pink birds nest question

gwhook · Jan 20, 2014

I have a pink birds nest and it is doing well but it has changed and I am not sure why. The first picture is a few months ago and the secon it current. It had lost its long slender look and gotten stubby. My first guess would be water flow, but it does not have much flow on it.

Rob.D · Jan 20, 2014

That's strange, what are your Alk/Cal/mag levels? Looks like you have a bit of Hair Algae, have you tested Phos?

gwhook · Jan 20, 2014

Well phos is 0 cal runs normal not sure of the mag. It is still growing and staying pinkish it just morphed into something else

gwhook · Jan 20, 2014

gwhook said:
Well phos is 0 cal runs normal not sure of the mag. It is still growing and staying pinkish it just morphed into something else

It has always had the green algae in it I have to pull it out from time to time.

Rob.D · Jan 20, 2014

The only ways I know that can alter the growth pattern is flow, high phosphates/nitrates and/or mis balanced cal/alk. The answer might be beyond my knowledge.

mike007 · Jan 20, 2014

The problem with birdsnest is is they grow quickly and the bottom branches do not receive enough light and they start fading away.

CastAway · Jan 21, 2014

Wow. That is very interesting. Tagging along...

seased · Jan 21, 2014

I agree with Rob on a cal/alk/mag issue. How are you measuring your phosphates?

gwhook · Jan 21, 2014

Cal tested with Salifert kit around430 a little low but OK I think, Phos API kit and it is 0. I do not have a mag kit so I am not sure.

cee · Jan 21, 2014

It just looks like it is on steroids at the moment. All the white tips are new growth points. Just not sure what is causing it to do that...

Rob.D · Jan 21, 2014

gwhook said:
Cal tested with Salifert kit around430 a little low but OK I think, Phos API kit and it is 0. I do not have a mag kit so I am not sure.

Gary, you're more than welcome to borrow my Hanna phos tester.

NanoPoseidon · Jan 21, 2014

Looks like a growth spurt to me.... As far as your po4 readings... It could still be an issue and the algae is just using it all... Which could still yield a 0 reading... Nice bird though!

Velodog2 · Jan 22, 2014

That is weird. I had tentatively assumed that the tightness of the branching was inherent to the specimen and didn't know that it it could change that much. I would have guessed a change in lighting.

I have one similar except it has always grown very tight, just like your second pic. It was purchased that way. It is in high light and flow and the branches are not only tight but are bending downward. it also grows slowly.

GHill762 · Jan 22, 2014

whoa.. craziness..

TJ's Reef · Jan 22, 2014

cee said:
It just looks like it is on steroids at the moment. All the white tips are new growth points. Just not sure what is causing it to do that...

Agreed, and it's about to explode with new growth which will have those nice pointed tips once again. Higher flow and/or water flow will cause Seriatopora sp to grow more solidly like this compared to ones in lower light and flow which have more of a lace-like appearance.

Cheers, Todd

Rob.D · Jan 22, 2014

TJ's Reef said:
Agreed, and it's about to explode with new growth which will have those nice pointed tips once again. Higher flow and/or water flow will cause Seriatopora sp to grow more solidly like this compared to ones in lower light and flow which have more of a lace-like appearance.

Cheers, Todd

That's a good point, when I had the colony it was low in the tank away from direct flow.

Gary does it have more direct flow now?

Velodog2 · Jan 22, 2014

Or did you change anything about the lighting? Extend the photoperiod? Replace bulbs? Clean a splash guard? Improve water clarity with a large water change?

gwhook · Jan 22, 2014

well I purchased it from Rob some time back. It looked like the first picture but just not pink lol,sorry Rob. I placed in my tank in about the same location it was in his tank. The light came from Rob as well and was the light he had over it. After a couple of months it pinked up very nicely. Now several months later it looks like the second picture. Now that being said. Just above it is one of my returns from my overflow. It is not directly flowing on it but just in front of it. Also my WP 40 is on the same side of the tank. It does not flow directly on the birds nest but is 8 or so inches from it. I do have a good wave going. Maybe this is the reason it has thickened up. I did have a issue with nitrates for a couple of months. They wer over 40 and as high as 60. I was finially able to get them back down to almost , but they were high for 2 to 3 months.

Velodog2 · Jan 22, 2014

Ok, so it sounds like it has simply acclimatized to your tank, and then when you got the nitrates under control it simply decided it liked where it was and went nuts. All good.