- Joined
- Nov 23, 2006
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- 13,377
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- Los Angeles
- What state or country do you live in
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Okay, so you don't turn to my blog for "rocket science", or super high-fallutent dissertations on water chemistry, PAR, and programming your Apex ! You know that, with me, you're gonna get nuts-and-bolts stuff from a ordinary reefer who laces his shoes one at a time like you do (okay, I wear flip flops on most days, but you get the idea...). I'm not gonna hit you over the head with PhD-level reef keeping facts. ("Lanthium Chloride? Doesn't that get your clothes as white as they can be?"). I'm about the practical, daily stuff that we can all relate to.
To this end, I've once again dipped into the old mailbag for inspiration, as reefers often contact me with observations, questions, and problems with their reefs, and the answers are often helpful to us all, I think. Today, we're going to look at 5 simple secrets to keeping your corals happier and healthier. Of course, there are literally hundreds of "secrets", most of which YOU are going to add to this topic, ok (think "open source"...this is YOUR forum)? This is just a very generalized starting point, based on the most common questions I receive from fellow hobbyists...Here they are, in no particular order:
Make sure that water flow is indirect and varied- With very few exceptions, corals of virtually every species don’t like getting hammered by laminar flow, be it gentle or super powerful. At the very least, corals subjected to continuous laminar flow will grow into rather unusual shapes. At worst, you can literally blast the tissue off of a coral. Flow is super important for a lot of reasons, including coral respiration and nutrient transport across boundary layers. However, if you are blasting the heck out of a coral, all it’s going to do is close up and fail to feed or respire properly. The old saying about too much of a good thing comes to mind!
"Favors strong water movement." What does that mean, anyways?
Feed frequently- at the RIGHT time- As we have discussed before, it’ very important to feed corals, and to feed them often. Further, it’s really important to feed them when they are actually ready to consume food! For most corals, that means at night, after the lights are off, and when the corals are extending polyps to capture food. for aquarium purposes, shutting down or minimizing water movement during the feeding process is important, as the food particles will have a greater chance of reaching their intended target in a closed system.
Otherwise, the food literally goes down the overflow, feeding bacteria and algae. I bring up this super basic point because I can’t tell you how many emails I receive from reefers who are definitely feeding corals, but seeing little results. Following some questioning, it’s usually discovered that they are feeding during “lights on†with flow blasting away…Just not conducive to corals’ natural feeding processes. So- lights off- flow off….
Dining in the dark is much more romantic, anyways. Right?
Avoid keeping fishes that irritate your corals- Yes, this is another seemingly obvious one, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen fellow reefers (including myself) make the wrong call and have disappointing-or even disasterous- results by “pushing it†with certain species. Most Butterflyfish are “no-no’s, with the exception of some of the Planktivores, so use extreme caution. Angelfish, for the most part, are “pickersâ€, and there is little getting around that. The larger Pomacanthus species will often literally eat coral polyps, and many of the smaller Centropyge species will pick at mucus on coral polyps and skeletons, which can irritate the coral to the point that it will not deploy it’s polyps.
Yes, you can take a risk with some of the smaller Centropyge species, as many reefers have. However, there is always the possibility that the fish will develop a taste for coral mucus at soem point in its lifespan. In the confines of a reef, this will often mean that the fis develops a “favorite†coral to munch on, and it can irritate said coral to the point of no return. Other fishes, ranging from Gobies to Tangs to Damsels, can initiate the same behavior with the same results. It’s simply a calculated risk to keep some of these fishes in your reef tank. With a large enough collection and heavy feeding, you can often discourage this behavior or limit its impact- but the possibility of damage is always there. It’s one of those tradeoffs you’ll just have to decide for yourself if you want to make.
"I'm 'Reef Safe'...I LIVE on a reef! Right?"
Provide sufficient space between corals- This one seems obvious, yet it’s really overlooked by us reefers- a lot! We love to have a nice, lush reef- and we like to get it nice and lush rather quickly! The best way to do this is to cram our rock structure with lots of frags or colonies. There is nothing inherently wrong with stocking a reef densely, with the primary exception being that you need to take into account a corals’ growth pattern, propensity to engage in “chemical warfare†with its neighbors, or deployment of sweeper tentacles. Aggressive corals, like Acans, Faviids, and some Euphyllia, are downright nasty neighbors, and need to be given “buffer zones†around them, where they can expand, grow, and not encroach daily onto their neighbor corals. Ive seen many dense Acan collections that work. However, I’ve also seen damage caused by different species of the same genus to each other, such as Fungiids.
With thousands of corals in our systems, we’ve made the occasional “proximity error†by keeping a a day’s WYSIWYG inventory in one area, and seeing the unfortunate results of keeping say, an Acan right next to a more docile coral like a Scolymia, or a Faviid too close to a Trachy…Stuff happens, and you’ll see overt signs of stress: “Pinched in†polyps, discoloration, and tissue damage. Mixed reefs are beautiful, interesting, and gratifying…But they are tough places for corals to hang. You need to think about growth patterns, speed, and the aggressive tendencies of each coral before you stock your reef. Really important stuff that can make-or break- a reef system.
Not the best neighbor....
Providing lighting that’s just right- On the surface, this apparent “no brainer†seems almost to elementary to contemplate. However, lighting is one of the most commonly mis-applied factors in reef keeping, in my opinion. With the advent of super controllable LED lighting systems, I’ve seen more and more cases of hobbyists getting “photon happyâ€, and literally frying corals with massive amounts of light that they never were intending. It’s not just that hobbyists are cranking up the power too much- it’s that many of us fail to take into account the fact that LED optics can concentrate a lot of light in a small place.
That’s why you see the most successful LED-loving hobbyists gradually ramp up their LED lighting during their transition from another light source. That’s why the controllability of LED is so good. Visual observation of the lighting will tell you very little about the actual intensity in many cases, as LED can provide precision application of wavelengths that may not be visibly perceptible to the human eye. “It doesn’t look that bright†is a really lame way to assess the impact of your new LED system on your corals! Okay, I’m not just taking pot shots at LED’s here- I’ve seen this issue with halides, T5’s and other light sources over the years, and still do. The takeaway here is that with ANY light system, or lighting system change, you need to carefully acclimate your corals to your lighting conditions, and need to take into account a coral’s lighting tolerances more than ever!
You can grow corals with it- AND make molten lava, too, if you're not careful!
Ok, that's the first "basic five" for you...the rest, I'm, counting on you to fill in, discuss, and generally beat the heck out of, okay? Remember, even in our seemingly complicated reefing world, sometimes the most obvious, simple solutions work the best!
To that end, I implore you to have fun..
...and Keep Wet!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
To this end, I've once again dipped into the old mailbag for inspiration, as reefers often contact me with observations, questions, and problems with their reefs, and the answers are often helpful to us all, I think. Today, we're going to look at 5 simple secrets to keeping your corals happier and healthier. Of course, there are literally hundreds of "secrets", most of which YOU are going to add to this topic, ok (think "open source"...this is YOUR forum)? This is just a very generalized starting point, based on the most common questions I receive from fellow hobbyists...Here they are, in no particular order:
Make sure that water flow is indirect and varied- With very few exceptions, corals of virtually every species don’t like getting hammered by laminar flow, be it gentle or super powerful. At the very least, corals subjected to continuous laminar flow will grow into rather unusual shapes. At worst, you can literally blast the tissue off of a coral. Flow is super important for a lot of reasons, including coral respiration and nutrient transport across boundary layers. However, if you are blasting the heck out of a coral, all it’s going to do is close up and fail to feed or respire properly. The old saying about too much of a good thing comes to mind!
"Favors strong water movement." What does that mean, anyways?
Feed frequently- at the RIGHT time- As we have discussed before, it’ very important to feed corals, and to feed them often. Further, it’s really important to feed them when they are actually ready to consume food! For most corals, that means at night, after the lights are off, and when the corals are extending polyps to capture food. for aquarium purposes, shutting down or minimizing water movement during the feeding process is important, as the food particles will have a greater chance of reaching their intended target in a closed system.
Otherwise, the food literally goes down the overflow, feeding bacteria and algae. I bring up this super basic point because I can’t tell you how many emails I receive from reefers who are definitely feeding corals, but seeing little results. Following some questioning, it’s usually discovered that they are feeding during “lights on†with flow blasting away…Just not conducive to corals’ natural feeding processes. So- lights off- flow off….
Dining in the dark is much more romantic, anyways. Right?
Avoid keeping fishes that irritate your corals- Yes, this is another seemingly obvious one, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen fellow reefers (including myself) make the wrong call and have disappointing-or even disasterous- results by “pushing it†with certain species. Most Butterflyfish are “no-no’s, with the exception of some of the Planktivores, so use extreme caution. Angelfish, for the most part, are “pickersâ€, and there is little getting around that. The larger Pomacanthus species will often literally eat coral polyps, and many of the smaller Centropyge species will pick at mucus on coral polyps and skeletons, which can irritate the coral to the point that it will not deploy it’s polyps.
Yes, you can take a risk with some of the smaller Centropyge species, as many reefers have. However, there is always the possibility that the fish will develop a taste for coral mucus at soem point in its lifespan. In the confines of a reef, this will often mean that the fis develops a “favorite†coral to munch on, and it can irritate said coral to the point of no return. Other fishes, ranging from Gobies to Tangs to Damsels, can initiate the same behavior with the same results. It’s simply a calculated risk to keep some of these fishes in your reef tank. With a large enough collection and heavy feeding, you can often discourage this behavior or limit its impact- but the possibility of damage is always there. It’s one of those tradeoffs you’ll just have to decide for yourself if you want to make.
"I'm 'Reef Safe'...I LIVE on a reef! Right?"
Provide sufficient space between corals- This one seems obvious, yet it’s really overlooked by us reefers- a lot! We love to have a nice, lush reef- and we like to get it nice and lush rather quickly! The best way to do this is to cram our rock structure with lots of frags or colonies. There is nothing inherently wrong with stocking a reef densely, with the primary exception being that you need to take into account a corals’ growth pattern, propensity to engage in “chemical warfare†with its neighbors, or deployment of sweeper tentacles. Aggressive corals, like Acans, Faviids, and some Euphyllia, are downright nasty neighbors, and need to be given “buffer zones†around them, where they can expand, grow, and not encroach daily onto their neighbor corals. Ive seen many dense Acan collections that work. However, I’ve also seen damage caused by different species of the same genus to each other, such as Fungiids.
With thousands of corals in our systems, we’ve made the occasional “proximity error†by keeping a a day’s WYSIWYG inventory in one area, and seeing the unfortunate results of keeping say, an Acan right next to a more docile coral like a Scolymia, or a Faviid too close to a Trachy…Stuff happens, and you’ll see overt signs of stress: “Pinched in†polyps, discoloration, and tissue damage. Mixed reefs are beautiful, interesting, and gratifying…But they are tough places for corals to hang. You need to think about growth patterns, speed, and the aggressive tendencies of each coral before you stock your reef. Really important stuff that can make-or break- a reef system.
Not the best neighbor....
Providing lighting that’s just right- On the surface, this apparent “no brainer†seems almost to elementary to contemplate. However, lighting is one of the most commonly mis-applied factors in reef keeping, in my opinion. With the advent of super controllable LED lighting systems, I’ve seen more and more cases of hobbyists getting “photon happyâ€, and literally frying corals with massive amounts of light that they never were intending. It’s not just that hobbyists are cranking up the power too much- it’s that many of us fail to take into account the fact that LED optics can concentrate a lot of light in a small place.
That’s why you see the most successful LED-loving hobbyists gradually ramp up their LED lighting during their transition from another light source. That’s why the controllability of LED is so good. Visual observation of the lighting will tell you very little about the actual intensity in many cases, as LED can provide precision application of wavelengths that may not be visibly perceptible to the human eye. “It doesn’t look that bright†is a really lame way to assess the impact of your new LED system on your corals! Okay, I’m not just taking pot shots at LED’s here- I’ve seen this issue with halides, T5’s and other light sources over the years, and still do. The takeaway here is that with ANY light system, or lighting system change, you need to carefully acclimate your corals to your lighting conditions, and need to take into account a coral’s lighting tolerances more than ever!
You can grow corals with it- AND make molten lava, too, if you're not careful!
Ok, that's the first "basic five" for you...the rest, I'm, counting on you to fill in, discuss, and generally beat the heck out of, okay? Remember, even in our seemingly complicated reefing world, sometimes the most obvious, simple solutions work the best!
To that end, I implore you to have fun..
...and Keep Wet!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
