Acro ID... and high alk.  -12/26/07 Good Morning team. Pierre here. <Hi, Sara here.> Just obtained some nice Christmas frags and wanted your help in identifying one of them. Here are two pictures. The second shows it in better focus in the upper left corner of the monti. <I'm sorry, there's no way I could ID these corals without a very good, close up picture of the bare coral skeleton. Sorry, that's just the way it is with most Acropora family coral IDs.> Also wanting my Acros to color up a little better but fear my carbonate hardness may be wreaking havoc. <Don't worry so much about color right now, worry about polyp extension and overall health. Coral colors can change, but we still don't know exactly why or how enough to intelligently try and consistently induce one color over another.> I've been trying to bring it down doing weekly water changes with Instant Ocean mix, but the fresh mixed water's alkalinity is high (over 10dKH) when I test it. <Why aren't you using RO/DI water?> Fresh water is mixed and circulated for 24hrs before change is performed. I tried bringing it down using the club soda/seltzer water method but it didn't seem to work. Any ideas? <Hmm... this is one reason why most all reef aquarists use RO/DI filtered (or distilled) fresh water to start with.> The tank is 125 gallons with a 55 gallon tank as a sump that houses my skimmer, which flows through a bubble trap into my refugium (which is on a reverse light cycle), then into my return. Lighting is 2- 400 watt 20k Hamilton Metal Halides placed about 10" above the water's surface. Temp control is with a 1/3 hp Current Prime chiller. Here are my parameters. ph 8.4 day/ 8.2 night alkalinity 12 dKH magnesium 1500 ppm calcium 400 ppm nitrites 0 nitrates 0 I also don't have a lot of fish so my nitrate stays undetectable, could this also be leading to the lack of color from my Acros? <Hmm, no, as far as I know, most Acropora sp. we get for the hobby prefer low nutrient environments.> My tank has been set up and running and most of the coral added since April of this year. <Usually, it's recommended you wait at least a year before attempting to keep Acropora sp. coral, but that's not a hard rule and I guess you're close enough.> I also have some beautiful Monti Capricornis and Pocillopora Damicornis which are colored nicely. Circulation is provided by my return head Rio 2500+, with head pressure running around 400gph and an in tank Rio 2100. Growth from all species is decent but not stunning. <Please feel encouraged to search the site for more detailed information on how to best care for all these animals.> Thanks crew. Look forward to your answer. <Best, Sara M.> Re: Acro ID 12/26/07 Thanks for your reply Sara. I did forget to tell you that all my top off and water changes are made using RO/DI water from my own home system. <Huh... that's odd. RO/DI water should be nearly pure and not have any alkalinity to speak of.> I also have a TDS meter that monitors the output. All the cartridges and filters are less than a month old. I also dose Kalk with my top off although I've cut down on the amount while trying to fix my alkalinity issue. <Ok, that should help.> I've also noticed lately that the Instant Ocean mix has been rendering a high alkalinity. I'm at a loss trying to get these numbers back down to normal. <Hmm... if you suspect the salt mix, maybe try a different one. Instant Ocean, is notoriously inconsistent. One bag might be great, the next maybe not so much. In fact, you might even just try getting a different bag of Instant Ocean. Or better yet, have you tried Reef Crystals? It's made by the same company as IO, but it's formulated a little better for reef tanks.> The alkalinity test I'm using is a Salifert and I've tested it on completely fresh RO/DI water and it reacts immediately reading 0 dKH. <Oh, I'm sorry, in the previous email I thought you were saying that your freshwater was starting out at 10dKH (which just didn't make any sense). Sorry about that... so, now I would especially suspect your salt mix.> The tank itself has been set up for over two years. At that point I had minimal PC lighting (384 watts) and was just housing some soft corals and mushrooms. I've just started keeping SPS and LPS since April when I had the metal halide lighting situated. I'll wait for the corals to seek their own ground with coloring. <Good idea... if you want my personal opinion, I suspect that feeding also affects coloration (perhaps as much, if not more so, than lighting).> Should I not waste any more time with the club soda method to try to bring my alkalinity down? <Yes, I'd stop that for now and try switching salt mixes. Do water changes with half old and half new salt first though (to "acclimate" to the new mix). See if that doesn't help.> Polyp extension has been very good with lights on or off. Thanks again. You ladies/gents are fantastic and I love the site. <Thank you :-) Best, Sara M.>

Re: A. palmata? Elkhorn coral? Hooey!!!!!!!!  3/5/07
Justin,
Are you really even confident that it is an Acropora?  It is hard to pick out axial corallites in your pic.  There are some sort of lumpy-bumpy Montiporas with flattened branches that get called "Elkhorn".  If it is an Acropora, there are certainly Indo-Pacific species that form solid plates, "moose antler" and other vaguely Elkhorn type growth forms.
FWIW... for a variety of reasons in addition to those stated by Anthony, I agree that the possibility of A. palmata being maintained in captivity is vanishingly small.  The last time I was there, the aquarium in John Pennekamp (sp?) park in the Keys was very successfully growing A. cervicornis from fragments collected at boat groundings.  They were running semi-open systems.  They said they had zero success with A. Palmata in their systems and they even had poor success when they attached frags on the reef.  It is definitely a demanding critter!
Best Regards,
AdamC

Re: a. palmata?  Elkhorn coral? Hooey!!!!!!!!  3/5/07
you are welcome my friend... and my apologize if the message last night was brusque. It was a long day of email as y'all are familiar with :)
   But truly... I get chided when I see coral sellers exploit the eagerness of buyers with flat out lies about corals that are not actually "rare" in
the wild (though they label them so... like the acans, Ricordea, Montis, etc)... and in this case, an illegal coral. Creepier still are the dregs
that poach corals and call them "limited edition." Ewwwww.
   The reality of palmata's challenges in captivity are so extreme (truly) that you can literally say that if the suspected coral has been alive and
growing for even a few months next to other acros... then its not palmata.
   FWIW
Anthony Calfo

Algae Over-Growing M. capricornis? - 03/30/06
Hello,
<<Howdy>>
I looked for an answer to my question but couldn't find what I am searching for.  I hope you can help.
<<Me too <grin>.>>
I have a Montipora capricornis that is supposed to be orange but it has a layer of green algae on it.
<<?!>>
I have tried blowing it off with a powerhead and gently rubbing it off but have had no luck.  How do you get algae off a piece of SPS coral?  I don't have an algae problem in particular and it seems that the Montipora is its attachment point of interest.
<<I'm having trouble envisioning this Pete...algae won't "normally" overgrow the healthy living tissue.  Are you certain this coral is still alive?  And not to be funny but...are you certain this isn't a "green" Monti?  I might be better able to help if you can provide a sharp close-up photo (.jpg or .bmp format of no more than a couple hundred KB in size) so I can see what you're dealing with.>>
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Pete
<<Regards, EricR>>

Acro ID
ok, thanks...but in the mean time after looking at some old issues of
FAMA have determined that my Acro is more structurally similar to valida
rather gemmifera
<good luck on morphological second-guessing this genus... time for genetic mapping/karyoptyping>
, which is a relief considering the lack of adaptability
you claim gemmifera exhibits in captivity <just an average...> ... there is NO sign of my polyps. the tissue is living and completely covering the skeleton and
even the hunk of rock that accompanied it, except the polyps structures
seem empty...hollow almost... the axial corallites are big and way out,
and haven't faded like the rest of the colony. I checked the tank every
hour all evening , and they were still recessed, even where the previous
dark color remains intact...hold on, going to check again...nope, still
no sign of any extension. and here its 9:00 PM. and during the course of
the day, the tissue darkened just a scoshe (scientific unit of visual
color/light spectrum reflected from living organisms under the
refractive/reflective qualities of water - ok, for lack of better
description of the amount of color change, I made that one up)<actually, taksan scant transliteration... wakarimasuka nijongo?... of a Japanese diminutive>
...just had an epiphany...WHEN I succeed in having this Acropora thrive
grow and regain all its glorious color, I want to take genetically
identical frags in separate <ate> systems, and publish findings of experiments
with the function equations and pigmentation along with the most
efficient/appropriate filtration (adding other species along the
way)...oh the possibilities are pooling like phosphates! - maybe even
write a book. OR A COLLEGE THESIS! what stroke! Your input through
experience and further education would be greatly appreciated (any
suggestions on how to set up the experimentation systems, etc?) 
Anyway, any help you could offer with the situation at hand would be
even more appreciated
thanks again, Chris
>>
<Wowzah, glad to... time for many rep.s and a trip or two to the S. Pacific... and much discussion of experimental models... just hold on in the meanwhile... we are stuck in the analog one-time through treadmill... as you know.
Bob Fenner>

Picture of unknown SPS coral
Sorry the picture isn't too clear. I'd like to identify the coral if possible. Any help would be appreciated.
<Looks like a species of Montipora, of the family Acroporidae... here's a link/URL to the part of our site with images of this genus: http://wetwebmedia.com/acropori.htm
Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Todd

Unidentified Coral - Montipora SPS
Hi guys, not sure who'll be responding so I'll address in plural. 
<and if necessary, I'll answer in stereo...>
I've been reading and appreciating your FAQs for a few months now (ever since I started my reef project about 3 months now) and was wondering if you might be able to help me identify this coral I saw at the LFS. The owner said it MIGHT be a type of Acropora but it doesn't match any of the photos I find to my satisfaction. 
<close.... it is in the family (an Acroporid), but it appears to be a Montipora... likely M. digitata>
I was thinking maybe it was a type of Anacropora or even Montipora.
<bingo on the latter... and one of the hardiest SPS around. Very adaptable to a wide range of light and water flow. Like all SPS it needs very consistent calcium and alkalinity dosing though. Weekly testing, daily dosing as necessary to maintain in optimal health. Really a very hardy species though. Fast grower once established too. This specimen has seen better days but certainly can recover>
This specimen has some bleaching in its center that I think may be due to close proximity to a Euphyllia parancora. 
<oh, ya! That will do it>
My tank is 36x21x12 (roughly) I consider it a 40 tall? I don't know really. The tank was a hand-me-down. Currently I've got an All Glass Aquarium power compact fixture with two 55w 50/50 bulbs running on it about 14 hrs/day. 
<very modest lighting... for success with corals these bulbs need to be fresh (less than 10 months old), close to the water (no more than 3" from surface) and corals need to be in top 10" of surface for optimal health here (long-term success). See here my friend: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marlgtganthony.htm >
My other animals are 1 yellow tailed blue damsel, one blue mandarin, one Fire Fish, one sand sifting star, one red serpent star, two Mexican turbo snails, one feather duster worm, one reddish looking mushroom that rode in on some live rock, 3 small green stripped mushrooms, one Platygyra sinensis (on the substrate), one Euphyllia Parancora (on the opposite side of the tank about midway up), and some yellow polyps. Any help would be appreciated about this specimen
<hmmm... do consider a larger tank soon or at least a fishless refugium for the mandarin. The sand-sifting starfish also will not live to see 2 years old if even one in this smaller tank. Not enough sand surface area for deposit feeding on organic particulates.>
Thanks! Arthur
<with kind regards, Anthony>

Acropora Confusion
I have two small fragments of Acropora that I got from two different places. The polyps of the two fragments are very different, so I was wondering if they were both really Acropora.  
<It is difficult to tell. Skeletal features may give clues as to the true identity. Growth patterns are imprecise at best. There are many growth forms of Acropora from branching, bushy, cluster, finger, etc.>
The first one I got has brown polyps that are about 1/4" in diameter.  The second one I got has green polyps that are barely visible.  What's the best way to determine which species I have?  
<Impossible for me to do over the internet although photos would help. Get a copy of Borneman's book "Aquarium corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History. This book contains lots of pictures and identifying characteristics. No book will have every known form of a coral, but this book does contain information on many commonly kept species of corals>
Is it possible that the brown polyps will change color with time (and the right environment)?
<Your brown Acropora is likely from lower light level and lower water movement. It is possible for an Acropora to modify its color (zooxanthellae) due to the effects of lighting>
Thanks.
<You're welcome! David Dowless>