polyp colony coming apart
- Thread starter drink1297
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drink1297
New Member
Water levels are all good, except my nitrates read in excess of 50ppm, but I think its flawed, because they have been like that for the last 3 months, and nothing is stressed, everything is doing great, except for 2 polyps that came off the rock.
Sunpro 24 hour lighting system, 2 20" hoods, at 40 watts each with blue and white lights, and moon light.
Filtration is a fluval 350, protien skimmer, and a power head connected to the undergravel filter. I have about 3" of crushed coral and about 1" of sand and 22 lbs of live rock.
I had another post, and I think I saw a brine shrimp living in the tank, but I'm not sure thats what it was, but it was about 1" long tan to clear, and definitly swimming, or trying in the current, and looked like a cross between a cucumber and a shrimp.
I have: 1 blue hippo tang
1 yellow tang
2 false percs
2 yellow damsels
2 domino damsels
1 yellow tail damsel
1 velvet damsel
1 four striped damsel
1 spotted puffer
1 green brittle star
1 orange linka star
20 snails
20 hermits
1 cleaner clam
1 coral banded shrimp
1 sally light foot
1 emerald crab
1 feather duster
1 yellow finger fan
1 green ricordia polyp
and the yellow polyp colony (which also has some red polyps on it)
Tanks 55 gal been running about 3 years and alls been in for the last 3 or 4 months, I feed once a day and add calcium and invert food and buffer
Sunpro 24 hour lighting system, 2 20" hoods, at 40 watts each with blue and white lights, and moon light.
Filtration is a fluval 350, protien skimmer, and a power head connected to the undergravel filter. I have about 3" of crushed coral and about 1" of sand and 22 lbs of live rock.
I had another post, and I think I saw a brine shrimp living in the tank, but I'm not sure thats what it was, but it was about 1" long tan to clear, and definitly swimming, or trying in the current, and looked like a cross between a cucumber and a shrimp.
I have: 1 blue hippo tang
1 yellow tang
2 false percs
2 yellow damsels
2 domino damsels
1 yellow tail damsel
1 velvet damsel
1 four striped damsel
1 spotted puffer
1 green brittle star
1 orange linka star
20 snails
20 hermits
1 cleaner clam
1 coral banded shrimp
1 sally light foot
1 emerald crab
1 feather duster
1 yellow finger fan
1 green ricordia polyp
and the yellow polyp colony (which also has some red polyps on it)
Tanks 55 gal been running about 3 years and alls been in for the last 3 or 4 months, I feed once a day and add calcium and invert food and buffer
smarls
Member
Drink,
Your nitrates are high because your tank is REALLY crowded and you have to feed those fish every day. Also, I think the UGF is probably adding to your nitrates, as they are known to be nitrate builders. Finally the CC will adding to your nitrates, again a nitrate factory (depending on how often you vacuum the sand bed). I have CC and I have to vacuum it all the time...it is a pain, but unless I am willing to get all the CC out and add only sand, I (and you) have no choice.
That nitrate reading wont affect fish that much (if it has been a FO tank) but it will do a number on coral. So that could be your problem. reef tanks are really different from the FO tanks, and coral is a lot less tolerant of water parameters.
Also for coral, if I am reading your post correctly, your lighting seems a little low to me. 80 watts over a 55 is not very much lighting, and really will not sustain much from a coral perspective...even yellowm polyps will ahve a hard time with that lighting.
I would look to those two problems first. Get your nitrates inline with water changes and long term fixes (less fish, less feeding, remove the UGF, and vacuum the sand). Second improve your lighitng.
HTH,
Stewart
Your nitrates are high because your tank is REALLY crowded and you have to feed those fish every day. Also, I think the UGF is probably adding to your nitrates, as they are known to be nitrate builders. Finally the CC will adding to your nitrates, again a nitrate factory (depending on how often you vacuum the sand bed). I have CC and I have to vacuum it all the time...it is a pain, but unless I am willing to get all the CC out and add only sand, I (and you) have no choice.
That nitrate reading wont affect fish that much (if it has been a FO tank) but it will do a number on coral. So that could be your problem. reef tanks are really different from the FO tanks, and coral is a lot less tolerant of water parameters.
Also for coral, if I am reading your post correctly, your lighting seems a little low to me. 80 watts over a 55 is not very much lighting, and really will not sustain much from a coral perspective...even yellowm polyps will ahve a hard time with that lighting.
I would look to those two problems first. Get your nitrates inline with water changes and long term fixes (less fish, less feeding, remove the UGF, and vacuum the sand). Second improve your lighitng.
HTH,
Stewart
drink1297
New Member
makes alot of sense, I was just lazy and didn't want to remove the cc. Maybe I should....
But the polyps are only supposed to need medium lighting, and I do have them halfway up the tank, and the lights right on plexiglass sitting on the tank. Also I have been reading that corals use nitrate and help reduce the levels, is that true?
Anywho I appreciate the help, and water changes I know are a must, and I will start cleaning the sand bed, I never have done that.
But the polyps are only supposed to need medium lighting, and I do have them halfway up the tank, and the lights right on plexiglass sitting on the tank. Also I have been reading that corals use nitrate and help reduce the levels, is that true?
Anywho I appreciate the help, and water changes I know are a must, and I will start cleaning the sand bed, I never have done that.
smarls
Member
Yeah cleaning the sand bed would be a good start...I think you will see how much stuff is in there when you vacuum it...it always amazes me every time I clean it how dirty it gets in a short period of time.
Yellow polyps really do not need much light, and I would agree that they are a medium light coral. However, IMHO, I think that 80 watts over a 55 is "low light". I have 240 watts of PC over a 55 and I consider that "medium light". It is not just the wattage you should look at, but the type of lights...and in the big picture, PC lights are not "strong" compared to other lights (like MH).
Corals can help clean the water slightly, but more accurately, they do not "dirty" the water
like fish. I think that is a better way of looking at it rather than them cleaning the water. Either way, the coral will only survive if the water parameters are wihtin acceptable paramters to start with...otherwise the coral will die, adding amonia to the water, and making the entire situaiton worse than it was before. Kind of like an evil cycle.
Anyways good luck, and I think the vacuuming will be a good start. That and lots of water changes for a month or so, and you water conditions should improve a lot.
HTH
Stewart
Yellow polyps really do not need much light, and I would agree that they are a medium light coral. However, IMHO, I think that 80 watts over a 55 is "low light". I have 240 watts of PC over a 55 and I consider that "medium light". It is not just the wattage you should look at, but the type of lights...and in the big picture, PC lights are not "strong" compared to other lights (like MH).
Corals can help clean the water slightly, but more accurately, they do not "dirty" the water
like fish. I think that is a better way of looking at it rather than them cleaning the water. Either way, the coral will only survive if the water parameters are wihtin acceptable paramters to start with...otherwise the coral will die, adding amonia to the water, and making the entire situaiton worse than it was before. Kind of like an evil cycle.
Anyways good luck, and I think the vacuuming will be a good start. That and lots of water changes for a month or so, and you water conditions should improve a lot.
HTH
Stewart
ctgretzky9
Member
Funny you posted this....i have a clove polyp colony and some zoos and as they overgrow the rock they are on, they fall off and get moved about the tank in the current until they fall into a crevice or corner. The weird thing is, that these seem to be doing better than the original colonies they have come from!
Any ideas why that might be?
Any ideas why that might be?
rubberduck
Active Member
Originally Posted by ctgretzky9
Funny you posted this....i have a clove polyp colony and some zoos and as they overgrow the rock they are on, they fall off and get moved about the tank in the current until they fall into a crevice or corner. The weird thing is, that these seem to be doing better than the original colonies they have come from!
Any ideas why that might be?
are they in equal light and flow?
Funny you posted this....i have a clove polyp colony and some zoos and as they overgrow the rock they are on, they fall off and get moved about the tank in the current until they fall into a crevice or corner. The weird thing is, that these seem to be doing better than the original colonies they have come from!
Any ideas why that might be?
are they in equal light and flow?
smarls
Member
Gretzky,
I have a thought, although I have no scientific support for it!
First, just to be clear, your question is completely differnet than the original question posted. In the original question, polyps were dropping from stress, not from a lack of space. Your "problem" is a result of great water quality and the coral flourishing...the original problem was a result of poor water quality negatively affecting the coral, and the coral reacting in an attempt to find better parameters.
In you case my guess would be that the "daughter colonies" are "stronger" than the original colony. I do not know if your original colony was wild or tank raised, but either way, it wasn't tank raised in your own specific tank. However, these daughter colonies are tank raised, and are tank raised in your exact parpameters. So if we start with an assumption that all things being equal, tank raised corals are far better at aclimatizing to aquarium conditions than are wild colonies are, then I would guess (although again, I have no scientific knowledge for this) that tank raised, in your own tank, is even "stronger" for purposes of surviving in your specific tank.
Anyways, hopefully that makes sense. Either way, whatever you are doing, keep doing it!
HTH
Stewart
I have a thought, although I have no scientific support for it!
First, just to be clear, your question is completely differnet than the original question posted. In the original question, polyps were dropping from stress, not from a lack of space. Your "problem" is a result of great water quality and the coral flourishing...the original problem was a result of poor water quality negatively affecting the coral, and the coral reacting in an attempt to find better parameters.
In you case my guess would be that the "daughter colonies" are "stronger" than the original colony. I do not know if your original colony was wild or tank raised, but either way, it wasn't tank raised in your own specific tank. However, these daughter colonies are tank raised, and are tank raised in your exact parpameters. So if we start with an assumption that all things being equal, tank raised corals are far better at aclimatizing to aquarium conditions than are wild colonies are, then I would guess (although again, I have no scientific knowledge for this) that tank raised, in your own tank, is even "stronger" for purposes of surviving in your specific tank.
Anyways, hopefully that makes sense. Either way, whatever you are doing, keep doing it!
HTH
Stewart
ctgretzky9
Member
Rubberduck,
No, they are in completely different flows and light etc. all over the tank now. The original colony looks fine, nothing out of the ordinary except they dont seem as bright and "hairy" as the ones that have overgrown the rock and fallen off....which brings me to...
Stewart....actually, I think your insight may be 100% right on, I didnt think of that. Makes total sense, as the clove polyps are acting in the same respect. I think you have provided me with the answer.
Thank you :happy:
No, they are in completely different flows and light etc. all over the tank now. The original colony looks fine, nothing out of the ordinary except they dont seem as bright and "hairy" as the ones that have overgrown the rock and fallen off....which brings me to...
Stewart....actually, I think your insight may be 100% right on, I didnt think of that. Makes total sense, as the clove polyps are acting in the same respect. I think you have provided me with the answer.
Thank you :happy: