Accelerating coral growth

[blackcloudmedia]

So I know there are some purists who will be mad at me for asking this but is there any way to accellerate coral growth in our tanks. Ive spent 200 dollars so far on pointy little sticks of coral that arent really pretty or impressive. I dont exactly want to wait two years to have a beautiful colony if I can grow them quicker. Dont be mad at me, Im just impatient.

 

[bleedingthought]

Yeah, keep your parameters in check and it'll accelerate it.

 

[blackcloudmedia]

umm ok

 

[Anonymous]

Heh. Yeah, that's about it. Strong lighting, good current, proper maintenance of calcium and alkalinity... and time.

 

[Anonymous]

Time is it. At some point the corals will hit a threshold and start to grow quickly.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know if you ever asked advice when you first started but one of the suggestions is.............Patience. It's part of being a responsible reefkeeper.

 

[Anonymous]

Increase your water temp.


But not too high!

 

[iseeweed]

Time is it. At some point the corals will hit a threshold and start to grow quickly.

I agree, this frag is 6 months old now. It really didn't do much for the first 2 months then BAM! Most of the growth is from the last 3-4 months. The tank is 7 months old now(yes, I added the sps stuff a month after set up!)

45 gallon system
Ca 400-420
alk 8.0-9.0
temp 79-80
salinity 1.021
mg 1100
250w 20k

 

[Unarce]

This is the latest:

It's a combo of phosphate remover and CGH (coral growth hormone) :wink:

j/k

 

[Anonymous]

Noone can really read that J/K in yellow. :lol:

 

[Unarce]

8O :lol:

 

[bleedingthought]

I think you meant SCGH. (Super Coral Growth Hormone) :mrgreen:

 

[Anonymous]

Thales is right.

My corals didn't grow for crap for the first six months, but they have been growing quite well since. Both new and old corals are growing faster now.

I guess SPS just doesn't like the smell of a new tank or something fishy.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

There are a few tips:
1, turn them up-side-down at night. The gravity will help it get longer.

2, due the thermo expansion, coral will be 0.04% longer for every degree incease in temperature. For a frag 4 inch in length in 80F, it will be 4.04 inch if you increase the water to 105F.

3, dose those "joint juice" from Costco. You know, the one that help old people with joint problem. I usually just get the sample, and they wonder why a man in early 30's want to sample it.

4, trim the side branches for Acropora and branching Montipora. This will get the hormone to concentrate on the tip,.

5, put a light bulb behind a fan. As the fan rotates, it makes the light to appear on and off. This will fool the coral to think that a few centuries has passed (one light/dark cycle is one day), and you can see the growth. Remove the hood since some acropora are know to knock off the light canopy.

 

[mgranato]

Without seeing the tank (size, placement, flow, etc.) my guess for slow growth would be the combo of your animals. You've got some nasty little jokers in that lineup. Never underestimate the retarding powers of chemical warfare in there. I was going through the same deal, but once I got things in better "harmony" the frags took off.

 

[pwj1286]

lol dupaboy

I would say, easy on the water changes not all crazy one a week stuff, but twice monthly. Calcium reactor and kalkwasser drip really helps. If not that B Ionic or a good two part supplement.
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[CG1]

So I know there are some purists who will be mad at me for asking this but is there any way to accellerate coral growth in our tanks. Ive spent 200 dollars so far on pointy little sticks of coral that arent really pretty or impressive. I dont exactly want to wait two years to have a beautiful colony if I can grow them quicker. Dont be mad at me, Im just impatient.

First, don't be impatient (yeah right ! ) LOL run your tank at 78 and get your calcium up at 450 and pay attention to your magnesium - if you can swing 450 CA and keep the MAG above 1300 you're golden....very difficult to do tho.

I dump a cup of Epsom Salts into my RO reserve tank every time I fill it, but the increased Magnesium pushes your Calcium down (so I just added a calcium reactor - I have a post on this site looking for help on that).

Bottom line, a temp of 78 and calcium will let the little bugger grow at a decent rate.

 

[acroman]

food helps, just dont add too much that you foul the water. if you have access to rotifers or copepods they will help growth by giving the colony more energy to expend. it also takes a while for a coral to acclimate to new settings, and since maintenance is basal, most of the energy from photosynthesis is being put towards acclimation. once your tank has settled out and the frag has acclimated itself, it should take off.

 

[Anonymous]

Also avoid moving things around too much. Coral often stops growing for a period after being moved. As others have said, after a period of quiet and calm they'll take off.