SPS growth

Scubajoe1 · 07/02/2015, 07:50 PM

So I am seeing lots of new growth on several of my SPS coral....new white extensions on the tips but I am not seeing these new white tips color up yet. How long does that take?

xdestry · 07/02/2015, 08:00 PM

Growth tips will usually stay white or paler than the other older growth

Wiskey · 07/02/2015, 08:11 PM

That's a good thing IMHO! It means that they are growing well.

Whiskey

Scubajoe1 · 07/02/2015, 08:23 PM

shouldn't they color up eventually?

Wiskey · 07/02/2015, 08:37 PM

The growth tip will just get further out, let's say that the growth tip is 1/4", it will stay that way and the branch will get longer.

Whiskey

Scubajoe1 · 07/02/2015, 08:46 PM

serious? it grows out from the middle of the branch?

Wiskey · 07/02/2015, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scubajoe1

serious? it grows out from the middle of the branch?

No, the new growth is white at the tip, and the color fills in behind it. So the newest growth (the tip) stays white as the coral continues to grow there.

Whiskey

rt67ghy · 07/03/2015, 02:08 AM

In the white tips you are seeing the coral depositing CaCO3 (calcification) as the skeleton grows at these points. The colour occurs at the same pace as zooaxanthellae grows to cover the new skeleton but it always lags behind. When the coral is growing very fast the white tips will be longer because rate of calcification has increased and zooaxanthellae growth will try to catch up. So it's a continuous process. The shorter/less visible the white tips the slower your acro is growing (No white tips at all in acropora means no growth). A longer white tip is therefore a sign that your acro has adjusted to your tank conditions and is growing fast.
Hope this helps.
Also, the acro stems will be getting gradually thicker to support the increasing weight of the acro as it grows but normally this is harder to notice.

kevin_e · 07/03/2015, 08:26 AM

If it is white in the middle of the branch and it's not a new tip, then it is something else causing STN or the like.

Scubajoe1 · 07/09/2015, 03:56 PM

They are at the tips

Scubajoe1 · 07/09/2015, 05:21 PM

Here is some of the SPS in my tank.

http://s87.photobucket.com/user/Scub...=recent&page=1

rt67ghy · 07/10/2015, 01:34 AM

They all look very healthy to me.

Scubajoe1 · 07/10/2015, 04:20 AM

They are looking better now. When the phosphates were not detectable and I was not feeding as much as I am not they were not faded more. color has been coming back more over the last few weeks. I just took the photo yesterday. Will see if I can find any photo from three weeks ago.

07/02/2015, 07:50 PM	#1
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	SPS growth So I am seeing lots of new growth on several of my SPS coral....new white extensions on the tips but I am not seeing these new white tips color up yet. How long does that take? __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.

07/02/2015, 08:00 PM	#2
xdestry SPS Addict Join Date: May 2014 Location: Pasadena, CA Posts: 662	Growth tips will usually stay white or paler than the other older growth __________________ 100 gallon MIXED / SPS frag dominant Current Tank Info: 100 Gallon + 40G Sump, ATI Sunpower Dimmable 8x39 (B+,C+,B+.Act.B+.P+.Gieseman Super Act, B+), 2x MP40QD, Aquamaxx Q2 + ConeS CO1 Skimmers

07/02/2015, 08:11 PM	#3
Wiskey Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Fallbrook, CA Posts: 3,049	That's a good thing IMHO! It means that they are growing well. Whiskey __________________ This video shows 15 months of coral growth in my tank in a 30 second timelapse: https://youtu.be/bF6C57aTDEo

07/02/2015, 08:23 PM	#4
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	shouldn't they color up eventually? __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.

07/02/2015, 08:37 PM	#5
Wiskey Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Fallbrook, CA Posts: 3,049	The growth tip will just get further out, let's say that the growth tip is 1/4", it will stay that way and the branch will get longer. Whiskey __________________ This video shows 15 months of coral growth in my tank in a 30 second timelapse: https://youtu.be/bF6C57aTDEo

07/02/2015, 08:46 PM	#6
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	serious? it grows out from the middle of the branch? __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.

07/03/2015, 02:08 AM	#8
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	In the white tips you are seeing the coral depositing CaCO3 (calcification) as the skeleton grows at these points. The colour occurs at the same pace as zooaxanthellae grows to cover the new skeleton but it always lags behind. When the coral is growing very fast the white tips will be longer because rate of calcification has increased and zooaxanthellae growth will try to catch up. So it's a continuous process. The shorter/less visible the white tips the slower your acro is growing (No white tips at all in acropora means no growth). A longer white tip is therefore a sign that your acro has adjusted to your tank conditions and is growing fast. Hope this helps. Also, the acro stems will be getting gradually thicker to support the increasing weight of the acro as it grows but normally this is harder to notice.

07/03/2015, 08:26 AM	#9
kevin_e Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,083	If it is white in the middle of the branch and it's not a new tip, then it is something else causing STN or the like.

07/09/2015, 03:56 PM	#10
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	They are at the tips __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.

07/09/2015, 05:21 PM	#11
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	Here is some of the SPS in my tank. http://s87.photobucket.com/user/Scub...=recent&page=1 __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.

07/10/2015, 01:34 AM	#12
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	They all look very healthy to me. __________________ 180g mixed reef. 53g sump including 20g fuge. 320lbs LR, 140lbs LS. 1/2 hp chiller. Temp 75-79. Current Tank Info: Fish: 1 yellow tang, 1 mandarin, 1 pair of tomato clowns, 1 maroon clown, 1 skunk clown, 1 banggai cardinal. Anemones: 1 green haddoni carpet, 2 heteractis auroras, 1 LTA.

07/10/2015, 04:20 AM	#13
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	They are looking better now. When the phosphates were not detectable and I was not feeding as much as I am not they were not faded more. color has been coming back more over the last few weeks. I just took the photo yesterday. Will see if I can find any photo from three weeks ago. __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.