Anyone have a flowerpot coral?

[jambi0n]

I was looking to get a flowerpot coral, but i have heard that they are really hard to take care of, and that you need an established tank... My tank has just been up and running for about a month. I know it's not yet established that well but want to get info for future referances. Thanks a lot...
J

 

[jmick]

They have a very high mortality rate in captivity and I encourage you not to buy this coral.

 

[reefnut]

I agree... even in a well established, very mature and otherwise adequate tank, they have a very high mortality rate. IMO they should be on the "DO NOT BUY LIST" and the "DO NOT COLLECT LIST". Unfortunately they continue to be collected and sold because people continue to buy them.
Great question jambi0n!!!! It's nice to see people researching before buying blindly!!!!

 

[team2jndd]

If you are set on this particular coral, find some1 who breeds them in captivity. If at all possible find a friend who had one that split. It will be far hardier and more capable of living in your tank. Even in this instance all its requirements must be met though. Make sure you have strong enough lights and perfect water parameters. I got one from a friend when his split and its been healthy in my tank for months. They grow alot though make sure you have room to accomodate this.

 

[reefnut]

team2jndd, I think you are referring to a anemone???? A Flower Pot is a LPS Coral.

 

[team2jndd]

no flowerpot corals reproduce through budding. When they become comfortable they will sprout several "heads" that later drop and turn into individual corals.

 

[reefnut]

I understand... I guess you threw me by saying to find one that "split". I'm VERY surprised that your friend had one reproduce. Do you have a picture of yours??
Again, the mortality in these corals FAR out weigh the success stories.

 

[team2jndd]

I can take a picture once i figure it out lol. His grew three heads and i took one he brought the other 2 to the lfs. Yeah i see what you mean i didnt mean to say split i should have said sprouted or something. How do i post pictures?

 

[reefnut]

You can just upload it... make sure it's 500pix x 500pix or smaller... Go to "Post Reply" and there's a place to upload.
I would love to hear from your friend, or by your accounts how he runs his tank!! I'm sure jambi0n would like to know also!! Many people have/are searching for the "magic element" that will allow them to be kept, although I would suspect it's a number of things more than just one missing thing.

 

[jambi0n]

yeah, i was looking at another site that sells them and they say they are very difficult to care for. they need a lot of lighting and adequite water flow and they need a lot of phytoplankton. i saw some at the LFS store yesterday and they looked really nice. all poofy and really big, but the LFS makes everything look good. oh well, I will add that on my "DO NOT BUY LIST"
thanks for all the info everyone... i really appreciate it!!!

 

[mudplayerx]

I agree that flowerpot corals are listed as very difficult to keep on almost every place they are mentioned. There is some sort of water parameter or resource that they require that has not been pinpointed yet.
My hypothesis is that they like turbid water. Since most hobbyists do everything in their power to keep sediment from getting suspended in the water, nobody has turbid water.
If you guys might recall, my lfs had a massive sale about 4 months ago where they were selling everything up to 75% off. Well, I managed to get two flowerpots for a total of like $30. One was the very rare "Red Jewel."
I've heard that the flowerpot corals start dying at the 8 month mark, and I've only had mine for 4 months. I've also heard that some people have been successful with flowerpots in their tank.
Mine are currently growing new tentacles every day and actually getting slightly larger in diameter. I have my fingers crossed.

 

[reefnut]

Keep us updated!! Are you adding or doing anything special for them?? I have heard/ read somewhere that the Red Jewel is slightly easier than the standard flower pot... hopefully they both will do well for you!!

 

[mudplayerx]

OMG I just typed a huge reply and the page crashed.
Anyways, here is the short version:
55 gallon tank with 300 watts of 10k hqi mh
Temp: constant 82
Specific Gravity: 1.026
Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphates: 0 since day one
Calcium: 420
Alkalinity: I forget the number, but it is in the acceptable range according to test kit
Turnover: 1,220 gph
Fuge: two 330gph hob's
No sump
Limewood airstone-driven skimmer
I do 1 gallon topoffs per night, dosing kalkwasser when needed.
Water changes are done weekly 5%.
I brush the live rock in areas that need it every few days.
I only run carbon about every 2-3 months because I can't afford it lol.
The only thing out of the ordinary that I do for the flowerpots is feed them squid guts. I've never heard of people spot feeding their flowerpots with meaty foods, which I think is a major mistake. I have a thread somewhere with pics of the flowerpots actually injesting the guts. I can't prove that they are digesting them, but they definately consume them.
I also do VERY liberal dosings of phyto. I probably dose about 5 or 6 times what the bottle recommends. I have never had any sort of nitrate or algae problem so I don't think my overzealous dosings are hurting anything. Hope this helps someone.

 

[mudplayerx]

Okie Dokie. I fed my tank after work today and I sat there for like two hours with a camera. I was determined to prove that flowerpot corals do indeed eat meaty foods and must be fed like all other corals.
I almost died of boredom waiting, but it paid off.
I apologize that the pic sucks, but it is good enough to prove my point. Letter A is where the tentacle is constricting to push the squid guts down towards the body of the coral. Letter B is the actual squid guts. (very last picture)
Here are also some pics I took of the red jewel flowerpot and the regular flowerpot as a whole. The red jewel looks puny and shriveled because I just had my hand in the tank and it got angry with me.
Muhaha!!!! I have finally proven (with a horrible quality photo) that flowerpots do eat seafood!

 

[jambi0n]

Nice looking corals mud... Huge too! j/k

 

[sula]

Mud:
Very nice - but I need to ask, um, where exactly does one purchase squid guts????

 

[mudplayerx]

Heh. They sell them inside squids of course

You can buy a box of Calamari squid at the local grocery store. If you can get them fresh on ice, that is even better. The ones I have are about 6-8 inches long. I just use a knife to cut what I need and put the rest back into the freezer.
After I dethaw the squid chunk, I remove the guys and chop the flesh into smaller bit with scissors. It works great and is very economical. I am very against buying invert food at the lfs as it is overpriced.