Question about polyp extension

[Anonymous]

I have had acros in my tank for about 8 months. I have had ok growth with them since I got my MH about 6 months ago. The problem is that with my monti digita has small polyp extension and my acros have none. BUT they are growing. The three softies in the tank are doing great (Hammer, Galaxea, and blastos). My parameters are ok except for the dKH readings which I am dropping slowly, last checked at 14. There is plenty of water movement and plenty of light 10W per gallon of MH. Any other ideas as to why they might not be coming out or is it just the high dKH? Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

light is my first thought. I have a little porch top tank that gets filtered sunlight and I have absolutely huge polyp extension on all SPS that gets put in there. Yet in my main tank, on one side of the tank I have 2 bulbs (14Kk & 10Kk) and don't see much. Now they're all plumbed together so it's the same water, which leaves only light and water flow, I doubt it's waterflow, so must be the light.

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting, I wonder then how it is that different folks with different lights have massive polyp extensions while the rest of us don't. The store that I purchased the frags from had 400w 20k 2 feet off the tank or more, I have 250 20k 6 inches off the water and have nothing. Should I raise my lights? Is it possible it is too much light? I have also noted that one frag in particular went from brilliant blue to brown under my lights. I thought that was an indication of not enough light. I am at a loss.

 

[Anonymous]

My guess is too much light.. - Also... Do you have actinics ranger?

 

[SnowManSnow]

if they are dead on top of your tank move them down about 6 inches and see if it helps. I know with my SPSs They actually shy away from the SUPER bright light.

B

I second what Driver said

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not real big on 20kk bulbs, too blue IMO. But perhaps its similar to mushroom growth, if the light is very low they'll actually stretch out more towards the light, perhaps the same thing with 20Kk bulbs. ALthough the filtered sunlight leaves me at a curious cross road, one of these days I'll have to take a par meter to it to see, but I suspect that it more mimics natural conditions in that there's the whole gambit of wavelengths being represented, something that MH bulbs fall poorly on.

 

[SnowManSnow]

interesting, we talk about natural sunlight, but more than likely the coral has never been exposed to it.

 

[Anonymous]

Well just because a kid has never been exposed to candy doesn't mean he'll get fat and pudgy if he all of a sudden does get exposed to it Same for corals, they're photosynthetic creatures, just because we only give them a specialized spectrum to choose from (of any significant power) doesn't mean they won't do better if they have the whole spectrum

It'd be curious to see growth of aquarium corals vs wild grown corals.

 

[Anonymous]

I raised the lights so I will see if that helps any. I plan on using 14k for my next bulbs as the 20k are too blue, thus the reason I don't use any actintics to anwser the question. I raised them about 3 inches to a total height of about 10 inches above the water and a foot before any corals. We shall see.

 

[pwj1286]

light is my first thought. I have a little porch top tank that gets filtered sunlight and I have absolutely huge polyp extension on all SPS that gets put in there.

Man, I would love to see that! How are the corals doing in it? I want to do something like that oneday!
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[pwj1286]

Ithe 20k are too blue, thus the reason I don't use any actintics to anwser the question.

I am starting to feel that 20K's are a rip off. I have looked through many spectrums of 20K's and none are at the 420 spectrum of light. They actually lack that that spectrum, which is a very important spectrum for corals. I now feel that it is important to use a Actinic bulbs for this reason for all applications.
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