Acropora Growth

[Hardy_Reef]

Is it common for an acropora's polyps along the base retract while a new branch is growing? The upper 3/4 of my Green Slimer frag has great PE and solid coloration while the lower portion is slightly paler with partially retracted polyps.

My other acros are in good health and continue to encrust, maintain coloration and have started to grow new branches.

I'll post parameters if necessary.

 

[ndrwater]

Corals generally grow from the tips and not from the base.
Look into flow issues or potentially even pests

 

[Daddy-o]

I had issues with mine when I was running an LED fixture. I think it was because the LED doesnt add the lighting depth that it needed.
Cheers! Mark

 

[C. Eymann]

Look out for the possibility of a vermitid snail irritating the base or possibly another coral nearby stinging the base at night with sweepers.

 

[Hardy_Reef]

Corals generally grow from the tips and not from the base.
Look into flow issues or potentially even pests

I'll alter the flow a little and see how that does. So far I haven't seen any pests up close but I'll keep looking.

 

[Hardy_Reef]

I had issues with mine when I was running an LED fixture. I think it was because the LED doesnt add the lighting depth that it needed.
Cheers! Mark

I've had decent luck with LEDs so far. I'm running two AI Hydra 26s on a Red Sea Reefer 350. All my SPS are at the top portion of the system.

 

[Hardy_Reef]

Look out for the possibility of a vermitid snail irritating the base or possibly another coral nearby stinging the base at night with sweepers.

I'll keep an eye out for the snails. There aren't any other corals in the vicinity.

 

[Hardy_Reef]

Attached is a current photo of the coral in question with the flow off.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Check and double check salinity
Check for pests
What is alk and ph readings?
Moderate water flow and lighting

 

[jda]

If it is not growing in that shadowy part, then it is a point-source light thing. Can happen with puck-style LEDs and MH without, or with super small, reflectors. If this is it, then it will get worse as stuff grows. This is why people add T5s to their puck LEDs as stuff grows.

However, what I am looking at looks totally fine. If it is encrusting, then you are good. I would not worry about this unless it gets worse.

 

[Hardy_Reef]

Check and double check salinity
Check for pests
What is alk and ph readings?
Moderate water flow and lighting

Salinity is at 1.025 sg on my Hanna Checker and Refractometer
No visible pests at this point
pH is at 8.2 and holding steady for well over 6 months prior to addition of these SPS. Alk currently at 7.9 dKH.
Flow in the tank (not including filtration) turns over approximately 75x per hour. Lighting is an AB+ schedule on Hydra 26s at 80%

If it is not growing in that shadowy part, then it is a point-source light thing. Can happen with puck-style LEDs and MH without, or with super small, reflectors. If this is it, then it will get worse as stuff grows. This is why people add T5s to their puck LEDs as stuff grows.

However, what I am looking at looks totally fine. If it is encrusting, then you are good. I would not worry about this unless it gets worse.

Thank you for the insight. The section I was asking about is on the right side near the base.

I'm new to keeping acropora, so I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything to worry about. I'm not seeing any tissue loss, just a sudden change in usual PE.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Attached is a current photo of the coral in question with the flow off.

Looks very normal

 

[danoo]

My tangs nip at the base of some of my acros, especially ones that look like they could be algae. So if you have tangs that could be the source of the issue. I don't consider it a big deal but they certainly irritate some corals from time to time.