Purple Stag FS

CastAway · Jan 1, 2017

I had to do some trimming this weekend. I think it's a Purple Stag (Acropora hoeksemai), but am not 100%. It came from CoryC's tank via Aquatic Marine. Grows fast, beautiful lavender color.

Asking $40 OBO. Local pick-up/PayPal only.
PM if interested.

Joshua Hurst · Jan 2, 2017

Hardy?

CastAway · Jan 3, 2017

Joshua Hurst said:
Hardy?

Typically.

cee · Jan 3, 2017

If it is a true hoek then they are difficult. I suspect it is not a hoek.

CastAway · Jan 3, 2017

cee said:
If it is a true hoek then they are difficult. I suspect it is not a hoek.

Help me out @cee. What might it be? I post in the SPS ID forum, and someone said hoek.

Degree of difficulty can be so subjective.

cee · Jan 3, 2017

It is so hard to tell from a frag. The radial corallites may not be fully developed. Hoeks have tubular radial corallites; yours doesn't appear to exhibit those characteristics but as the branch grows they may become more tubular. Do the mature branches grow more horizontally or vertically? That would help with an ID as well.

TNT32D · Jan 3, 2017

Is it a slimmer?

CastAway · Jan 3, 2017

Here's my ID request post. Now that you ask, it does seem to grow horizontally @cee.

Tale of Two Stags
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/Tale-of-Two-Stags.281099/

cee · Jan 3, 2017

Hoeks from a site I truly trust. Note tubular corallites and the "cupped" structure of the corallite lips. If your's is a hoek it is much browner than others I've seen or owned; they tend to be bright blue along the entire corallite, not just at the tips.

Joshua Hurst · Jan 3, 2017

How do you guys have such success with hard corals? My birdsnest was doin great and then died one day

Reefrookie220 · Jan 4, 2017

Stability, low nutrients and a mature tank. That and a dosing regimen, or calcium reactor etc etc.

CastAway · Jan 4, 2017

Agreed, stability.

I attribute the stability in my tank to the calcium reactor. It keeps my Alk and Ca stable, and all I have to dose is Mag (which I neglect).

Unfortunately the reactor and its CO2 drive my pH down, but at least it's consistently low.

Even a parameter that is not on target can be tolerable if it's consistent I think, and/or corrected slowly.

My tank does best at 2-5ppm NO3, but I have a hard time maintaining any measurable nitrate. I have lots of export mechanisms. I have to dose KNO3 to maintain it.
Ive heard of SPS heavy systems running at 10ppm or higher! So, I'm not sure I even know what "low nutrients" are anymore. LOL!

I think Waylon is right on maturity. I suspect a lot of metabolic processes are going on in a mature tank that we really have no clue about. I'm particularly curios about the contributions of sponges.

My only advice Josh, is to test all parameters, and often. Write down all results in a log and over time you'll begin to relate cause with effect. I think it's the only and best way. [emoji6]

fragit · Jan 4, 2017

CastAway said:
Agreed, stability.

I attribute the stability in my tank to the calcium reactor. It keeps my Alk and Ca stable, and all I have to dose is Mag (which I neglect).

Unfortunately the reactor and its CO2 drive my pH down, but at least it's consistently low.

Even a parameter that is not on target can be tolerable if it's consistent I think, and/or corrected slowly.

My tank does best at 2-5ppm NO3, but I have a hard time maintaining any measurable nitrate. I have lots of export mechanisms. I have to dose KNO3 to maintain it.
Ive heard of SPS heavy systems running at 10ppm or higher! So, I'm not sure I even know what "low nutrients" are anymore. LOL!

I think Waylon is right on maturity. I suspect a lot of metabolic processes are going on in a mature tank that we really have no clue about. I'm particularly curios about the contributions of sponges.

My only advice Josh, is to test all parameters, and often. Write down all results in a log and over time you'll begin to relate cause with effect. I think it's the only and best way. [emoji6]

Jeff how are you dosing KNO3? Are you using Spectraside? I just ordered some up yesterday....

CastAway · Jan 4, 2017

Yup. Good ole Stump remover.

Joshua Hurst · Jan 4, 2017

CastAway said:
Agreed, stability.

I attribute the stability in my tank to the calcium reactor. It keeps my Alk and Ca stable, and all I have to dose is Mag (which I neglect).

Unfortunately the reactor and its CO2 drive my pH down, but at least it's consistently low.

Even a parameter that is not on target can be tolerable if it's consistent I think, and/or corrected slowly.

My tank does best at 2-5ppm NO3, but I have a hard time maintaining any measurable nitrate. I have lots of export mechanisms. I have to dose KNO3 to maintain it.
Ive heard of SPS heavy systems running at 10ppm or higher! So, I'm not sure I even know what "low nutrients" are anymore. LOL!

I think Waylon is right on maturity. I suspect a lot of metabolic processes are going on in a mature tank that we really have no clue about. I'm particularly curios about the contributions of sponges.

My only advice Josh, is to test all parameters, and often. Write down all results in a log and over time you'll begin to relate cause with effect. I think it's the only and best way. [emoji6]

Do you ever target feed? Or do you just feed the fish often?

CastAway · Jan 5, 2017

Myself, I target feed my Scoly, acans, trumpets, frogspawn and galaxia only. Not the SPS.

Reefrookie220 · Jan 5, 2017

"I suspect a lot of metabolic processes are going on in a mature tank that we really have no clue about."- @CastAway

My thoughts exactly.

All though you can find plethora of threads here on R2R in which people are loading new tanks with high-end sps and equipment, most of those tanks also featured in threads with major issues(browning, burnt tips, bleaching, and big die off) that I believe personally are directly related to the age of the tank.

Imo, stability and age aren't necessarily related. Anyone can throw water in a glass box and keep it stable, but it's the"older"tanks that keep themselves stable without much interference on our part.

Science has been around quiet awhile, but the ocean much longer. For every new thing learned there are a million unknowns.