Cannot keep a birdsnest to save my life.

[PicassoClown04]

What do you think about the timing in that I've had these sps frags since somewhere around August 20. Other than the first week of more intense light, do you think enough time has passed to keep them where they are now or still move them down? Should be in my tank going on a month now. I can certainly move it (bubblegum digi) since that one definitely has some recovery to do. My question is if it has been long enough now and especially with raising the lights is it likely to be accustomed to its current placement?

If it’s looking poor/not good PE or color then I would not increase light. If you want to raise the overall light of your tank then move the digi down or into some shade. If it improves then move it up 1/2”-1” per 1-2 weeks (depending on how well it is acclimating to the light). Reefroids fed gently will always help but are not necessary

 

[Kfactor]

Every birds nest I have tried died lol it’s impossible

 

[Graffiti Spot]

They are very sensitive to alk and nutrients fluctuations. I have always had an easy time keeping them but always got good large growing fragments from stores or friends that were not shipped. I do not think there is any certain thing they need other than a stable tank. They were always the first to show me something has been off or a parameter has changed.
My issue with them has always been bubble algae getting inside the center once they become to large to keep the center alive and then the bubble algae kills the coral from the inside out. I just faced the fact that I can’t keep cutting up colonies of birdsnest because no one ever wants frags around here.

 

[JayFish4004]

Every birds nest I have tried died lol it’s impossible

I have a theory and it is completely unproven - birdnest does better in lps tanks under medium lights and higher nutrients. Mine is doing very well mid-tank under 60% intensity - wonder if there’s something to it.

 

[Ober_Reef]

I tried two varieties from WWC, I probably was pushing it as I had no coralline and my tank was around seven months old. Both had rapid tissue necrosis and died very quickly. Seven months later I have had coralline for months and I am growing SPS well. Those two birdsnest, a kryptonite candy cane, and a Yuma mushroom my goby continuously buried are the only corals I have lost(knock on wood). Never the less out of spite I plan to grow birdsnest and candy cane coral now that my tank is more mature.

 

[JayFish4004]

I tried two varieties from WWC, I probably was pushing it as I had no coralline and my tank was around seven months old. Both had rapid tissue necrosis and died very quickly. Seven months later I have had coralline for months and I am growing SPS well. Those two birdsnest, a kryptonite candy cane, and a Yuma mushroom my goby continuously buried are the only corals I have lost(knock on wood). Never the less out of spite I plan to grow birdsnest and candy cane coral now that my tank is more mature.

I think I put my birdsnest in around the 4-5 month mark but my tank is 20gal so it probably matured a little quicker than a bigger tank would. Only issue I had so far was bubble algae at the base - it did not like that and started losing flesh that quickly came back once I removed it.