Sick corals to healthy corals !

[mandy111]

Ok, so here in Aussie we pay a lot for corals. They are the most expensive thing we put in our tanks, so hubby and I have sort of got into the habit of buying sick looking corals, haggling the price down and taking our chances. In most cases it seem to work and they make a good recovery. We have lost a few along the way but because they are cheap it really doesn't cost too much.
Some of the before photos are actually about 3 months after we purchased them, they were well on the way to recovery. They looked a hell of a lot worse when we bought them. And they are still improving or fully recovered.

I thought I would share some before and after photos.

 

[mandy111]

some more.

The last photo of the plate corals.
We bought them when they were bleached so badly, they looked like skeletons, no colour at all.
We picked them up for $5.00 each, because they were not supposed to come back, they are now all healthy and we could sell for $49.00 each, but we love them so not doing it. lol.

 

[Kristin1234]

So when and how much to just fly you to Texas to bring some Aussie magic to my naked tank?

They all look great!

Tell me, any good book recommendations on corals?

 

[Kristin1234]

Those plate corals are bad ass!! I love them!!

 

[2014FishKiller]

Very nice, what is your magic touch?

 

[mandy111]

So when and how much to just fly you to Texas to bring some Aussie magic to my naked tank?

They all look great!

Tell me, any good book recommendations on corals?

I don't have one book on reefing.....ooops !! I walk into lfs, see a coral, quickly google it make sure its not in the dendro family and buy it.
I then tank my chances. In the beginning I had to often move the dam things around until I saw some polyp extension or growth because they really are fussy about postion. The trouble also is lps reaching and stinging each other, often happens at night with feeder tentacles, so almost every night after lights out I am at tank with a torch keeping an eye out for anything that needs moving.

 

[mandy111]

Very nice, what is your magic touch?

NO magic touch.
Just good water parameters, 10% water changed every 21 days, stir sand bed & turkey baste rocks once a week to help feed the corals.
And use Seachem Trace and Plus twice a week each as directed.
I do overfeed my tank, so the corals not only get heaps of left overs at feed-time but also get lots of Tang pooh. Its amazing quite a few of the corals started sulking when we were fish-less for 6 weeks. I hadn't realized how important fish pooh was. LOL.

 

[pegasus]

NO magic touch.
Just good water parameters, 10% water changed every 21 days, stir sand bed & turkey baste rocks once a week to help feed the corals.
And use Seachem Trace and Plus twice a week each as directed.
I do overfeed my tank, so the corals not only get heaps of left overs at feed-time but also get lots of Tang pooh. Its amazing quite a few of the corals started sulking when we were fish-less for 6 weeks. I hadn't realized how important fish pooh was. LOL.

You forgot to mention "good lighting"...

 

[pegasus]

And I forgot to mention "good job with the sick corals!"

 

[mandy111]

You forgot to mention "good lighting"...

Don't normally talk " lighting". I would really hope before anyone buys corals they have decent lights. lol. But yes lighting is important. Thank you

 

[mandy111]

And I forgot to mention "good job with the sick corals!"

Lol. Thank you !

 

[bang guy]

And I forgot to mention "good job with the sick corals!"

+1, outstanding Mandy! I'm quite impressed with the recoveries.

 

[mandy111]

+1, outstanding Mandy! I'm quite impressed with the recoveries.

Thanks. That means a lot coming from you especially.

 

[2014FishKiller]

The first two pictures are Brain Coral, I have one of those, I put mind on top on the sand for 50 days, it seems to me they are not doing any thing, where did you place on the rock? How often you feed and with what? Thanks.

 

[mandy111]

ok. Well the first picture to my understanding is a .Trachyphyllia He is low light low flow, close to the bottom of the tank, slightly under a rock ledge.
Second pic is a Bubble tip anemone, high in tank, high light high flow.

Non of the corals get target fed (unless extremely sick when we purchase)
All they get is left over fish food, Seachem trace and seachm plus twice a week.

Here is a link to there care
http://www.***********.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+321+429&pcatid=429

 

[jorge garrido]

that's the same thing I do I buy 50$ corals for 10$ and they come back to life ... I do have to wait for there recovery ... what kind of tangs do you have ..great job on the corals

 

[mandy111]

@jorge garrido HI, thanks
I have quite a few
2 x yellow tangs
1 x purple tang
1 x blue hippo tang
1 x powder grey tang
1 x kole tang
1 x lipstick tang

 

[lmforbis]

Mandy, Is the powder grey Acanthurus japonicus? I know you had agression with the powder blues. Do you find the powder grey to be less agressive? I have an Acanthurus japonicus in my QT and have some fears about introducing him to my tank in a few weeks. He will probably be fine but I worry about my other fish.

 

[mandy111]

Mandy, Is the powder grey Acanthurus japonicus? I know you had agression with the powder blues. Do you find the powder grey to be less agressive? I have an Acanthurus japonicus in my QT and have some fears about introducing him to my tank in a few weeks. He will probably be fine but I worry about my other fish.

yes he is Acanthurus Japonicus. Yes he is aggressive. If added to the tank last with established tank mates you shouldn't have a problem but try adding anything after and your going to have problems.
The only fish we didn't get in this batch that we wanted was a foxface & a copperband. The powder grey has been in there 3 weeks and when we added fox and copper, he smashed the hell out of them, and I mean hit so hard that the fish were getting slapped out of the water on top of the tank.
We have had to remove the fox and copperband to the sump and re-thinking what we do now.
Yet there is no aggression whatsoever to any other fish in the tank that was added at the same time. And you have to remember these guys are only 5-7cm so juvinilles. He now OWNS this tank after 3 weeks. So just make sure you have all the fish you want before he goes in or it WONT happen. they are as aggressive as the powder blues. HIs name is physco.

 

[lmforbis]

He will be one of the last if not the last. I put him in QT with copper as soon as I got him last week. In the right light he had some small bumps on his sides. Not white spots but maybe irritation from previous infestation. I wanted to play it very safe and give him a full treatment before adding him to the tank so he has a few more weeks in QT. The other fish I have are pretty small. Tomini tang is the biggest, flame angle, royal gramma, McCloskers flasher wrasse, PJ cardinal, watchman goby, fire fish, maroon clown and green spotted mandarin. The only other fish I am considering are some blue damsels. They have to go in last too and can probably hold their own against the tang.