From wet web media.
1) Placed in horizontal orientation, point down, mouths and tentacles facing upward,
NOT in vertical settings as they are often arranged in reef systems. They really need to be placed "on their backs"
2) Semi-still waters. They come from settings with actually very little water movement,
NOT as many hobbyists place them; in full front of a powerhead’s constant blast.
Elegance corals need gentle, non-linear water movement.
3) Lighting, full spectrum, low-to medium intensity... provided by VHO or compact
fluorescents is fine. These are photosynthetic organisms, but remember, ones that live
in turbid, muddy water often shielded by overlying sea grasses (Thalassia). No need
for metal halides.
4) The need for organic nutrients: IMO, this coral should only be kept in a designated,
"species" set-up, in very-well established, fine sand and "mud" substrate, sea grass,
high nitrates (tens of ppm and up) are no problem and calcium, strontium... but still no
discernible soluble phosphates.
With this species you have to take care not to "over"skim, removing bio-useful
minerals and trace elements. These essential materials can be replaced through
feeding (see below), water changes, and live rock (and possibly sand) use.
5) Placement near other stinging-celled life: Don’t. These animals have a wide and
deadly stinging ability. In the wild there is a large area around them with no other
cnidarians. Keep them this way in captivity.
I know of many aquarists that periodically feed their Elegance corals, fine to chunky meaty foods... in a well/properly set-up and maintained setting I would abstain from offering purposeful foods. Just rely on photosynthesis... and nutrients that come from other biological activity in the system.
Conclusion:
The Waikiki Aquarium (Oahu, Hawai’i) has probably the best specialized "Elegance Coral Tank" I’ve ever seen. Let me describe this set-up for you (all
It has a few inches of fine sand, a bunch (really too many, I'd clear some so you could see the coral specimen) "seagrass" (in their case Thalassia hemprichii) a few fishes (a Phalaena goby, gorgeous green filefish, unid'ed rockfish of some sort), not much circulation, no added aeration, but bright light (the plants and algae were giving off obvious gas bubbles from the halides and sunlight (the roof is "missing")... and the specimen? It is alone, by itself, lying in the "mud/sand" horizontal on the bottom
Now, let me assure you, I've collected this (and other) Caryophyllid (the family of this, the Euphyllias like Frogspawn, hammer...) corals in the wild, and this is how all Elegance corals I've seen live: Horizontal, in relatively stagnant, grassy areas, with bright light, low circulation, with no other stinging celled animals around, in probably "high nutrient" settings
And how do aquarists by and large try to keep Catalaphyllias? In vertical orientations, with brisk, constant circulation, in almost nutrient-free water, with other aggressive stinging-celled animals...
Now, does all this make more/better/any sense? These animals are being kept in barely to un-tolerable conditions. They don't live in environments like your other corals at all. The places where I've seen them live are more like their wild conditions...
didn't do research prior to purchase
Right now is is perpendicular to the bottom due to the niche in the rocks where I put it. It is open and the sweepers are only extended about 1", so I'm guessing it's just tolerating and not the happiest.. It may have stung my bubble tip anemone (which was moved farther away but has moved itself), as it is not looking so great today. All other corals are at the other end of the tank.
