u using? Reading 0 on a api kit isn’t the same as reading 0 on somthing like salifert, Red Sea or a Hannah checker. They have other good kits to, I just used those as examples. Same thing for alkalinity. It is one of if not the most important params to watch. All stability is just as & maybe even more important than the actual number as long as u are in the 7 to 10 dkh range. Although as Bpb states, in most setups a alk closet to 7 or 8 dkh is what people who have low nutrients aim for. Not only that but a lot of LFS & online vendors run a alk around 8. If u run a alk from 10 to 12 dkh then it could shock the corals when u put them in your tank. A coral that isn’t 100% healthy to begin with, that swing from the vendors tank to yours can do some damage.

And yes i do strugle to grow coraline, infact theres no coraline at all in the tank. But there is no algae.

[d-man]

Originally Posted by mic209

Pest are a big reason why acro polyps won’t extend. Check for AEFW and red bugs.


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This^^^^^

[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by d-man

This^^^^^

How would i check for them? Would i see red dots and the base of the coral or do i have to dip

[Bpb]

Zoom in real close and focus clear and just look. Red bugs will be tiny red specs slowly crawling around on the acro. They’re about the size of a tisbe pod. Almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Flat worm bites are easy to spot at night in the dark. Shine a flash light on the under side of the acros. The worms themselves are so thin you won’t see them but you can see their bite marks

Good example of AEFW bite marks. Blotches or exposed skeleton with no pigment. Larger than the striations of zooxanthellae.

.

Good example of a bad red bug infestation. These are actually kind of big for red bugs. They’re called “red bugs” but they’re really
Mostly yellow, with a red spot on their back.



Between the two, I’ll take red bugs any day of the week 10 times out of 10. You can have rapidly growing, strong big, vibrantly colored acros with full PE with red bugs. Flat worms are another story. A flatworm colony can completely eat a healthy acro colony quickly. The red bugs don’t really eat the coral, they just hatch their eggs inside the corallites and kind of irritate it as they walk around on it. Like fleas on a dog sort of. They’re actually so closely related to fleas genetically which is why flea medication kills them so effectively.


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[Danny_15]

Originally Posted by Bpb

Zoom in real close and focus clear and just look. Red bugs will be tiny red specs slowly crawling around on the acro. They’re about the size of a tisbe pod. Almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Flat worm bites are easy to spot at night in the dark. Shine a flash light on the under side of the acros. The worms themselves are so thin you won’t see them but you can see their bite marks

Good example of AEFW bite marks. Blotches or exposed skeleton with no pigment. Larger than the striations of zooxanthellae.

.

Good example of a bad red bug infestation. These are actually kind of big for red bugs. They’re called “red bugs” but they’re really
Mostly yellow, with a red spot on their back.



Between the two, I’ll take red bugs any day of the week 10 times out of 10. You can have rapidly growing, strong big, vibrantly colored acros with full PE with red bugs. Flat worms are another story. A flatworm colony can completely eat a healthy acro colony quickly. The red bugs don’t really eat the coral, they just hatch their eggs inside the corallites and kind of irritate it as they walk around on it. Like fleas on a dog sort of. They’re actually so closely related to fleas genetically which is why flea medication kills them so effectively.


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Thanks for the info, i know for sure i do not have flatworms but red bugs i cant find any. Ima check again later when the light turn on.