OK, this one doesn't make sence..??

Well as many of you know I acquired some black sun polyps, and with those polyps came heavy(er) feedings. Nothing exciting I know, but with heavier feedings I need to clean everything a ton more than usual, no biggie, worth the extra effort right? Well for about a month now I have not cleaned the filter like I normally do, BIG MISTAKE and also saw the carbon needed replacing. About a week ago i noticed some hair algae growing and new what it was, Phos I think was like 5 or so, a bit of nitrates and that was about it. Well I combated it with agressive(sp) water changes and cleaning everything I possibly could and it is about 75% gone. My question is, when I noticed the params get a bit higher than normal, I noticed one of the unknown acro frags EXPLODE!!! I mean literally, the thing started encrusting over the plug in like 3 nights when before it was growing but not that quick! now that the params are coming down it is starting to slow it's growth, what's the deal?? I really don;t get this, SPS's require prestine water conditions and I do ablidge, but now I am starting to think otherwise...?? Any help will be appreciated, thanks guys/gals!

 

two possibilities in my mind.
you could chalk it up to the carbon if you replaced that. carbon absorbs vitamins and minerals in the water. some reports say that fish infected with hole in the head disease benefit from removal of carbon, which most preventative measures point to a lack of vitamins causing the fish's immune system to fail.

with extra nutrients in the water there probably was more food floating in the water column. since soft corals and some lps benefit from some degree of dirty water. it would stand to reason sps do also but they are more vulnerable to some of the side effects. perhaps in your case the benefits out weighed the negatives from your lax of husbandry.

in my mind they are good and bad things about anything, like us and oxygen we cant live with out it, but it creates free radicals that damages dna

damned if you do, damned if you don't

 

Well, I think that about covered it.

 

thanks for the reply sostoudt!! much appreciated! but still though, you think with higher phos and nitrates it would recede somewhat... and here is the real kicker that gets to me, when it grew the most is when I had the lights off! I guess I will really never understand that one, but thanks again for the help

 

I know how you were with the 10, so lemme ask this: What all are you testing for? It might have been the water changes, and the sudden increased amounts of ca, mg, strontium, boron, molybdenum, (OK you get the point), other radical traces. Algae receded, you cut back on the water changes, growth receded. Just a thought that popped into my mind.

 

testing everything except Mg, thanks for the tip! That could be it, it just struck me as odd that it would grow in the dark!

BTW can anyone see my avatar???? When I post I can't see my own avatar...

 

Yeah. It's the picture of Hannah Montana, right?

 

Ya dude, no doubt, I love that show 8) Why, you got a problem with that?

 

seriously though, can you see it? because i for sure can not see a dang thing.....

 

No that's fine. Just strange is all. Makes you wonder sometimes.