Why do my lps look so bad?

hng · 01-10-2007, 10:15 AM

This is really starting to bug me. I've had a torch and branching hammer for several months now and they look nowhere like they did when I first got them. They look better, but not nearly as good. I also recently got a frogspawn a month ago and he is slowly losing his "tentacle" expansion. At first, i thought I had too much light, the torch and hammer came from a PC system with not much light. I tuned my lights down (T5HO) and they do look better now with more expansion. However, the frogspawn came from a brightly lit halide tank (75 gal, 2 X 250 20K) and so I thought my light level would be about the same or maybe a little less. All the other corals are doing well (except for montis): acro with great PE, xenia, anthelia, zoas, mushrooms, GSP, colt. My coralline algae has been doing great this past month too. I don't have current pics, but these will give you an idea. All three corals are in the same area of the tank with moderate flow and moderate (frogspawn) to low (torch and hammer) light.

Original pic of torch

few months later (it looks better than this now)

Original pic of branching hammer

few months later (it looks worse than this now - tentacles less expanded and color more opaque)

Original pic of frogspawn

tashier · 01-10-2007, 10:24 AM

I seem to have the same trouble with my LPS. They seem to be awful touchy. My torch was doing great in my temporary tank while I was rebuilding my tank. Now back in the main tank it isn't expanding out very much. I haven't been able to nail down the problem yet.

hng · 01-10-2007, 10:30 AM

I'm not sure what's going on either. At first, I thought maybe water parameters. Calcium is about 440, alk 9 dKh, temp steady 79-80, don't have a phosphate kit. I have had some cyano lately, but all this started way before I got cyano on my sand. I took a reflector off the T5 bulb directly above the corals and that did seem to help them expand more. So maybe lighting is the issue, but I wanted to see if I'm just missing something since I've seen people keep lps under very bright halides.

tashier · 01-10-2007, 10:37 AM

Yep, as far as I can see all my parameters are normal. I just tried moving my Torch farther away from my 400W MH lights to see if that makes a difference. I've had a frogspawn hanging on for dear life now for several months. It's nearly a goner. My SPS are all doing great.

JAWS74 · 01-10-2007, 03:32 PM

Do you use carbon or anything like it? Sprung still thinks that corals have chemical wars. Especially the LPS and softies. I think that part of the problem is the coral coming from a MH tank and not a T5 or VHO tank. You could try to check what the water parameters of the other tank was also. Good Luck!

hng · 01-10-2007, 04:49 PM

Jaws - I do run carbon in the sump all the time. I added phosban to the sump about one month ago. I had thought about the chemicals, but my acro is doing well.