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  #1  
Old 12/28/2007, 01:15 AM
ScubaDiver93 ScubaDiver93 is offline
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Acro difficulty

What makes some acros harder to keep than others? light, flow?
  #2  
Old 12/28/2007, 03:27 AM
ScubaDiver93 ScubaDiver93 is offline
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Anyone know?
  #3  
Old 12/28/2007, 09:39 AM
al abaqueta al abaqueta is offline
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Hey there, In my opinion, it is the varying degrees of requirements based on which species of acros you are dealing with. Some require soo much more light than others and there are those that require more flow. then, once you have figured that out, some are so sensitive to the parameters, i.e. nitrates, dKH, calcium,that they don't reach their full potential as far as color. there is also the unknown, how the coral thrives in your system. these are just some of the nuances of this hobby that I have dealt with regarding the different species of acroporas. Hope this helps. Al
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  #4  
Old 12/28/2007, 10:25 AM
cwegescheide cwegescheide is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by al abaqueta
Hey there, In my opinion, it is the varying degrees of requirements based on which species of acros you are dealing with. Some require soo much more light than others and there are those that require more flow. then, once you have figured that out, some are so sensitive to the parameters, i.e. nitrates, dKH, calcium,that they don't reach their full potential as far as color. there is also the unknown, how the coral thrives in your system. these are just some of the nuances of this hobby that I have dealt with regarding the different species of acroporas. Hope this helps. Al
I agree with Al. Its a balance between water parameters (I have some SPS that actually look much better with a little nitrates and then others look like crap. I lower the nitrates and then its the reverse) Some corals respond very well to high flow then others can't handle it. Sometimes this hobby is aggrivating that way.
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  #5  
Old 12/28/2007, 01:43 PM
ScubaDiver93 ScubaDiver93 is offline
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So what species of acro are easier to keep and what are a little more difficult?
  #6  
Old 12/28/2007, 02:13 PM
hockeyismylife hockeyismylife is offline
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mille is one of the easier ones.
  #7  
Old 12/28/2007, 02:16 PM
Kip Kip is offline
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"stags" are generally easy
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  #8  
Old 12/28/2007, 02:38 PM
hobbysalty hobbysalty is offline
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IMHO, I also think it is important to think about where the sps came from and how long it has been in that system.
  #9  
Old 12/28/2007, 03:19 PM
Sullyman Sullyman is offline
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Monti digi and caps are probably the easiest.
  #10  
Old 12/28/2007, 04:39 PM
Kip Kip is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sullyman
Monti digi and caps are probably the easiest.
if only they were acros

just kidding

i guess you read the OP too fast. I do it all of the time.
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  #11  
Old 12/28/2007, 05:27 PM
Acro-Phobia Acro-Phobia is offline
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If you have a perfect system, they all grow well. Most of us don't so the ones that grow better are the ones that can make use of own not so pristene tanks. Those that have better polyp extensions do well because they can feed well on junk is the water as well as light. Best growers for me are the Millies and the Postratas. The staghorns seem to do well too because they can remove waste easier with less than optimum water flow. That's not a real scientific answer, but one that has been passed down from other reefers.
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  #12  
Old 12/28/2007, 05:32 PM
Phyxius Phyxius is offline
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I have tried a few acros and out of 3 only had one that really took off. I bought a small Acropora Tenius thats yellow with blue tips and have fragged it off and created new colonies a few times. The other acros are still there but really have not grown as well.
I guess it may be some systems are ideal for one or another and some are good for all and some none......
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  #13  
Old 12/28/2007, 05:33 PM
Sullyman Sullyman is offline
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LOL, Kip, they are easy to keep though. I did read too quick and just thought sps, not acros.
  #14  
Old 12/28/2007, 07:43 PM
Jorgens Jorgens is offline
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My poor staghorn has been thru hell and back considering I'm new. Parmater swings, constant re-arranging and it's still trucking on. Not growing like I'd like it but it's pulled thru some serious rookie mistakes.

I gotta stags are pretty hardy, also birdsnest seem to be pretty forgiving. imho
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  #15  
Old 12/28/2007, 08:24 PM
mysterybox mysterybox is offline
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IMHO, if ya got the lights, got the flow, got the stability (around a year at least), then just control your phosphates to below 0.024. (Maybe nitrates around 0.5, too)
then, it's fairly easy..............
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  #16  
Old 12/28/2007, 08:42 PM
whirley whirley is offline
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CA reactors are a MUST, imho...
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  #17  
Old 12/28/2007, 08:51 PM
mysterybox mysterybox is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by whirley
CA reactors are a MUST, imho...
disagree......I use 2 part b-ionic with great success!
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  #18  
Old 12/28/2007, 09:07 PM
bluetmax bluetmax is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by mysterybox
disagree......I use 2 part b-ionic with great success!
Same here...I switched "methods" one time, and everything I had started dying. I have never owned a calcium reactor, but I have seen beautiful tanks with and without them.
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  #19  
Old 12/28/2007, 11:08 PM
Jorgens Jorgens is offline
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I've seen beautiful tanks with 2-part. But most have dosing pumps. I'm learning the hard way that it seems to be a must. Stability. flow. lights.
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  #20  
Old 12/28/2007, 11:56 PM
ScubaDiver93 ScubaDiver93 is offline
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What do you use to dose b-ionic?
  #21  
Old 12/29/2007, 12:01 AM
Jorgens Jorgens is offline
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I'm currently using baby bottles. 75ml a day and it takes about an hour to drip in. however over the next 23 hours the alk drops off and that stresses SPS and I believe that's part of my problem. 1/2 don't mind 1/2 died. Even using kalk top-off water on a float valve.

But I'm a rookie at this so take my advice with a grain of salt.
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  #22  
Old 12/29/2007, 12:07 AM
ScubaDiver93 ScubaDiver93 is offline
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Does b-ionic work better then a kalkwasser drip?
  #23  
Old 12/29/2007, 01:18 AM
mysterybox mysterybox is offline
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I just use a cheap aqua medic 2 pump doser. I change the pump lines once a year.
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  #24  
Old 12/29/2007, 01:28 AM
dots dots is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by ScubaDiver93
Does b-ionic work better then a kalkwasser drip?
Opinions vary in every instance there is more than one way to do something, which is about everything when it comes to this hobby and SPS.

There is now real "cookbook" recipe for SPS, and that is what draws myself and a great many others to this aspect of the hobby.

To get to your original question, tolerance to change is what makes an "easy" SPS compared to a "hard" SPS to keep alive. If you start slow, learn from your mistakes, and are contantly trying to do better than yesterday, in the end, eventually they will ALL be easy to you. However, that takes a while..........

There are people that have been successfull with SPS using countless methods, the best advice I can suggest: Take a look at the tanks you admire, and determine what they do, how they do it and which of these techniques attract you.
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  #25  
Old 12/29/2007, 03:35 AM
mixed_reefer mixed_reefer is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by dots
If you start slow, learn from your mistakes, and are contantly trying to do better than yesterday, in the end, eventually they will ALL be easy to you.
Thats some fantastic advice, very well said.
 

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