Need Help With SPS

[Gadgets]

I purchased three Acropora SPS frags from Dr. Macs at MACNA and none of them are doing well. I acclimated them using the drip method. None of them have shown any polyp extension. One has died (RTN) and the other two look as if they are on their way out as well. My water parameters are perfect. I also purchased a nice sized Acropora Tenuis SPS colony from frag farmer. It is showing beautiful coloration (Purple tips w/ tan body) and all of it polyps are extended. I also have some caps and Montis that are doing great as well. I just don't understand why these corals are doing so bad. They have good flow, lighting and water quality. I thought that Dr. Macs was one of the best places to buy corals. Something is telling me don't believe the hype. What do u guys think? TIA

 

Water Parameters:

SG= 1.025

PH= 8.2

Am= 0

Nitrite= 0

Nitrate= 0

Ca= 440

Temp= 78-80

Lighting= (2) 250w MH 14K

[flowerseller]

What is your ALK or DKH?

 

That Tenuis colony you saw me get from frag farmer is doing well also.

I got one frag from DM and it's doing well, and Gary and split a frag sixpac from there as well. 1 smoked right away, 1's looking sad but the others appear to be acclimating well with some encrusting growth.

 

Oddly enough with no offense intended, I have had wonderful encrusting growth with almost every frag I personally got, was holding, or am still holding for others from the fragexchange

This is a good bunch of educating reefers!!!

[Gadgets]

What is your ALK or DKH?

 

That Tenuis colony you saw me get from frag farmer is doing well also.

I got one frag from DM and it's doing well, and Gary and split a frag sixpac from there as well. 1 smoked right away, 1's looking sad but the others appear to be acclimating well with some encrusting growth.

 

Oddly enough with no offense intended, I have had wonderful encrusting growth with almost every frag I personally got, was holding, or am still holding for others from the fragexchange

This is a good bunch of educating reefers!!!

40540[/snapback]

 

Yeah I forgot to mention that the frag that I got from them(fragexchange) is doing Awesome!

[Folta]

I'm having that same trend.. the sps that I got from Dr. Mac has pretty much kicked the bucket, while the sps frag I got from fragexchange is doing very well.

[steveoutlaw]

It's my personal opinion that sometimes it's a crap shoot. I'm by no means an expert but I got a bali-slimer from Lee Stearns that was flourishing in his tank. I acclimated it along with a frogspawn and a green digi that I got from him. The frogspawn and the green digi are doing great but the bali bleached on me. I have another bali slimer in my tank that is thriving. Sometimes you do everything right and they just don't like it.

[Lee Stearns]

concur- alk and Phos are the two most important params-- and even drip acclimation it may not transition if too large of a change.

Sometimes they just do not transition- but the vast majority of aquarium grown frags will acclimate and make the adjustment because they have been "hardened' for lack of a better word in the less than optimal swings of our aquarium keeping techniques. For the most part many of the online sellers Dr Mac included have wild caught colonies- and can be held with there large volume systems that maintain some fairly constant values. Just my speculation after seeing a lot of wild caught colonies not make it in other's tanks, which is why I am so big on trading within WAMAS and other associations.

[BeltwayBandit]

I got 3 acro colonies from Dr. Mac and all of them bleached on me. One has a few polyps that are still hanging in there, so I am hopeful. The others succumed to RTN in about 3 days. The zoos that I got managed to come unglued and got blown under a rock, so they are gone (my bad they were opening up and doing fine), The Blasto that I got is doing well. I have also never had a problem keeping corals that I got from other aquarists, but wild specimens seem to not fare too well in my system.

[flowerseller]

This is the first time of 4, I'd say I had success with DM's stuff, mostly as you've read here.

I was a lucky bast rd and happen to be looking we he unbagged some new pieces Saturday mid afternoon. Needless to say I SCARFT 3 heads on the spot! 1 more later.

GaryL and I are splitting one later this month.

 

Happy to report that on one colony I've only lost two "bump stalks" and the others, including a millie I split up with John Moore, are doing well.

All lost a tad of color which I generally expect, at least temporarily.

[Caribbean Jake]

suggestion. Call Dr. Mac and advise him of the problem. He will replace one or all of them eventually. Just call him, he is preatty good about it.

Jacob