SPS Coral swapping

[Phang]

I have a poci (brown with green polyps), some acros (suppose to be green... but now brown)..

Ana a encrusting acro......

and of course LPS... if they ever interest you.....

[Tanzy]

I'll trade for a piece of the encrusting acro. When's a good time?

[Phang]

Sometime in Jan will be good....

Will let you know ... now to figure how to remove a piece for you....

[Tanzy]

Hammer and chisel!

[kelstorm]

hammer and chisel?? can use hands to break it off like ###### tat??

[Tanzy]

Kelstorm,

Depends on how dense is the skeleton of the coral. Some corals like A. humilis are very dense and thick, even shears have problem going through them in one clean cut. Others like A. pulchra can be broken off by tugging it with your little finger.

Attached is a picture of Robe's famous blue staghorn. The whole top surface is now dark blue in colour while the axial corallites are sky blue with brown polyps. It encrusted very quickly but I accidentally broke it off the LR when I was messing around with my pumps.

[Tanzy]

This is a picture of S. hispidus' green Hydnophora. It's an extremely good specimen, showing good polyp expansion half an hour after placing in my tank. It's a characteristic pastel green in colour.

[Stenopus Hispidus]

Glad to know its doing fine. So far your acro is doing well too. Pic taken on 7 Jan. Still keeping its purple tip. Let's hope it stays that way.

[Tanzy]

I hope so too. I'll recommend mounting the frag side ways or slanted to help it attain a more natural growth form and encrust more.

[Stenopus Hispidus]

Will do. Thanks for the advise.

[Achilles Tang]

I hope so too. I'll recommend mounting the frag side ways or slanted to help it attain a more natural growth form and encrust more.

Yeah... I mounted an acro frag almost horizontal and it is already branching out and upwards!

[mv3i]

juz checking with you guys .... what is the minimum / appropriate lightings for acros or even SPS in general ??

thanks

[Achilles Tang]

juz checking with you guys .... what is the minimum / appropriate lightings for acros or even SPS in general ??

thanks

As high as possible! If you want to see growth and colouration.

No kidding. 400 watts for 2" deep tanks. 250 watts is also possible but your acros have to placed higher.

I had a frag that was blue in somewhere else's tank which was lit by 500watts of lights and after a month or so in my tank, the frag has turned brown with only the tips blue.

My tank is lit with 300watts of HQI MHs... and I am trying to upgrade ASAP!

AT