Difficult SPS corals

honkit · February 2, 2017

A thread to share and discuss about challenging SPS species.

For me, it's Acropora spathulata (Aussie thick millepora lookalike) and Acropora Hyacinthus (Fiji version).

They grow well, keep their bright colours then mysteriously have their flesh recede until they eventually die.

A.Spathulatha

Acropora-spathulata-Aussie-Colony-3-Fron

A. Hyacinthus

Acropora-hyacinthus-Pink-Tabling-Colony-

aidil257 · February 2, 2017

Thanks for the info...interesting..

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cedricang · February 2, 2017

6 hours ago, honkit said:

A thread to share and discuss about challenging SPS species.

For me, it's Acropora spathulata (Aussie thick millepora lookalike) and Acropora Hyacinthus (Fiji version).

They grow well, keep their bright colours then mysteriously have their flesh recede until they eventually die.

A.Spathulatha

A. Hyacinthus

Hehehe... you missed out my blue spathulata that day ? It was my second try and got it survived ( touched wood ) for almost 2 years and counting. Very very surprising to have it colored under 250mh and colors holding well under good nutrient.

My guess is that they need enough nutrient to sustain their vitality, in the wild they have no issue but when comes to ulns system, it becomes a challenge.

cedricang · February 2, 2017

Here's the blue spathulata, deeper blue over time. Have been providing nutrients ever since and notice good health is attained so far.

honkit · February 7, 2017

On 2/2/2017 at 8:09 PM, cedricang said:

Hehehe... you missed out my blue spathulata that day ? It was my second try and got it survived ( touched wood ) for almost 2 years and counting. Very very surprising to have it colored under 250mh and colors holding well under good nutrient.

My guess is that they need enough nutrient to sustain their vitality, in the wild they have no issue but when comes to ulns system, it becomes a challenge.

I missed spotting your spathulatha. So sphathulatas need higher nutrient levels? Interesting as they are from Australian waters which are more pristine than Indonesian waters where the majority of our SPS corals are from. The irony is that I can keep strawberry shortcake acroporas (A.microclados) another Aussie endemic well coloured and growing yet struggle with Sphathulata.

cedricang · February 7, 2017

7 hours ago, honkit said:

I missed spotting your spathulatha. So sphathulatas need higher nutrient levels? Interesting as they are from Australian waters which are more pristine than Indonesian waters where the majority of our SPS corals are from. The irony is that I can keep strawberry shortcake acroporas (A.microclados) another Aussie endemic well coloured and growing yet struggle with Sphathulata.

Yes, it seems irony that aussie spathulata coming from a prestine water could thrive under a higher nutrient systems.

As you know currently I am running on 2 different system at different nutrient level. I have tried a few times to see how the same spathulata behave in mine 2 different nutrient levels. It turns out that almost all the trials gave the same results, that the frags under the higher nutrient system produce better color and survival rate is significant higher.

I have to repeat this a few more times to draw a conclusion, but so far the past 3 trials proves to be so :lol: