SPS Growth

[bulldog123]

Would anyone know why a SPS would have new growth from the base and not the original piece? The orignal piece has not grown at all but there are two new pieces. One has about 2.5"-3" and the other about 2". The original has great polyp extension and color but no new growth. The other two have polyp extension, color, and white tips were they are growing.

 

[swalchemist]

You need to provide a lot more info to find an answer:
What size tank
What light system
What light spectrum
How many hours of photoperiod
What type power head and how much GPH
What other corals in the tank
What are your calcium, alk, and Mg levels as well as P04
These could help narrow it down a bit.

 

[spanko]

What type SPS are you talking about? A lot of them start to lay down a base spreading at the bottom before starting to put out new branches. Also if there was already a base started and some corallites are exposed there, they will grow faster exposed than the ones on the branch which are one the vertical pc. A lot of people will attach Aro branches laying down to expose more corallites to the light.

 

[bulldog123]

54g corner, sump, fuge, skimmer, phosphate reactor, 2" sandbed, 65lbs rock run a bag of carbon
mp40 on short pulse mode, gph on max
2 24" actinic 12hrs
2 24" 10000k 10hrs
250mh 8hrs
6 blue leds 24hrs
6 white leds 24hrs
calcium 400
alk 8
I will try to post a FTS tomorrow to show the different corals. Im not good with the names. I have attached an old pic of the sps in question. Its on the right side.
Thanks

 

[spanko]

A tad blurry but it almost looks like an ORA Red Planet Acro.
Here is a write up from ORA
"The ORA Red Planet is an absolutely stunning SPS coral (small polyped stony). This coral has a bright fluorescent green body with reddish pink growth tips and beautiful red polyps. This coral will have a pretty compact growth pattern and should table out nicely under the right conditions. The red planet is considered to by a pretty hardy coral. ORA worked with this particular strain for over two years before releasing it, starting with a single tiny fragment which was obtained from a hobbyist in Europe.
The Red Planet Table is a fast growing coral, and displays exceptional color under a wide variety of lighting conditions. "

 

[jackri]

Not to get too side tracked in thinking but is it possibly the coral is absorbing nutrients through the plug on the new growth?
I have frags of the same coral that some grow up and others out for no particular reason. In any case -- very pretty coral.

 

[spanko]

I guess anything is possible. But for me the encrusting of a frag is normally the first thing that happens. It sort of knows that the base has to be built up to hold the colony up. Also if you read some of Eric Borneman's stuff on coral the corallites that are exposed most to the light ar the ones that are going to grow first. So if some are shded out or perhaps are too vertical the othes that have the light available will be the ones to grow. Hope that made some sense.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3213441
I guess anything is possible. But for me the encrusting of a frag is normally the first thing that happens.
+1
I usually lay the frags down sideways to get a larger base. They start a little slower that way but they quickly catch up and form a real colony a lot faster.

 

[jackri]

Yeah that makes sense too. I know before I trade/sell a frag I like to see it encrusting on the plug first -- which also goes with getting a frag from a trade or buying it. To me it's a sign of health and you know it's growing.

 

[bulldog123]

Originally Posted by jackri
http:///forum/post/3213438
Not to get too side tracked in thinking but is it possibly the coral is absorbing nutrients through the plug on the new growth?
I have frags of the same coral that some grow up and others out for no particular reason. In any case -- very pretty coral.
I take it its next to impossible to really give an answer. It just seems so odd that the orignal piece would not grow at all but there is so much new growth off of the plate/base.
Thanks for the replies and when I do start fragging I will start them laying down. Sorry the pic is so bad but I dont think a new one would be much better because the tank is a corner tank. Any suggestion on that problem would also be appreciated.