Birdsnest coral problem?

[pthoma79]

I recently bought 2 birdsnest frags from my lfs. When I put them into the tank, the lower half of the coral was dead within a week. The top half of the frags seem to be fine, and the polyps are open and healthy. The owner of the lfs says this is normal, and to not worry about it. Thoughts?

 

[contraband629]

I don't know if this pertains to birdnests but I have seen corals freshly fragged look like they're going to die and then really recover. I know this doesn't help too much.

 

[speg]

Birdsnest coral needs really excellent water conditions.

 

[luvmyreef]

What kind of lighting do you have? That plays a big role as well.

 

[pthoma79]

I have t5 lighting, and they are in the top 1/2 of the tank, so not sure if that is the problem or not. I have had water issues in the past, but I am doing 5g water changes every 2 weeks on my 34 g tank, and that seems to be under control.

 

[speg]

Sorry if this seems like a dumb question, but I don't know you.
Have you had success with SPS corals before?

 

[pthoma79]

no, these are my first two. figured I'd give a couple of frags a try, that way if they don't work out, I'm only out $20. Might just stick to the simpler corals if these ones don't come back....

 

[luvmyreef]

Originally Posted by pthoma79
http:///forum/post/3237992
I have t5 lighting, and they are in the top 1/2 of the tank, so not sure if that is the problem or not. I have had water issues in the past, but I am doing 5g water changes every 2 weeks on my 34 g tank, and that seems to be under control.
could you give us your current tank parameters/test results?

 

[speg]

Originally Posted by pthoma79
http:///forum/post/3237997
no, these are my first two. figured I'd give a couple of frags a try, that way if they don't work out, I'm only out $20. Might just stick to the simpler corals if these ones don't come back....
Yeah, as I'm sure you know SPS corals are more demanding than most softies or LPS. If these two end up not working out I would wait a while and do some research for SPS that aren't so demanding and try that and then build up. Without halides you may be very limited on SPS.

 

[pthoma79]

OK. I was under the impression that t5's and halides were comparable, and what you could keep with halides, you could keep with t5's. What would you suggest as an easier (beginner) sps?

 

[luvmyreef]

I have t-5's and have a pink/green birdsnest and a ora green birdsnest. Both are doing great. What type of fixture do you have? How many bulbs, etc.

 

[pthoma79]

My light has 2 24w actinic bulbs and 2 24w 10,000k daylight bulbs. I run them for about 10 hours a day.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by pthoma79
http:///forum/post/3237926
I recently bought 2 birdsnest frags from my lfs. When I put them into the tank, the lower half of the coral was dead within a week. The top half of the frags seem to be fine, and the polyps are open and healthy. The owner of the lfs says this is normal, and to not worry about it. Thoughts?
These corals live on the fore reef. They require massive turbulent waterflow to stay healthy.

 

[luvmyreef]

Your lighting would be considered inadequate for sps. 96 watts for a 34g would only give you approx. 2.8 wpg. I know some people dont go by wpg but it is still a good rule of thumb to go by. I am not saying that your birdsnest will not survive, they may...but I doubt you will see much growth. You can also try to change your bulbs to a brand like ati...which gives out a better par level. Also, sps like little to no nitrates, and calcium is important too. However, keep an eye on all your parameters. Hope this helps some.

 

[pthoma79]

I guess I didn't do quite as much research as I thought I did. Thanks for the heads up on the lighting situation. Any thoughts on an easier sps?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by pthoma79
http:///forum/post/3238034
I guess I didn't do quite as much research as I thought I did. Thanks for the heads up on the lighting situation. Any thoughts on an easier sps?
Orange Montipora digitata is about as easy as it gets. If you really crave SPS you should consider an lighting upgrade.

 

[luvmyreef]

Actually, some monti's, mushrooms, zoas, leathers, would do good under your lights, espec. if you upgraded to say the ati brand. They were recommended to me by nikesb and wow what a difference. I ran 10k bulbs and switched to the 14k, and really liked the crisp white light. And as bang guy just pointed out, if sps is what your interested in, upgrading would be good, or just supplement your current lighting.

 

[pthoma79]

Yeah, I'm kinda hesitant to upgrade lights because I would like to upgrade to a bigger tank in the near future, and don't want to drop a bunch of $ on lights just to get a bigger tank. Maybe I'll stick with easier (non-sps) corals until I do that.