Polyp extension. ...or lack thereof

C

Critter9905

What can I do to gain polyp extension on my SPS? All parameters are perfect with the exception of phosphates at .15.
I have polyps showing, but I don't get what I know I can. My polyps are just out. I want my SPS to look furry!
Is there something I can add? Any suggestions of supplements?
 
What kind of fish do you have and where do you keep your alkalinity? Any picking from curious fish will affect it as well as a higher alk in my experience. Red bugs will too along with several other variables including amount of nutrients available.
 
I dose kalkwasser or lime water made corals more vibrant and really good polyp extension when my red planet is out you cant see the skeleton

~introducing fish and coral into a electronically balanced body of water since 2007~
 
No red bugs that I can see. I looked all around online, and nothing I can see fits the description.

I have a purple tang, six-line, mandarin, foxface and two black ocelarris clowns. I don't ever see my fish pick at them. I keep my alk around 10 or so.

I use kalk for top-off.


This isn't something new, it's been like that since I've kept SPS.
Michael, the only thing I have with decent polyp extension is the plana I got from you.
Even milles don't have the extension you see when you think of polyp extension.
 
following along, as I have a few SPS that do not show polyps that much when others even in the same area. I will have to start checking alk a little more often as I have seen it rise up to 12 as I use kawlk in my ATO water. Also use Cal in the ATO but my cal is never higher than 450 usually floats around 420-430.
 
@Matt wrote:
I have never seen any research that shows SPS polyp extension as being an indicator of good health. I've seen countless tanks with thriving SPS that didn't have great PE. Just something to consider. http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/general-sps-discussion/57132-polyp-extention.html said:
Interesting read, Well then I am not to concerned about it now. As I do get good growth out of my SPS and am using a lot of LEDs on the tank now.
Click to expand...
 
I have no scientific research to back what I think about this, but I have some thoughts, and questions about this:

The polyps extend, as I understand it, to collect food particles from the water. If the coral is not hungry, would it extend it's polyps? I am thinking that it wouldn't because it has no need to leave it's polyps out where they could potentially suffer injury.

If there is little opportunity to collect food from the water, would the coral keep it's polyps out of harms way? I am thinking that it probably would, and that no food particles in the water would make it pointless for the coral to extend polyps. Why bother?

Why do some acros extend long polyps while others do not? I am thinking that there are differences from coral to coral that are normal. Some extend primarily at night, and it looks to me like some extend only at night, and some day and night, and some very little day, or night.


David
 
So I was having little to no polyp extension from most of my sps. After my visit to Rift2Reef yesterday I've come to the conclusion that my tank parameters are too clean. I bought some Reef Energy A and B and put in 15ml of both last night. Within 3 minutes of being in the tank my new green birdsnest, my pink birdsnest, birds of paradise and my other unknown coral all had polyp extension like I've never seen before. Even my cali tort was opening up and I've only ever seen it look like a blue stick.

I've always read that you want perfect 0's across the board and perfect calc/alk/etc which I've worked hard at maintaining but after seeing the amount of polyp extension I got yesterday shows there may be more to having "some" dirtyness to the water.

Today I've seen some increased colors and even new growth areas in all of my sps that weren't there yesterday so it looks like the A and B really helped. I'll keep using it and keep track of the results I get from using it.

Granted I've only dosed it once but just from that one treatment I've seen responses from my sps that I haven't seen with "perfect" parameters so it's worth exploring further to me.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk.
 
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