xenia, gsp, clove and Yellow polyps growth

Discussion in 'Soft Corals' started by conjuay, Oct 3, 2008.

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  1. conjuay

    conjuay Feather Duster

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    I keep hearing how quickly these corals can become problems in your tank, overgrowing everything else.

    I've had xenia, and green star polyps in my tank for five months...
    No increase in size or numbers, in fact the GSP has still not overgrown the small square plug it came on! (the xenia has not done much either...)
    I also have a 'plain Jane' brown clove, that the previous owner cursed about how fast it spread, -no real growth ...

    But now, the yellow polyps are a different matter, it is going to own this tank one day! I have taken the original plug and set it on a spot for a week, remove the plug, and there is a colony of six of eight polyps stuck to the rocks.

    How can one of the four be so much more dominant? Is it just that the yellow polyp is better at capturing food from the water column?

    I use carbon, so I don't think there is a chemical advantage.
    Any thoughts? I'd really like to see them all prosper.:confused:
     
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  3. silverwolf72

    silverwolf72 Skunk Shrimp

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    Lake Forest CA
    Whats your PH, ALK and Cal; nitrate levels?
     
  4. ssgheislerswife

    ssgheislerswife Ritteri Anemone

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    Location:
    Maumelle, AR
    I heard the same thing about a Kenya Tree, "You'll be SORRY next month when your favorite coral has a Kenya growing on it!" It's the same size it was when I got it in August. It's open and beautiful, but not spreading everywhere.

    What are your parameters for Mg, Calcium and dKH? What lighting fixture do you have?

    Also, do you have blue or pink xenia. In my limited experience, one grows faster than the other.

    Ginny
     
  5. conjuay

    conjuay Feather Duster

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    dKH =16
    Ca =350
    pH =8.4
    'trates 10
    SG 1.023

    I did top off w/ kalkwasser last night, readings are from today...
    Ca is low, should I try to start bringing up the Ca? what would be good for that?
    I do have some two part(AquaPhilic brand), or just some sodium bicarbonate?

    As for what type of xenia, I would have to assume PINK...though, like with most corals I see, it looks more beige than anything;D
    Oh, 100 long tank, 530W of PC's.
    Xenia's up high, good flow.
     
  6. Terror A. Part

    Terror A. Part Astrea Snail

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    Location:
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    This was all started with a tiny, tiny, $10 frag. along with one single rock with about 4 or five mushrooms on it:

    [​IMG]

    Oh and I should probably add in that I keep my salinity really high. (at 36-38 ) I know it sounds silly, but I live in Florida, on the north east coast. I am a nerd, and I bring my hydrometer with me to the beach. It always tops out the hydrometer. I even bring it with me when I go to the Keys (we go at least twice a year) and it's the same there. Because of this, I disregard everything people tell me at the LFS about what your salinity "should" be. If Florida has the only living natural reefs in the country, why would I not set my parameters by that standard?

    It's worked well for me, but you do have to drip to acclimate EVERYTHING, especially inverts and fish, because the LFS keep their salinity so low. (they "claim" it prevents disease, but I think it's more of a cost issue when it comes to using salt IMHO) OH and also, Xenia like iodine dosing. Once a week. I also dose with Reef Vital DNA every other day.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2008
  7. conjuay

    conjuay Feather Duster

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    :eek:
    Now THAT is interesting!!!
    I'm also in FL, but I've NEVER thought of going to the beach with my refractometer!
    Once I read your comment, I googled "specific density of natural saltwater" and came up with this article:
    Aqua Craft®, Inc. Specific Gravity, Salinity, Density

    they list the carribean at 1.023-26, which is the closest reference to us as I could find. But they also indicated temperature and rain as factors! :-/

    The Red Sea seems to have a Specific Density near what you are listing. Specific gravity changes (especially in the shallows) with rain fall. Perhaps you were at the beach during a rather dry spell?
    But the fact remains, it is not only the xenia that is slow, the Green star polyp, and the clove polyps (both a green and a brown type) are not as prolific as everyone says they are.
    Yellow polyps will overgrow everything else in this tank in a year given my present rate of growth.
     
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  9. Terror A. Part

    Terror A. Part Astrea Snail

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    Well, like I said, I bring it every time I go--and I've been all over the coast on the east and west, north and south, all the way to the Keys...it always tops out, without exception.

    Also, I didn't post a pic, but I will in a minute (after I go and take one)...I have star polyps as well that are all over the place in this tank....
     
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  10. conjuay

    conjuay Feather Duster

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    You make it sound like all the time I spent trying to get my SG down from 1.026 by mixing weaker concentrations of replacement water was a waste of time!:confused:
    You gotta love a hobby where every opinion is 180 degrees out from everyone else's, where there is never a single point of consensus! Yeah, I'm hooked...
     
  11. JupiterSailfish

    JupiterSailfish Peppermint Shrimp

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    I live on the water and tested it getting 1.029 area. I remember it raining a lot that week though so that doesn't really give an accurate reading. I need to get a new one.
     
  12. Terror A. Part

    Terror A. Part Astrea Snail

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    Well, I mean, it just makes sense to me that if it's one way in nature that I would try to mimic what I see...obviously, by the pics, it works for me. It's fine for whatever they say in the LFS, I mean, the fact of the matter is in an LFS, the stock doesn't remain there for very long, and so you can't see if something is going to do well under those conditions over an extended period of time...they are in it to make money, so if you take something home and it lives and reproduces why would you go back to buy something? It makes sense to me that they would want for you to take it home and maybe it won't die right away, but many times your corals won't live for very long (week or month or two) and then you're back in there buying another piece...
    Ok, so maybe I'm unconventional, I don't disagree with you there, but the proof is in the pudding for me, and that's why I take my stuff to the beach :D

    [​IMG]