My Favia Frag - Health and possible growth timeline?

[o0xerog0o]

Hey all, I picked up this favia frag from a local reefer last week, and was wondering if I could get any opinions on it...

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9230/1002492yv8.jpg

My lighting for now is a 175W, 20K MH. The tank is a 30G long, and the favia is sitting in the sand, obviously, which is about22" from the light... I have no idea how to tell if these things are enjoying their current location or not when they're this small, so I was hoping to get some ideas. I would say the flow is about medium indirect, and all the tank param's are in check, nitrates are about 20ppm, but the rest are where they should be.

How much growth can I expect, and how long does it usually take to notice it? I bought some Coral Frenzy that I've been feeding all my LPS, SPS, and zoa's if that makes any difference. Here's a FTS so you can see the position, right in the middle of the tank, under the goniopora...

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3237/1002501sc5.jpg

[o0xerog0o]

I'm kind of worried about the white spot visible in the pic... I don't know much about them, despite reading on here about them, and I'm looking for any info on how to make it thrive. I did notice that when I moved it today out of necessity, my finger tips didn't feel slimy like there was much mucous on it.

[yellowslayer13]

on a side note what is that fish in the center of your pic the blue,black and white

[o0xerog0o]

It's known as a blue velvet damsel. As it grows, it will become more drab in color, turning a brownish shade, and will become more aggressive. But for now, he's a neat looking fish, that gets along with everyone else in the tank.

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2152/1002494dk2.jpg

[yellowslayer13]

thanks I have a friend with a mean one

[kev apsley]

keep it in low light and low/med current, it should color up for you and grow at a nice clip once it settles in, give it a month or so then you can feed it to help with growth

[o0xerog0o]

thanks for the info kev. I figured it would take a while for it to start getting used to my tank. I've also heard these things are pretty slow growers, which wouldn't be a bad thing seeing as how I have a pretty crowded tank at the moment.

[kev apsley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13015711#post13015711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by o0xerog0o
thanks for the info kev. I figured it would take a while for it to start getting used to my tank. I've also heard these things are pretty slow growers, which wouldn't be a bad thing seeing as how I have a pretty crowded tank at the moment.

yeah, once it is settled in feeding mysis/cyclops/etc. will really help it grow and color up