secrets?

[Cloran]

Can anybody tell me any tricks or secrets to keeping Acro's? I can't keep them for the life of me.

[youngtimothy]

good flow, high lighting, and stable calcium (430) ALK (9dkh) mag(around 1500) no nitrates, no phospates, good clean water and a lot of luck! I have 8 now, Ive lost a couple hopefully no more. also your softies may doing the chemical warfare thing with them, if your not running carbon. I dont run carbon but I dont have softies. hope this helps, good luck.

[Cloran]

flow, they were under my return
lighting= 175 MH
CA= always around 450
MAG= dose weekly
nitrates= undectectable
phospate= running reactor
carbon= I'll give it a shot, not running right now
%25 bi-weekly water changes

[youngtimothy]

how about ALK everything else looks good

[Cloran]

Never really tested that one, have to get around to doing it. I know at one point it was a hair low

[marinelife]

Do you have hair algae in this tank?

[youngtimothy]

alk could be the problem. acros dont like low alk here is a good read about cal and alk.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

[Cloran]

I got a little hair algae but its going away. I just have 2 little spots left on the back glass.

[marinelife]

Is this in your 20, if so it could be the soft corals causing issues. They release chemicals into the water that can effect SPS Corals. 24/7 carbon can help.

Also you may notice a difference once the hair algae is gone. You have phosphates that must be getting lower with reactor running since you say the algae is going away. Phosphates hurt SPS corals so you will need to always run the reactor.

Also check the acro for Flatworms and Red Bugs!! They are a pain and will kill your acropora.

[Cloran]

Well i'm working on getting more phosban just ran out. Also starting carbon today and let it run for awhile

[reefboy]

the biggest thing is stability in chemistry there really isn't a magic number as long as you keep certain parameters within range like Cal above 400 and Ph around 8.0 without much of a fluctuation I have seen more people crash there tanks by trying to get that perfect parameter number I guess what Im saying is there is a set number for a reason but it dosnt mean a coral wont do well if its a little lower then said numbers and I have lost corals Ive had for years with the perfect parameters with no rime or reason and another just like it 2ft away doing great which brings up passing on frags to others as backup is always a good idea so if the worst should happen you can get it back.

[reefboy]

also as was mentioned you need to have a good skimmer or run carbon if keeping softies in a tank the size of yours most sps dont do well agaisnt softy's

[TechGuy40]

the biggest thing is stability in chemistry there really isn't a magic number as long as you keep certain parameters within range like Cal above 400 and Ph around 8.0 without much of a fluctuation I have seen more people crash there tanks by trying to get that perfect parameter number I guess what Im saying is there is a set number for a reason but it dosnt mean a coral wont do well if its a little lower then said numbers and I have lost corals Ive had for years with the perfect parameters with no rime or reason and another just like it 2ft away doing great which brings up passing on frags to others as backup is always a good idea so if the worst should happen you can get it back.


I think you said it perfect, stability is more important than the perfect parameters. This is where people crash tanks, striving for the perfect parameters.

[marinelife]

So true!!!!

[reefboy]

another trick I found is good Iodide supplement is always good on a regular basis. I do weekly, besides its natural benefits I have seen a reduction in coral tissue recession for no reason and stuff seem's to heal faster after fragging.

[marinelife]

What Iodide supplement are you using?

[reefboy]

I use Kent Marines "Lugals Salution"

[marinelife]

Thanks, I will have to try that sometime!

[chromiumlux]

I've been using Warner Marine Iodide. Seems to work good. I'm on a weekly basis also.