Duncan has changed its look

[mherb24]

I set up a new saltwater tank two months ago.

A Duncan coral was my first piece and has looked great. While I still really dig its look, after a month it has not really grown at the base, but it’s extension out of its base has increased a lot.

But...it’s tentacles used to be thin and pointed, now they are short and stubby. I have not moved it. It’s about 12” from surface of water which should put its par at about 160. Does this still look healthy? Or is it trying to tell me something? It just doesn’t look like the photos I’ve seen.

I was using the stock light that came with my AquaTop Recife 40g but decided I need better light control with timer and fading colors instead of the sudden on off of the stock light.

I am doing weekly water changes, 20%.

PH 8.2
Ammonia .125
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10-20

I’m a little color blind, so the ammonia is hard for me to tell on the API test, but it’s not 0. It hovers just over. Maybe over feeding my fish, but cutting back to one feeding a day seems mean.

I have more test kits getting delivered later this week so I can test calcium, phosphate, and hardness.

 

[brandon429]

at no time can any aspect of reefing be assessed by a duncan's polyp morphology.
they're the trickiest coral out there for making strange changes to shape harmlessly.

if the basal tissue pulls up to reveal white septal ridges, true skeletal exposure around the base of the polyp, that's an issue. yours isnt like that above.

not anything above is an issue whatsoever, it may hold that way for three months then go normal one day. or it may change by lunchtime today. means nothing

now if my hammer or frogspawn did an extended polyp change I'd look around, but not ever a duncan.

judge duncans by looking at the other corals, what they're doing.

 

[Arabyps]

Are you target feeding it? I target feed Reef-Roids every 7-10 days. Since doing this my Duncan has shown significant growth. See the Billy Pipes video on feeding Reef-Roids. Also, have you considered it may be getting too much light? Generally they like low to moderate per LiveAquaria.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

The times when my Duncan tentacles went short and stubby, it was in to high of flow. Lowered and they are not long and flowing.

 

[mherb24]

Are you target feeding it? I target feed Reef-Roids every 7-10 days. Since doing this my Duncan has shown significant growth. See the Billy Pipes video on feeding Reef-Roids. Also, have you considered it may be getting too much light? Generally they like low to moderate per LiveAquaria.

I did get some reef roids, and target feed once a week. But after watching that video I’m doing it wrong. I was using 1/4 teaspoon with a lot more water. I will try using more roids with less water with pumps off.

Learning something new every day.