Is there a secret to big candy cane heads?

[joekidwell]

Are there any secrets to these corals? I have a two head candy cane frag that is surviving just not thriving like the ones I see at the LFS or friends tanks with huge heads. All my other corals are doing great with growth rings and polyup extension.

Paramaters
Ca 460
Alk 7.9
Mag 1460
Nitrates 25
Phosphates ULR .06
Salinity
Temp steady at 78.6 degrees

1.026

 

[tsouth]

Based off of the info you've given, everything looks to be in line. Thank you for providing the parameters! Great frag, and perhaps they just need to grow a little bit! Have you noticed they were bigger at some point in the past and they've shrunken?

My advice would be to lower their placement. I would think it's typically better to keep things on the lower end of the spectrum and then gradually bring them up as needed. Also, give them some meaty foods! Candy canes aren't necessarily hungry for light but def could use some mysis, so give that a shot and report back after 3 or so days

 

[Hydrored]

Once I started dosing Easy booster and Easy SPS as a constant food source all of my coral swelled up and better polyp extension. Not a sales pitch I think just the available food in the water column makes them swell.
Let me see if I can find the post with a picture.

found it-

EasySPS food

They are the same strains. The amount of phyto is different though, and their purpose is different as well. EasyBooster is designed to feed zooplankton and microfauna in the tank, while the phyto in EasySPS is integrated into the zooplankton for its antioxidant and misc properties. I took that...

www.reef2reef.com

here is a pic from today slitting into 6 heads-

 

[uhgster1]

Feed it and lower it. You have it on the frag rack right under the lights. They are not a high light coral. Zoas stay tiny too if they’re too close to high par.

 

[brandon429]

we could fatten that caulastrea right up to 6 heads within 24 months in a huge jar by bubbling it, heating it, weekly water changing it, and purposefully overfeeding it with very high quality reef foods two hours before the big water changes, we'd literally pump mass into it and it would have no choice but to get big.

upscale as you can