Carnation corals

[meadbhb]

Hiya,
My local LFS has some pink and orange carnation corals. Are they a hard coral to keep and what are their requirements?
Meadbhb

 

[jedininja]

Carnations aer nearly impossible to keep alive. They are non photosynthetic so need constant feeding of phytoplankton. So unless you have a system that can drip phyto into the tank constantly and has enough filtration so that the phyyto doesnt pollute the water, then i wouldnt get it.

 

[dskidmore]

Originally posted by jedininja
...and has enough filtration so that the phyyto doesnt pollute the water
Live phyyto pollute the water? Or are you refering to frozen or liquid mixes?

 

[footbag]

Both live and dead phyto contains nutrients that can pollute the tank. Live phyto has more nutrients, and is a better source of food for that reason. Dead phyto has less nutrients, and is pretty much useless for feeding purposes.

 

[saltyrich]

I would not recommend this coral. I got a small frag from the lfs for free (thank goodness) and I could not keep it alive in an established tank.