Strange Acropora growth (2 Viewers)

[frankc]

When I got this ORA Scripps a year ago, it consisted of two more or less equal branches off of the frag plug. One branch has done almost nothing, the other has grown like crazy, producing many long branches, some of which are themselves starting to form branches.



This is one of those corals that shows more color if viewed from above.

 

[Diesel]

Yep that can happen.
Can be a variety of things, flow, light, nutrients and elements.
You can trigger growth by cutting off the tip as sometimes that will do it.

What is up with all that algae?

 

[frankc]

The good news is I finally won my epic 4-year battle with dinoflaggelates, the bad news is that they were replaced with bubble algae and cyano. I had left the skimmer off for several months, because it seems that letting the nutrients rise causes the dinos to go away. My Salifert tests still show 0 for nitrate and phosphate, but the change was just enough to kill the dinos and make the other algae happy.

I will be moving in a month or so, at which time this tank will likely be replaced with a larger one and hopefully I can scrub the rocks of the algae at that time.

 

[Cody]

Excess nutrients to beat dino, eh? Perhaps it's because other algae are more competitive?

 

[frankc]

It could be, but I don't think that's the full story, because there was a period of time between the dinos going away and the cyano appearing.

 

[Cody]

Interesting, Frank. I'm about to square up against some dino in my sand so any input is welcomed.

 

[frankc]

All I can say is, good luck! I've heard of people beating them with lower nutrients as well, so it may depend on the specie or who knows what else.

I first got the idea of raising nutrients from the weather channel, of all places. They had a little video about an algae outbreak in some river, and they mentioned it was a type of dino and it thrives in low-nutrient water. The next piece of the puzzle was after I got a couple larger fish, the dinos started receding. I didn't see the fish eating them, so I assumed it was the increased nutrients from the additional bioload. Shortly after that I had a velvet outbreak, so the tank was without fish for 72+ days, and the dinos continued to thrive. That's when I turned the skimmer off and did some water changes moving water from my old, very high nutrient tank to this tank, which seemed to help. Once I added fish again, I left the skimmer off until the cyano got out of control.

Also note that this tank is weird - I can grow Acropora, but every Montipora I have tried has died, so it may be that everything in my tank is backwards.

 

[Cody]

Haha yeah it's funny how it works out sometimes. My particular species of dino is Ostreopsis. What kind was yours?

 

[frankc]

I have no clue.

 

[steveb]

The good news is I finally won my epic 4-year battle with dinoflaggelates, the bad news is that they were replaced with bubble algae and cyano. I had left the skimmer off for several months, because it seems that letting the nutrients rise causes the dinos to go away. My Salifert tests still show 0 for nitrate and phosphate, but the change was just enough to kill the dinos and make the other algae happy.

I will be moving in a month or so, at which time this tank will likely be replaced with a larger one and hopefully I can scrub the rocks of the algae at that time.

Same exact thing happened to me.... your showing 0's because the other algaes are using them up...