green star polyps?

[reefp]

Are green star polyps easy to keep? How fast do they grow? Can I add them directly after I cycle my tank?

[cloak]

GSP are pretty undemanding when it comes down to lighting, flow, & parameters. Be careful though. These things spread like wildfire and can easily take over a tank. You might want to isolate them somewhere. GL.

[Subw00er]

Its a good starter coral, and although I hear they can grow fast, in my tank, I only see maybe 1/2" wider per month, so its not the kind of growth that can REALLY take over. It pulls off of smooth rock pretty well and you can cut it safely to frag it off.

Make sure your tank is cycled and go for it! Its a popular and very pretty coral under actinics.

[WestTexasReefer]

It grows like weeds. When I downsized I thought I got rid of the rocks with it on it. I had my live rock in brute trash cans in the garage with a maxijet for flow in the summer with temps around 100. I put the new tank together and within a week some GSP showed up and now I have 2 large rocks covered that I prune back weekly by cutting and peeling. They can and will take over your tank if you are not careful or isolate them on a rock not touching anything.

[Subw00er]

ps I think GSP thrives on high nitrates, lol.

[BMW1600]

ps I think GSP thrives on high nitrates, lol.

Anecdotally, this seems to be true. Mine did great when I was trying to figure out *** to do with my water. The better handle I have on it the slower they grow.

[wireefman]

they are a great addition, especially if you sre sble to get some of the neon green, but as stated they can be a nusence... control them and they are a sweet addittion

[wendy32693]

I seem to have a different experience than most people with gsp, in my tank they do fine, they open up and everything but i get no new growth from these. I have had one small rock covered in them someone gave me a while back and it has not spread anywhere at all. I guess it just depends on the person tank

[Subw00er]

Wendy - mine are like that too. very little growth. I was actually surprised when I saw it encrusting over the rock a bit. But I've seen other's tanks that grow like mad. It could have something to do with the strain too I suppose.

[SushiGirl]

I put mine on a rock in the corner by the overflow so they'd grow up it. They didn't grow. I moved them over about 5 inches (better light & flow) and they've taken off. Nowhere close to the overflow, though. :lmao:

[mgargiullo]

I glued. Frag to the back wall of my nano... Within a few months it had spread a good distance in all directions. Love ha stuff. Very pretty

[FishAddict413]

Very easy. I blacked out my tank for two weeks and it was fine.

[Master_Shake]

I purchased a nice chunk of rock covered green star polyps but they aren't doing well. I've moved tried them in a few different places but only one are now opens. I have a flame angel which left them alone when they were open but would nip at the rock when closed, but no more than any other rock. Could it have harmed them?

[jelli]

I just got a piece, it's showing extra polyps everyday.

[Michigan Mike]

Put it under halides and watch out!

[RyanSweatt2004]

Its a great coral to let grow all over your rock scape. Some people don't like it but when it grows in around everything it starts to take on a really natural look IMO, not a very SPS friendly coral from my experience though. But it does well to fill in the gaps between large LPS and leather corals. Not worth buying any of it though as most people will probably be willing to give frags of it away. I know I have. Made over 100 frags of it in the last year alone.

[loganjonathan]

i have to agree they are very good beginner corals and they are also very colorful they will spread everywhere and that is what makes them so popular with beginners they don't have to worry about a think just place and watch

[cathyr]

Why do I have such difficulty with beginner corals? I read of everyone having such success with these simple corals!! My more difficult corals grow fine. My fish and anemone are great but my green star polyps, purple mushrooms and Kenya tree just seem to linger till they eventually fade away! I have moved them from medium to high to low light, and same with the flow. I have tried different coral foods etc. Nothing works.
I have a 30 gal nano tank
Nano Sol lights
keep temp at 79 degrees
salinity 1.025
all parameters are spot on
I do water changes once a week
I supplement with alternating days of magnesium and calcium/buffer and an occasional soft coral supplement
and I feed with frozen H20 Life coral mix.

I give up! What am I doing wrong?

[Deton8it]

I can't keep Kenya Trees or Xenia. I can keep a clam no problem though. My water is always too clean.


John

[supertony]

I keep all of these with no problem. In fact, they are brighter and bigger in my tank than the one they came from. I have a 28g nano, with a hang on fuge. Nice big pieces of macro in the fuge. All my parameters are also spot on. However, I don't supplement. I'm of the opinion that it's the same as it would be for humans; supplemental, not required. Plus, all of the corals you've mentioned are self sustaining through photosynthesis. Perhaps you're overdoing it? Just a thought. I haven't been at this very long.

[enchelycore808]

Why do I have such difficulty with beginner corals? I read of everyone having such success with these simple corals!! My more difficult corals grow fine. My fish and anemone are great but my green star polyps, purple mushrooms and Kenya tree just seem to linger till they eventually fade away! I have moved them from medium to high to low light, and same with the flow. I have tried different coral foods etc. Nothing works.
I have a 30 gal nano tank
Nano Sol lights
keep temp at 79 degrees
salinity 1.025
all parameters are spot on
I do water changes once a week
I supplement with alternating days of magnesium and calcium/buffer and an occasional soft coral supplement
and I feed with frozen H20 Life coral mix.

I give up! What am I doing wrong?

Maybe your water is too clean lol! I have similar setup as you with the ai nanos as well. I definitely don't get that explosive growth that everyone talks about. I had two small rocks (3x3") covered with GSP and only now, 6 months later did it reach the glass. Also have a Palau neon green that just wouldn't grow until I started feeding it every other day.

[cathyr]

I have a 6 gal nano rehab-tank with compact lighting. When my Kenya trees start looking too bad and arent responding to anything else, I put them in rehab. They perk up within a day or two and start growing rapidly, only to decline again after a week or two when I place them back in the main tank.
No rehab luck with my purple mushrooms or GSP.
Im wondering if it is my nano sol lighting. Someone suggested that my lighting might be too strong. I turned it down halfway and havent noticed any difference.

[enchelycore808]

I have a 6 gal nano rehab-tank with compact lighting. When my Kenya trees start looking too bad and arent responding to anything else, I put them in rehab. They perk up within a day or two and start growing rapidly, only to decline again after a week or two when I place them back in the main tank.
No rehab luck with my purple mushrooms or GSP.
Im wondering if it is my nano sol lighting. Someone suggested that my lighting might be too strong. I turned it down halfway and havent noticed any difference.

50% on a 6g with a nano sol is blazing! The highest mines goes is 35% on a 17" deep tank. That's more then enough for me to keep mushrooms under the light shriveled up and not happy lol! I would try turning it down to maybe even 25% and see how your corals do. Can try increasing it every week by 5% and see how they react.

[jccaclimber]

ps I think GSP thrives on high nitrates, lol.

I'd believe this as well, and honestly I suspect most softies are like that. When I started the tank the softies did great. As I got a hold of things they did worse. Upping the feeding (a lot) to try to push up my nitrates has resulted in the softies (toadstool, shrooms, star polyps, rics) opening much more than usual.
As it would be my phosphate is still somewhere close to 0 and my nitrate is a pretty solid 0 (although on a low resolution test) so they don't require a particularly high level of either.

[Docdiggy]

I have been told there are 2 kinds. I have the neon ones. As they spread the stuff that spreads and makes them comes in 2 colors. Purple or pink. Pink grows faster but, they are not as neon as the purple. Mine grow decently fast.

[swhobbie1]

they are a great addition, especially if you sre sble to get some of the neon green, but as stated they can be a nusence... control them and they are a sweet addittion

+1 as said by others they will grow fast covering rocks, tank walls ... don't let them reach any rock you don't want them on. They also grow up in spikes when they approach other corals too. I've had them push over mushrooms, monti's. I've scraped them off rocks and new polyps show up from very small scrapings of purple left on the rock. I have rock in the garage and was worried if I ever use it they'd grow back... I'm guessing them probably will.

[pcriv3833]

I have those green polyps too and have no problem with them. Mine trippled in size in the 6 weeks I've had them. But then again....my nitrate level is a tad high. About 40ppm. It doesnt seem to hurt any of the coral or fish. Maybe that particular coral DOES like slightly dirtier water?

[jccaclimber]

I have been told there are 2 kinds. I have the neon ones. As they spread the stuff that spreads and makes them comes in 2 colors. Purple or pink. Pink grows faster but, they are not as neon as the purple. Mine grow decently fast.

I would call the base tissue of both of mine purple, but I do have two separate types. One has neon green polyps and the other has mint green polyps. The mint green ones are a bit smaller overall.

[3dees]

I added a three inch rock covered in neons about six months ago. it is on the sand bed away from the other rocks. it's now about seven inches and I just moved it further away as it was only about a half inch from the rocks. I may have to frag it soon.

[cathyr]

The 6 g nano is my rehab tank with compact lights. My main tank is a 30g with the nano sol lights at half strength. Everything seems to grow better in the 6g. Not sure what else to do

[Slotz00]

I can't keep Kenya Trees or Xenia. I can keep a clam no problem though. My water is always too clean.


John

If you are in or around Central CT or New Haven the next time I groom my pulsating xenia you are welcome to some trimmings.

This is an open invite........

I was shipped some GSP as a pack but was supposed to be Zooa's so we shall see how that goes.

Scott

[1987]

if it's a bright purple it will be bright metalic green under blue lights. It's very easy. All my GSP resides in a section of my sump

[lostintheocean]

yes, fast, no

[funnyshroom]

Ya I have these polyps under LED now and are doing well. They are not in my dirty tank as I call it with my xenia which are under halide light but I will frag some and try it there. By the way I know this post is old but its the newest one I can find on this topic as well the search engine is down.

I have the new 5012 ti evergrow lights and you really need to watch these lights. They are fantastic but I don't recommend going over 40% with any of the channels as it is very powerful and my corals do just great under max 40% at 1pm and down to 1% at night before they go off at 10 pm finally under moonlight. These lights are 12" above the water as well and reach the bottom very well. The tank is 90 gal 22 inch high.

These green polyps came out the same day I have put them in and are doing well;

Parameters;

Salinity 1.023
Alkalinity 9-10 dkh
Calcium 410
PH 7.8 - 8.1
Iodate = <.03
Iodide = <.03
Magnesium 1400
Nitrates 0 -5ppm
Ammonia - 0
Phosphates 0 = 5ppm

Water changes 1 time per month, 15-20% thats it. I rely on my skimmer doing its job and remember if you have RO water and are topping that up frequently that is new water in the tank. Saves on salt. ;)

[roberthu526]

My GSP used to grwo quite fast when I have over 10 PPM nitrate in my tank. But now my tank has 0 nitrate and phosphate, its growth has slowed down significantly. I feel that this is the kind of coral just like xenia that likes dirty water. My xenia actually started dying after I aimed for ULN system.

[10Seconds]

I love the look of this covering the overflow boxes on the back of my tank. Takes the unnatural aspect away.