RockStacker
Reefing newb
At first I thought this was a branching alveopora.
But I was told recently that this might actually be a gonipiopora (sub-massive growth form) because each polyp has more than 12 tentacles.
It is difficult to get an exact count, but from my pictures I could count between 18-20 tentacles per polyp. Maybe it is 24 tentacles, and I just cant see the rest or are retracted.
Anyway, after having the LED intensity at 40% blue / 20% white for a few months, I decided to ramp up the lights a little more to 50% blue / 30% white.
A couple of days after doing that, the goniopora retracted and barely extends any polyps.
As a precaution, I toned down the lights again to 40% / 20%.
This is what it looked like prior to ramping up the lights.
This is what it looks like today. It has been like this for almost 3 days.
Could the slight increase in light intensity cause this?
Or is this the dreaded rapid decline problem with gonioporas after their internal time bomb pops?
This is what it looked like back in November 2012 some time after I first put it in the tank.
Compared to this oldest picture that I have, it looks like the coral was growing and branching out. The original bald spots that it came with have also since been covered by new growth.
So it seemed happy until this latest increase in light intensity.
I wonder if the previous setting was its limit?
No other parameters in the tank seem off:
Specific Gravity: 1.025
ph: 7.8
Ca: 400ppm
Alk: 7.2dKH
Mag: 1400ppm
Temp: 81F (it has been warm lately, but not that much higher than the preset 78F)
Nitrates: Less than detectable per my test kit - I know they are there :).
But I was told recently that this might actually be a gonipiopora (sub-massive growth form) because each polyp has more than 12 tentacles.
It is difficult to get an exact count, but from my pictures I could count between 18-20 tentacles per polyp. Maybe it is 24 tentacles, and I just cant see the rest or are retracted.
Anyway, after having the LED intensity at 40% blue / 20% white for a few months, I decided to ramp up the lights a little more to 50% blue / 30% white.
A couple of days after doing that, the goniopora retracted and barely extends any polyps.
As a precaution, I toned down the lights again to 40% / 20%.
This is what it looked like prior to ramping up the lights.
This is what it looks like today. It has been like this for almost 3 days.
Could the slight increase in light intensity cause this?
Or is this the dreaded rapid decline problem with gonioporas after their internal time bomb pops?
This is what it looked like back in November 2012 some time after I first put it in the tank.
Compared to this oldest picture that I have, it looks like the coral was growing and branching out. The original bald spots that it came with have also since been covered by new growth.
So it seemed happy until this latest increase in light intensity.
I wonder if the previous setting was its limit?
No other parameters in the tank seem off:
Specific Gravity: 1.025
ph: 7.8
Ca: 400ppm
Alk: 7.2dKH
Mag: 1400ppm
Temp: 81F (it has been warm lately, but not that much higher than the preset 78F)
Nitrates: Less than detectable per my test kit - I know they are there :).
