SPS corals that I can keep under power compacts

[hgsports]

Are there any? I'd just like one or two to throw in some variety. Currently I have 4 96W power compacts (2 daylight, 2 blue) on a 75G (48x24x16) tank. I have some nice spots on top of the live rock that would be in about 6 inches of water if placed there.

thanks!


John

 

[ReeferAl]

If positioned high in the tank I think you could keep pretty much any sps.
Allen

 

[Anonymous]

Montipora d. should be ok. It gets ok growth in my tank (37 gallons, 2x65W PC), but forget about color--brown is what you'll probably get. It's pretty marginal for most other SPS's. They may be adequate sustain life, but so do school lunches (and that's not saying much).

Ty

 

[Ben1]

I keep my Montipora Digitata and Capricornis under three 55 watt PC's and get great growth, both are bright orange. Also both are 1" under water. MattM from Inland reef posted a great pic of his Montipora under 2 28 watt PC's recently here and got 6" of growth in 6 months with nice color.

 

[MFisher]

I've found lower light to bring out nicer pigmentation especially those that respond well to actinics. I think most acropora will do well under much less light than most suggest.

 

[XXX]

Many SPS will do well under medium lighting. Look at sites like Dr. Mac and others and you will see listings for med light corals. I have more than one acro that gets only indirect lighting and have done well. I have one that receives zero direct light and has grown well (with blue tips) and produced new branches that are all growing toward the nearest lighted spot. As a rule SPS will grow faster and color better under MHs but you have a wide choice with your pcs.

Steve

 

[Sue Truett]

John, I think if you could find someone in your area that grows sps under power compacts, in particular montipora digitata, you could get away with this sps coral under pc's. If the frag is grown in the same environment you'll have a much easier time of acclimating it to your's and your lighting. Montipora digitata, IME, being the most forgiving of the sps corals. If you placed it high in the rock structure you could keep it. Whether it will have nice color or grow good for you is another subject. See if you can find someone from your local reefkeeping club that might have some. I have heard of pocillopora doing ok under pc's. HTH..

my 180 ecosystem sps tank:
http://berlinmethod.com/suet/
my 120 ecosystem sps tank:
http://suetruett.homestead.com/home.html
www.marshreef.org/members

 

[Anemone]

As someone else mentioned, there are some acroporids that would do fine under your PCs. I have kept (and fragged) my purple tip acro (sold to me 6-7 years ago by Inland Aquatics as "Jackson's Monster Purple Tip Acro" so I have no idea what the species is) under 2x96 watt PCs over a 40 gallon tank. The color has more purple in the tips (actually, the purple portion of the tip is longer) under MH (I currently have several larger colonies growing in an 80 gallon tank with 2x175 MH bulbs), but it was still colorful under the PCs.

Kevin

 

[Anonymous]

Man if I banged my head against the wall every time this question is asked I'd have some severe dain bramage.

Reef lighting (provided you are using aquarium bulbs) is not based upong quality but quantity. You can keep ANY photosynthetic coral under PC's as long as you have sufficient intensity.

That rant above is not directed at the original poster but at those who claim you need MH for SPS or Clams regardless of the tank dimensions and placement.

Now, John - in your situation you could keep just about any SPS as long as you keep them in the first 3 inches of water directly under all 4 bulbs.

[ January 15, 2002: Message edited by: MickAv8r ]</p>

 

[hgsports]

I understand your comment Tom. My post, perhaps, was phrased incorrectly. The real issue is that I'm not particularly certain at what rate light attentuates through the water in my tank. Because I have PC's lighting and it's not as bright as MH, I'm guessing that any SPS corals would need to be very near the top. I can get the base of the coral to be about 6" from the surface. Depending on the size of the coral, that should put most of the polyps within 3" of the surface. The PC's are another.... say.... 6" off the surface of the water.


thanks!


John

[ January 15, 2002: Message edited by: hgsports ]</p>

 

[Ben1]

I dont think Dr. Mac thinks of PC's as med light. Afterall all of his systems have 20k 400 watt MH.

You can keep some Acros under PC's if they are placed correctly. I have had some of my Acroporas from my SPS system which would not live 2" under water in my soft coral system lite by PC's. As stated before the Montiporas are much more forgiving

 

[XXX]

Yes, Dr. Mac considers 500 watts of pc as medium lighting. He has a variety of SPS that will do fine under that lighting.

 

[Mac1]

Hey John,

I agree with most of the other poster's here... You could keep nearly any of the colored tip Montipora Digitata's, IMO. I've seen a few people keep M. Capricornis as well, with only PC's. There's a LFS by me that has a frag (same species I'm growing under MH's), that has kept it's color, and plated and grown at a surprisingly fast rate. They use 4x96 Watt PC's over a 90, so if you've got that over a 75, I'm sure you'd be fine. I'd probably try starting out with an M. Cap and M. Digi species, and see how they do. After a few months, maybe try and branch out to some of the more colorful digi's (I've got two kinds of green, an orange, peach, and purple colored one's, and two kinds of purple tipped/brown monti's). There are also a couple of kinds of colored M. Cap's that should do well also. Some will turn brown under lesser lighting, but still live and grow. My M. Cap's are orange, purple, yellow w/ purple rim, yellow w/ Blue polyps, and just a plain yellow one. There's a range of colors and shapes you can get, and that's without even trying an Acropora species. However if you're able to keep Monti's with color and good growth, I'd consider trying an Acro or two as well. Just make sure you do everyone a favor and get captive raised frags, rather than wild caught heads. You'll have a much better survival rate, and feel better knowing you're not taking anything from the ocean.

- Mac

 

[FishGeeek]

Here is my personal experience. I keep several types of acro's and Montipora under 4 96watt PC's. I use 2 03 and 2 10k. 75 gal tank. Lights are 8" above the water. All but 3 of my sps have come from frags. I can keep colored tips on brown acro's but on colored acro's with colored tips I will lose the color in the tips. On montipora I can keep the color on both tips and corals. All frags have grown very well 2 to 5 millimeter a month. As for placement most frags are 4" to 6" tall now. The top of the corals are 2" to 4" underwater. My green slimmer is about 12" now. I have to frag it to keep to from growing out of the water. The base is 12" under water and keeps its green color. I am at work so I am going off memory, but here is what I have.

Green slimmer - all green. Grown from 4" to 12" in 18 months + been fraged several times.

Green Acro - had florescent blue tips under 400w m halides. Is only green in my tank and is the slowest grower. Has grown from 2" to 4" in 18 months + fraged 3 times.

Brown acro Tortuosa with blue tips - Looks the same in my tank as it did under MH. Has grown from 2" to 8" in 18 months + fraged several times.

Brown acro Formosa with purple tips - Looks the same in my tank as it did under MH. Has grown from 2" to 8" in 18 months + fraged once.

Brown tabletop acro with white tips - bought as a frag from LFS(no idea on previous lighting) This frag was all brown and has developed white tips. Yes the tips are white! The tips and only the tips have been white for 2 years. Has grown from 1/2" to 3" in 2 years never fraged.

Pink Bird Nest - was found behind the rock work of a friends tank. Was brown getting very little light. I slowly acclimated to my lighting. It is solid Pink. Has grown from 3" round head to 8" round head in 18 months + unsuccessfully fraged several times.

Yellow scroll - bought from LFS. Was very green, but faded to yellow in my tank. Has grown from 4" to 6" in 1 year, never fraged.

Red with yellow polyps scroll - Bought from FLS. Does not grow up, just out. Has grown from 4" to 6" in 1 year, never fraged.

Brown Montipora Capricornis - Looks the same as it did under 400w MH. Has grown from 3/4" frag to nice 8" round shape in 18 months + unsuccessfully fraged once.

Orange Montipora Capricornis Looks the same as it did under 400w MH. Has grown from 1" frag to nice 6" round shape in 18 months, never fraged.

Branching Green Hynophora - Bright Green. Bought at LFS. Has gone from 3" to 4" + fraged 2 times.

Brown Montipora Digitata - @$%^ Weed! Cant get it out of my tank. It grows no matter what!

HTH

[ January 17, 2002: Message edited by: FishGeeek ]</p>