Polyp Trouble

[hubbard_shark]

lately ive been noticing my polyp not to be coming out as much as it use too, its a star ployp. it tends to just be kinda bundled up or not very stemmed. i started adding liquid reactant by kent marine, and have been using lugol's solution by kent marine, will this help my polyps get back to normal? im thinkin its stressed due to low calcium lvs.

 

[Mr Miagi]

What is the Kent additive? Why are you adding them? You mention low calcium, what is it? Lugols is added for Iodine right? My polyps have been doing fine without it.

Did this poor polyp extension happen before or after you started adding these things?

Lighting?

You also have a sixline. Noticed it picking at the polyp/s?

Edit: That was alot of questions, LOL!

 

[N1z]

yer sounds like low levels of calcium, it should be over 400mgs. do you have any other corals? All i add in my tank is seachem water additives the fish and corals take out. works fine for me and atm ive got hide nitrates and yet they growing lke mad under t5 canopy

 

[Chac]

You shouldnt really be adding anything to your tank that you do not test for as altering 1 level will alter 2 others

N1Z- really your water changes should/will replace anything that your corals remove from the water

I simply would never add any supplements to my tank unless I knew what the specific problem was & an exact soloution

 

[N1z]

oh yer i still do dw not that silly

 

[SkiFletch]

Agreed, stop dosing lugols immediately. Its not necessary and can in fact be dangerous to your corals. It could be that your iodine is too high after a longterm dosing of lugols. It could also be that your calcium or alkalinity are too high or too low. Only with test kits will you know.

 

[hubbard_shark]

ok ill stop the lugol's right now, ive only been adding one drop per week, so ive only put in maybe 4 drops total. the calcium i know is low, since ive never put anything in since now. ill test my iodine see where its at, and wait for my calcium check.

 

[SkiFletch]

Heh, you've been dosing that low? Probably not the issue then. A drop a day for a week or two isnt much at all. I'd still stop dosing, but I wouldnt go get a test kit for it... If you have one, go ahead and use it, if not, dont bother. You should however have good quality calc and alk test kits.

 

[hubbard_shark]

yep that was my most recent purchase the other day, and i know it slow which is why i bought some calcium dosage.

 

[SkiFletch]

How low is it? <350ppm, 350-400ppm?

 

[hubbard_shark]

below 350 which would explain the reason for my star polyp to be stressed. but it is rising (calcium) with each day

 

[SkiFletch]

yup, that'll happen. Be VERY careful when dosing either calcium, carbonate, or magnesium. You can easily get yourself into a situation where you run into an imbalance between one or two of them and cause the other to precipitate out rapidly. Saltwater chemistry is somewhat challenging to master and gain a complete understanding of. There are lots of ionic reactions that take place. So make sure even as you're raising your calcium that you monitor your alkalinity (carbonate hardness) to make sure it does not crash.

Randy Holmes-Farley is better at explaining the relationship than I am

 

[Jeff20147]

You also have a sixline. Noticed it picking at the polyp/s?

I have a sixline do they tend to nip at stars? What about toadstools, I keep finding my toadstool damaged in this one corner towards the front?

 

[hubbard_shark]

ive noticed my sixline would check out my star polyp, but never really pick at it, pnly around it. i think my star polyp is damaged cuz my hermits have basically bulldozered them, just doesnt look like it use to. but i also got a young fingers coral, and they dont bother it, or the sixline, and its doing great, growing out as well, so i guess it all depends on the coral