Let's talk tips for placing acros

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

How do you decide on the best placement for your acros? Acros are generally thought of as "high light, high flow" but how do you determine what that is practically? How high is "too high"? How low is "too low"? Some say, watch them to see if they're "happy"? What does that mean?

I think most of us recognize that we need to go through at least some process of trial and error on deciding best placement for a new coral, but what does that process look like for you?

Share your process, and let's get this discussion going! I'm hoping this thread will be a helpful resource for lots of reefers who are trying to get into sticks!

 

[Crabs McJones]

I've always just placed them and hoped for the best. I do keep them near the top 1/4 of the tank. So far it's worked out well for me. I do however have a par meter that I was able to determine that I'm getting 250+ par all over the tank. So no matter where I place them, they seem to be happy

 

[RobZilla04]

The best thing I've learned is to leave them on the frag plug and start them off way low (even as low as the sand bed) and work them up over time (1-3 months). No matter how much light you think the LFS was blasting them with, I guarantee your system and lighting is different. I bleached several by thinking the opposite and immediately took them home, de-fragged, and glued top of my scape (only halfway up in my standard 90g).

If they've started to encrust on the plug, I ask the LFS to simply cut the disk from the rod portion of the plug so I can glue the disk directly to my rock. They crust over it anyhow plus it gives more mounting surface for the glue to adhere to.

As for "happiness" I see that when their color is deep, polyp extension is significant, and growth can been seen over time.

 

[MTBake]

I place them and hope for the best. Mixing colors is what I usually go by. I try to avoid placing coral of similar color near each other.

 

[Oshengems]

Sps I tend to cut of the frag plug and place them on their final location right away, I’ve had luck with this. No light acclimation for acros always felt that would probably stress them more out over time they need the higher lights anyways. So far so good

 

[saltyhog]

I try to know as much about the tank they were in as possible and let that guide me. Even most of the on line vendors list the lighting and height the coral is grown under.

For example, I recently got 4 mature acro colonies from a friend who was breaking down his tank and I was able to look at where they were and find similar conditions in my tank. In the month I've had them there is already significant new growth.

If I don't know the conditions they came from I do as above. Start low and gradually raise position in the tank till I get them where I want them. Colors do come in to play but are not the end all for me (I have a WD and Pink Lemonade side by side).

 

[sghera64]

Is anyone using the “hurricane” method? (Break all frags into bits and sprinkle randomly all over aquarium, then wait and see what emerges where). I’d leave out the part of. . . After 5 years rip it up and repeat.

 

[CindyKz]

Stick them in the sand...after a couple days find a spot...if they start to look mostly dead, move them.

Honestly I will start with research, but ultimately I just keep moving them until they die or they don't. Usually once i place them they can stay put though. Acros are pretty easy in my tank to place - it's other corals I struggle with. I can't keep a firefighter digi looking good to save my life

 

[vetteguy53081]

I genaerally go to lower third as not to burn them/shock them with light, then gradually bring them upwards within moderate water flow range and then increasing flow as they prove to be stable

 

[medicw131]

Is anyone using the “hurricane” method? (Break all frags into bits and sprinkle randomly all over aquarium, then wait and see what emerges where). I’d leave out the part of. . . After 5 years rip it up and repeat.

Lol that's awesome. I kind of want to try that too see what happens!

 

[cedwards04]

Is anyone using the “hurricane” method? (Break all frags into bits and sprinkle randomly all over aquarium, then wait and see what emerges where). I’d leave out the part of. . . After 5 years rip it up and repeat.

Thats hilarious. I did accidentally break several small pieces off a birdsnest once while doing a water change. A few months later i noticed some little tiny birdsnests springing to life in random places, so hey, it could work! Lol

 

[Lukas75]

I'm in the very LONG process of setting up an acro dominant tank. Doing it right this time, no cutting corners and no rushing. I'm torn between the schools of thought of acclimating them to the light and placing them so as not to stress them over time. I will be using my T-5 - A360W combo to do this tank, has anyone had any success with this type of combination and ramping the lights up to acclimate them? I think this would be detrimental overall because you are messing with the whole tank at once, but putting the question out there.

 

[cedwards04]

Personally, i dont think it woukd be detrimental to the tank to have a period of lowering lights and slowly ramping them back up. Im sure you will have slightly slower growth for a few days, but it may not even be noticeable. Nature goes through periods of time where storms or cloud cover lowers sunlight intensity for days to weeks at a time, and corals don't die from it.

 

[DEWreefing]

I run about 500 par in the top 5inches of my tank 350 middle and 150 200 on bare bottom. I place acros from top to bottom and I have only lost one to burnt tips but I blame that on the alk swing.

 

[RobZilla04]

I'm in the very LONG process of setting up an acro dominant tank. Doing it right this time, no cutting corners and no rushing. I'm torn between the schools of thought of acclimating them to the light and placing them so as not to stress them over time. I will be using my T-5 - A360W combo to do this tank, has anyone had any success with this type of combination and ramping the lights up to acclimate them? I think this would be detrimental overall because you are messing with the whole tank at once, but putting the question out there.

I've got the same lighting. Two A360W-E and a two bulb T5 LET sytle (one on each side of the Kessils). That's a lot of light! I don't know the PAR, but it's a 90g with a scape that only goes about half the height of the water column. I've considered renting a meter, but at this point it would only solve my curiosity. Peak is 50% intensity and 35% color on the Kessils with 6 hours of T5. Took a while to ramp to this though.

 

[maroun.c]

I found that acro can be somewhat forgiving with a bit more or less flow abd light if slowly acclimated. When i scape a tank i envision how i want it to look 3-4 uears from now and place a lot of emphasis on coral placment. 2 aspects are key (after flow and lightingg and that is color and shape. I try to put contrasting colors next to each other (checkout color wheel) as well as try to have many growth shapes for a more reef like final shape. Tabling corals are a bit hard to find here so i always try to source a few as i feel they give a sense of balance to the reef. They go on ledges and sides and i place branching corals behind them and stags go in the back usually. Give enough space for encrusting monties and chalices to get to decrnt sizes. I try to start with frags and let them grow into each other. My last tanks were on the large side so loading them with cherry frags was not a possibility. I start with a few fillers (nice frags of no name corals that will grow and fill up and a few will surprise me with amazing colors as they stabilize) and also add 15-20 cherry frags for the wow effect and make sure to give them key locations.
As corals grow it helps to frag them to shape them up to the plan inhad in mind. My other hobby is Bonsai abd that helps a lot with shaping. Having the will to cut back and regrow a colonybthat grew from a frag is not easy. Also taking out a coral that doesnt grow in the shape or the color one wanted is also very challenging so good planning is key.