watching the frags grow

[jhale]

how long under decent conditions would you say it will take a small sps frag to grow into a small colony.

I've started my tank with frags, and want to keep it that way.
I don't want to buy large colonies, I'd like it if the tank could grwo out from all frags.
The tank has only been set up since the first week of february, and I've seen some good growth.

so far the bird's nest have grown the fastest. with the montiporia a close second.

I had a small battle with po4 that might have set me back a bit, but that is under control now.

[ April 29, 2005, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: jhale ]

 

[jackson6745]

Depends on the coral but in general it usually takes about a year for a small frag to reach small colony size.I've had stags that went from 1" to 1' in a year, and a humilis colony that only went from 4"-5" in a year.

[ April 29, 2005, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: jackson6745 ]

 

[Josh]

jhale,

I think the one you have labeled as birds nest is actually a pocillopora, not a seriatopora. They are one of the fastest growing SPS you can find. I had a 1" frag that turned into a softball sized mass by the end of the first year.

[ April 29, 2005, 11:45 AM: Message edited by: JoshSaul ]

 

[ctxmonitor]

Yea, I want to know how long it will take frag to grow into colonies. jhale, why would you want the frag to stay frag??

Josh, I saw that jhale had both. The pocillopora and a birdnest.. My birdnest seem to also grow the fastest..

 

[jhale]

that's not what I meant ctx, I guess i should have worded it better. I meant I started my tank with frags, and did not want to buy large corals, I want my little frags to grow into big colonies.
I'll edit that original statement, it does sound funny.

 

[jhale]

I'm not sure which one that is Josh, stingnyc gave me few frags he said were birdsnest, and I got some other birdsnest from vic, and I did get some pocilipora from nilo, I might have mislabled the photos, I'll have to check.
going by photos the pocilipora does seem to be growing quickly, it's sneaky though. it's holding the same shape and does not look bigger.

 

[House of Laughter]

Keeping in mind that growth rate is dependant on many other things - if you were to say, if all conditions were identical, then that would be better. I have had a coral in one area of my tank grow slow and then go nuts in another, so, location is important as well. Flow is also a big factor.

It also depends on your tank, because my monti's and milli's and stags grow like nuts, especially my monti's and I cna't get my pink poccilapora to grow for the life of me, so,

Anyhow, I really think it depends

House

 

[jhale]

right, I was generalizing. I've placed the coral that likes flow, in the high flow area's. I think all the frags that like flow are getting it. I keep the CA at 400, the dh at 8, the sg at 1.025, temp 80,
I dose the important additives, and I've started giving the tank phytoplankton. that's just for the things that like it. From what I've read sps do not need phyto at all.
I think i have adequate light, it could be more, but it's not bad.

 

[jackson6745]

Jon, fwiw, I don't know of any SPS that don't do better in high flow

 

[jhale]

Rich,
I'm thinking of either pulling my CL and replacing it with two tunzee's in each corner to widen the flow pattern. Or supplementing the CL with one tunzee, or a seaswirl. or both. I don't know how much I want to er, have to, spend yet.
right now i have about 2000gph going through the tank, for a 120 that gives me about 16X turnover. do you think increasing it is needed, and if so by how much?

 

[jackson6745]

Jon is your closed loop pump pressure rated? If so You can try penductors.
It's hard to say how many GPH you need. GPH is too vague of a term. I would have to see your reef and the flow in all the corners of the tank. Basically in your BB reef you want to keep all detritus suspended in the water column and have ALL coral polyps blowing with no detritus settled on them.

I would say leave the closed loop and add 1 Tunze 6100 (or two

). That should be enough flow. The Tunze streams put a hurting on the pockets

[ April 29, 2005, 03:42 PM: Message edited by: jackson6745 ]

 

[jhale]

I have a blue line 40hd-x

The CL is split into two outputs stacked on the right side of the tank, one on top, and one on the bottom.

[ April 29, 2005, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: jhale ]

 

[ctxmonitor]

I really need to see more sps tank and see how the flow is directed and balanced.. When I have my maxi-jet 1200 directed toward a sps, it seem to stress it.. So who think they have the water flow phenomenon master? I want to see and learn.

 

[jhale]

tom, there's a diference in a wide spread flow and a small area of flow. a wide spread of water is better then having a small area like a powerhead pointing at a coral. it's too much force, like watering your lawn with a fire hose. you'll give it the same water as a sprinkler, but your going to rip the grass out.