Acclimation question

[Sierra_Bravo]

So as an SPS noobie, what am I missing here?

I use a magnetic frag rack attached to the side of my 120 gallon. At my current light settings PAR on the rack runs about 170. If I raise the rack further I find I'm at too much of an angle to the lights and the PAR will not increase any further.

Meanwhile, the rock work where I ultimately would like to place some of these frags is running 220 - 260. What is the "typical" manner in which you acclimate the final PAR increase from the rack to the rock work?

 

[FarmerTy]

So as an SPS noobie, what am I missing here?

I use a magnetic frag rack attached to the side of my 120 gallon. At my current light settings PAR on the rack runs about 170. If I raise the rack further I find I'm at too much of an angle to the lights and the PAR will not increase any further.

Meanwhile, the rock work where I ultimately would like to place some of these frags is running 220 - 260. What is the "typical" manner in which you acclimate the final PAR increase from the rack to the rock work?

Hey Scott, I really only acclimate if its a more sensitive type acro, like deepwaters/smooth skin or a difficult type, like spathulata or abrotanoides. Everything else just gets added in the frag tank at 200-250 par and when ready to be added to the display, will get moved over to that, again, with no acclimation.

For the examples of your red dragon and other smooth skin, I'd start them on the sandbed and move up from there. Just bear in mind that those types are super sensitive anyways so if you lose one, don't always assume its tank conditions that took it down. It could just be moving tanks that caused it alone.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Hey Scott, I really only acclimate if its a more sensitive type acro, like deepwaters/smooth skin or a difficult type, like spathulata or abrotanoides. Everything else just gets added in the frag tank at 200-250 par and when ready to be added to the display, will get moved over to that, again, with no acclimation.

For the examples of your red dragon and other smooth skin, I'd start them on the sandbed and move up from there. Just bear in mind that those types are super sensitive anyways so if you lose one, don't always assume its tank conditions that took it down. It could just be moving tanks that caused it alone.

I actually am specifically talking about some of the millies, torts and tenuis I have. You have an advantage with having a separate frag tank, but I have to use a rack in the display tank so they sit there growing out at 170 PAR because that's as much light as I can get to the sides of the tank. When I go to place them permanently I'm exposing them to a sudden 50 - 90 PAR increase because they are moving towards the center. How do you make the leap from the rack to the rock?

I know your answer is going to be "time to buy a frag tank" but I'm not going to be able to go that route just yet.

 

[FarmerTy]

I actually am specifically talking about some of the millies, torts and tenuis I have. You have an advantage with having a separate frag tank, but I have to use a rack in the display tank so they sit there growing out at 170 PAR because that's as much light as I can get to the sides of the tank. When I go to place them permanently I'm exposing them to a sudden 50 - 90 PAR increase because they are moving towards the center. How do you make the leap from the rack to the rock?

I know your answer is going to be "time to buy a frag tank" [emoji14] but I'm not going to be able to go that route just yet.

I guess what I was trying to convey was I really don't worry about that jump in par, because I don't really consider it much of a jump. Most healthy frags can do that without a blink of an eyelash (uhh polyp?). And yes, you need a frag tank! Woohoo!

Is your goal for the side frag rack to store frags until they are ready to be glued to your aquascape (acclimated)? Or hold them there until you decide where they go?

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I guess what I was trying to convey was I really don't worry about that jump in par, because I don't really consider it much of a jump. Most healthy frags can do that without a blink of an eyelash (uhh polyp?). And yes, you need a frag tank! Woohoo!

Is your goal for the side frag rack to store frags until they are ready to be glued to your aquascape (acclimated)? Or hold them there until you decide where they go?

Both, really. My thoughts were to hold them to acclimate them to my light/tank and make sure they survived, then when they were "ready" (whatever that means) I'd move them to the aquascape. Now that I'm at a point that I'm having nice acros survive and grow on the rack I'm questioning the light acclimation piece. I just don't want to bleach them with a sudden change of light, and I thought that's what why we acclimate them to our lights to begin with. However, I'm hearing you say it's not as much as a concern as I've led myself to believe.

 

[FarmerTy]

Both, really. My thoughts were to hold them to acclimate them to my light/tank and make sure they survived, then when they were "ready" (whatever that means) I'd move them to the aquascape. Now that I'm at a point that I'm having nice acros survive and grow on the rack I'm questioning the light acclimation piece. I just don't want to bleach them with a sudden change of light, and I thought that's what why we acclimate them to our lights to begin with. However, I'm hearing you say it's not as much as a concern as I've led myself to believe.

My answer to those new in the hobby is always acclimate to your light. Its cover bases and practices good fundamentals.

What I really do is only acclimate the ones I know are sensitive, have come from a system I know was way underlit, or is an unhealthy frag that needs saving. The rest go right into the fire as long as they came to me healthy.

 

[jda]

I am with Ty. Once I dip and QT, then I just put them where I want them. I have moved some from the edge of the frag tank under 250 PAR to over 500 and they are fine - this is high quality light, though. If I were using LED, then I might be more careful if I was running a lot of whites. I do have the ability to match output in the QT tank with the harder species, but I only marginally pay attention to this.

 

[NewReefer42]

Can I latch on to this thread? I'm setting up my sps build and my quarantine tank was going to be my frag tank for acclimation. I planned on getting the exact same lights, putting them on the same schedule, then having a ladder style frag rack so each week or two they move up a rung until they're at about the same par as where I plan on putting it in the display. is this a good plan?

 

[jda]

Having a QT/Isolation/Frag tank with the same lights is ideal.

 

[gig 'em]

If I roughly know the light intensity the frag was in before and know it is used to high light, I throw it right on my frag rack where there is high light. If I know the frag came from lower light or I don't know what light intensity it is used to, I start it in the corner of my tank or sand bed where light intensity is lower. I'll then move it to higher light after it has been acclimate to my tank for a while.