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Snowsrfr 
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 Topic: Polyp Extension
Posted: December 27 2010 at 10:49am |
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Recently I've noticed poor polyp extension on some of my SPS that normally have great PE. Oddly, some still have fine polyp extension. Some with poor PE are green mili, ATL Shades of Fall, ORA Red Planet, sunset monti, German Green polyp, German blue polyp, etc...While I still have good PE on hynophora (sp?), birdnest, red digitata, Idaho Grape, etc...
Checked all my levels yesterday and the only thing I could find is Alk a little high (yet still in range) and Ca a little low (yet still in range).
SG 1.024
P04 0
Amm 0
Nitrate 0
Alk 12
Ca 350
pH 8.1-8.2
Mag 1400
Which do you believe to have more impact on PE, Ca or Alk, or could both being slightly out of whack be the problem?
Anything else I should be checking for due to a sudden decrease in PE?
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"A fish tank is not a pet. It's a TV that you gotta feed." - John Caparulo
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Tresa
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Posted: December 27 2010 at 11:11am |
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What fish do you have? My clown goby eats the polyps when they come out.....
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Snowsrfr
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Posted: December 27 2010 at 11:37am |
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I too suspected a fish nipping too, but after hours of watching I haven't noticed a culprit.
I have the following fish:
Banded sleeper goby
Scooter blenny
Tailspot blenny
African flameback angel
Kole tang
Six line wrasse
Percula clown
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"A fish tank is not a pet. It's a TV that you gotta feed." - John Caparulo
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DLindquist
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Posted: December 27 2010 at 11:45am |
Until I recently got rid of my two clown goby's, I had NO polyp extension. Besides what appeared to be the occasionally nip, I never realized what a difference the goby's made. After a visit to Jared's and seeing the extreme polyp extension his tank had, he mentioned the possible problem with the goby's. Now, all my SPS produce polyps and my tank looks completely different.
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A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have.
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Tresa
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Posted: December 27 2010 at 4:47pm |
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Not to get off track but how did you get them out? Sorry to hijack!
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DLindquist
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Posted: December 27 2010 at 10:37pm |
My clown goby's loved hanging out in the coral colonies. This is also where they laid many batches of eggs- also damaging my coral colonies. After wasting hours and hours trying to net them.......
 I actually started a siphon with a 1" hose and sucked them out. They never saw it coming. They sustained no injury and are doing very well in their new homes. |
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A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have.
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: December 28 2010 at 9:43am |
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Look for red bugs. The corals that you mentioned having good PE don't get attacked by red bugs while the others do (for the most part).
If you don't see a fish picking on them, my bet is red bugs.
Edited by Ryan Thompson - December 28 2010 at 9:55am
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Snowsrfr
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Posted: December 28 2010 at 9:55am |
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Think I may have found the culprit!
Called my wife from work this morning to have her check and see if the affected corals had any polyp extension with the lights out. She told me no, but there was a green crab curled up on one of the colonies. Looks like my emerald crab has been climbing on the corals around his lair, or at least I hope that is what it is. When I think about it, all the corals that are closed up are in the vicinity of where the emerald crab hangs out, while the lower colonies/frags away from his home are unaffected.
He has been banished to the refugium in my sump, and I hope to see some polyp extension once again.
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"A fish tank is not a pet. It's a TV that you gotta feed." - John Caparulo
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