Help with birdnest

[PghReef]

So I bought this bird as a bird of paradise about 7 months ago and placed into a young month tank. Had good color on the polyps and skin.
Since then it has grown what I think to be at a fairly impressive rate and I have amazing polyp extention which makes me think its healthy, but the colors are much more muted and the skin seems to be pretty pale. Not sure if its starving for nutrients, needs more or less light, or the polyps just extend so much it shaded the skin.

 

[Vinman]

They like a lot of current not direct blasting but still good flow. You've got nice growth and polyp extension so your water quality must be pretty good. What's your light cycle like?

 

[DSC reef]

Possibly to much light. Great growth you have though.

 

[Vinman]

Here is my bird I haven't right near the Overflow at the top Maybe instead of moving the colony you could frag a piece and try it somewhere higher or a different current see if anything changes

 

[vetteguy53081]

Birdnest like movement and moderate to semi-bright light. Although I bought mine big, it has grown greatly ( about 15" oval)

 

[PghReef]

They like a lot of current not direct blasting but still good flow. You've got nice growth and polyp extension so your water quality must be pretty good. What's your light cycle like?

I have it so the polyps move constantly but dont get blown off the skin. The lights are 2 kessil 360x on a 46 gallon mounted about 7.5 inches above waterline and the coral is about 8 inches below water surface. Total time is 12 hours with a ramp up and down to about 60% intensity.
When I had ich awhile ago I did the fallow period and I did notice my corals all bleach out a good bit. After feeding an empty tank for awhile and then adding fish colors came back. Nitrates and phosphates still test 0 but I have algae growth so I know theres something there. Just started reef roids and acropower about a week ago. I figured good growth means good health, only coral that is showing signs of not being healthy is a jackolantern leptospirosis that initially grew and encrusted well then started receding outta nowhere.

 

[PghReef]

Here is my bird I haven't right near the Overflow at the top Maybe instead of moving the colony you could frag a piece and try it somewhere higher or a different current see if anything changes

The second picture is actually after I fragged off a good 1.5inch multi branch piece accidentally when doing a cleaning. Moved it down to a qt coral tank with t5ho instead of led and lower flow, polyp extention is even crazier but no change in color yet over the past few weeks. Heres a pic of the frag immediately after the fragging along with 2 others I cut. Originally on sandbed before moving onto a rack.

 

[KrisReef]

I've always thought these corals polyps extend so much they shade the skin when they are healthy. I don't see anything wrong with what you have in the pictures. It looks pretty nice.

 

[PghReef]

Heres a purple stylo and a green psammocora also showing a 7 month growth shot.

 

[PghReef]

I've always thought these corals polyps extend so much they shade the skin when they are healthy. I don't see anything wrong with what you have in the pictures. It looks pretty nice.

Thanks that's what I'm kinda thinking too

 

[SPS247]

So I bought this bird as a bird of paradise about 7 months ago and placed into a young month tank. Had good color on the polyps and skin.
Since then it has grown what I think to be at a fairly impressive rate and I have amazing polyp extention which makes me think its healthy, but the colors are much more muted and the skin seems to be pretty pale. Not sure if its starving for nutrients, needs more or less light, or the polyps just extend so much it shaded the skin.

Any Birdsnest is practically indusctable.
My bird of paradise has been high, mid, low , blasted by flow, no flow, under a rock, tank crash, you name it. It just keeps on going. Just keep your tank parameters some what stable. It will last for ever.

 

[DSC reef]

Heres a purple stylo and a green psammocora also showing a 7 month growth shot.

Well done!

 

[PghReef]

Well done!

Thanks, stylo and birds seem to grow like weeds. Just added a few monti and acro frags this week so well see how they do, hopefully get good encrusting by new years?

 

[DSC reef]

Thanks, stylo and birds seem to grow like weeds. Just added a few monti and acro frags this week so well see how they do, hopefully get good encrusting by new years?

I believe you will and looking forward to those progression pics.

 

[Greg P]

What are your params?

Higher Alk and low nutrients NO3/PO4 can lead to good growth but dull colors.
The flesh needs nutrients to match the growth rate of the skeleton.
My experience was running the tank @ 8.3 and near undetectable nutrients. Everything was very pale, but grew quite fast.
I let the tank get 'dirty' with higher nutrients and the colors came back.
I also noticed less white growth tips but still lots of growth. Enough so I couldn't give away frags fast enough.

 

[Greg P]

My first attempt at a seriatopora went as below. Not enough nutrients.
Looked great to start with, but I wasn't aware of the slow decline until I compared pics of when I first received it.

 

[Greg P]

It got huge, but was never happy with low nutrients
You can see how the lower branches in this next pic preferred lower lighting with the low nutrients.
Sure, you may argue it was a lighting issue, and yes that comes in to play.
Too much light, not enough nutrients. OK, I'll agree.
If my nutrients were high enough back then I'm sure the coral would have been happy being right at the water's surface. But I don't think that is a sustainable environment considering how much nutrients would be involved. Can you say 'massively dirty water'

It finally out-grew my tank and I sold the whole colony

 

[PghReef]

If starving is the problem hopefully adding acropower daily and feeding reefroids twice a week will help. Ialso blast the rocks weekly and let the corals feed on the storm it makes.
Alk is around 8-9 Ca 440 mag 1580 with redsea. Phosphates 0 with the checker and nitrates 0 with apiand redsea. Didnt bother to start the acropower and reefroids at a lower dose, just went straight to the package suggestion in Hope's of boosting nutrients

 

[DSC reef]

I really liked acropower, be easy with reef roids.

 

[PghReef]

I really liked acropower, be easy with reef roids.

I'll be on top of testing and if nutrients rise too much ill cut back. Thanks for the warning