Couple questions...

Is this new spot on my chocolate chip starfish something to worry about?

Next question... I got two anemone crabs at the same time... they both started out looking like this...

Now one of the brothers totally changed colors and looks like this...

Is that something to be worried about?
Next question... I went to Michaels and bought some shells for my hermits. I bought 50 empty shells from swf.com, but I think my hermits are outgrowing those as well... or at least they are about to... will the craft store shells be enough? Here is a picture of one...

If not, I am willing to take them out and try to find other empty shells... not sure what to do...
And finally... I am acclimating a plate coral... long tentacle... never had a plate coral before, but it came looking like this...


Is that normal for the bag to be cloudy and fully of squishy mucousy stuff? Or is the plate coral dead? Btw, there are no long tentacles visible. I think that's what is floating there in the bag...
 

azaintcold

Member
The long tentacle plate keeps its tentacles in until it is comfortable in a sand bed with good lighting on it. Once you have it in your tank and you acclimate it nicely, they will come out. The plate coral likes to be spot fed twice a week or so, and it does deficate a lot more that a regular coral I noticed with mine. I It looks fine to me.
 
Originally Posted by azaintcold
BTW is that CC star in a different tank than these corals? I ask because it isn't reef safe.
It's in the same tank. Has been for... hmmm.... almost six months. He hasn't touched my corals. Any of them, and I have a little bit of everything... colt coral, button polyps, xenia, starpolyps, cabbage coral, green ricordea, umbrella mushroom, ummm... yeah, it's been amazing! I have been lucky. If he starts mowing down my corals, then I will have to give up the $9 star fish for the hundreds and hundreds of dollars of corals. But so far so good :)
Thanks for the advice on the plate coral...
 
Originally Posted by slowburn22
Those craft store shells look painted - if so I wouldnt use them.
Oh. That's a very good point.
Guess what? That picture was taken already in the tank... hehehe. All 3 of them are just sitting there. The shiny one was taken by a hermit for a day, and then he put it neatly back. Guess he didn't like it.
But thank you for that very good advice. I didn't think about that. Glad I asked!
 

azaintcold

Member
Originally Posted by porthosandjazz
It's in the same tank. Has been for... hmmm.... almost six months. He hasn't touched my corals. Any of them, and I have a little bit of everything... colt coral, button polyps, xenia, starpolyps, cabbage coral, green ricordea, umbrella mushroom, ummm... yeah, it's been amazing! I have been lucky. If he starts mowing down my corals, then I will have to give up the $9 star fish for the hundreds and hundreds of dollars of corals. But so far so good :)
Thanks for the advice on the plate coral...


Good deal, as long as your aware. I would hate to see you lose the expensive goodies.
 

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by porthosandjazz
Oh. That's a very good point.
Guess what? That picture was taken already in the tank... hehehe. All 3 of them are just sitting there. The shiny one was taken by a hermit for a day, and then he put it neatly back. Guess he didn't like it.
But thank you for that very good advice. I didn't think about that. Glad I asked!

There was a post a while back about a guy whos plate coral totally died but he left it in the tank. About 8 months later it spawned hundreds of little offspring. So if it dies, I would leave it in there.
Mc
 
Originally Posted by grumpygils
There was a post a while back about a guy whos plate coral totally died but he left it in the tank. About 8 months later it spawned hundreds of little offspring. So if it dies, I would leave it in there.
Mc
Sweet! Thank you!
I think that's what my bubble coral did... I bought the tank already established from a lady who had been doing it for 4 years. When we moved it, we didn't have a bubble coral. Two months later, a patch of bubble coral just popped up out of nowhere, and now it is thriving!

Thank you for that piece of advice! I would have never thought of that.
 
Originally Posted by porthosandjazz
Is this new spot on my chocolate chip starfish something to worry about?

Next question... I got two anemone crabs at the same time... they both started out looking like this...

Now one of the brothers totally changed colors and looks like this...

Is that something to be worried about?
So what do you guys think about the crab color change and the spot on the cc star?
 

kilhullen

Member
I don't know, but I kind of wonder if the star is growing, and therefore getting a new spot to be in the ring with the others. However, I am not positive, and all the other spots are in line with the arms, so I could be completely wrong. It also looks like something attacked it, maybe a fish or a crab?
Do the crabs change colors when they molt? Do crabs even molt at all? I know that when my snake shed it would change color completely, then would come out with a gorgeous fresh coloration. Another possibility, is this kind of crab one that will change --- (and therefore possibly color)?
Sorry, I am probably putting more questions out there than being helpful, so I will back off, that is just what ran through my mind when I saw your pics.
 
Originally Posted by Kilhullen
I don't know, but I kind of wonder if the star is growing, and therefore getting a new spot to be in the ring with the others. However, I am not positive, and all the other spots are in line with the arms, so I could be completely wrong. It also looks like something attacked it, maybe a fish or a crab?
Do the crabs change colors when they molt? Do crabs even molt at all? I know that when my snake shed it would change color completely, then would come out with a gorgeous fresh coloration. Another possibility, is this kind of crab one that will change --- (and therefore possibly color)?
Sorry, I am probably putting more questions out there than being helpful, so I will back off, that is just what ran through my mind when I saw your pics.
Eh hehehe! You are sweet! And the questions make me think, and help me learn, which is great!
I don't know for sure about anemone crabs, but I know my hermit crabs and my arrow crab molts. I don't know... DO crabs change ---? I have no idea. Hahaha!
 

kilhullen

Member
Well I went to the reef tank forum and asked but no one is responding to me

SOrry. I wanted to be able to find out more for you.
 
Originally Posted by Kilhullen
Well I went to the reef tank forum and asked but no one is responding to me

SOrry. I wanted to be able to find out more for you.
That is SO SWEET OF YOU!!!! Turns out that I found a perfectly shaped empty green shell of a crab on the rock behind and below him. So I guess he just turned orange after molting. Not sure if he turned orange because he molted and if he is going to go back to his green/brown color or if he turned orange because of diet and hanging around the curly q anemone... i guess time will tell.
Still don't know what that spot on the choc chip star is... I guess all I can do is wait. Which is what I have always done with him when I have been worried... he always turns out ok.
 

kilhullen

Member
Originally Posted by porthosandjazz
That is SO SWEET OF YOU!!!! Turns out that I found a perfectly shaped empty green shell of a crab on the rock behind and below him. So I guess he just turned orange after molting. Not sure if he turned orange because he molted and if he is going to go back to his green/brown color or if he turned orange because of diet and hanging around the curly q anemone... i guess time will tell.
Still don't know what that spot on the choc chip star is... I guess all I can do is wait. Which is what I have always done with him when I have been worried... he always turns out ok.
OK. Well, I am curious, so please let me know if he inflates back up again.
Come one Mr. Jones - I'm rootin' for ya!
 
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