My BioCube - Help me make PROGRESS

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
I dont dose anything and I have Xenia and Zoa's among others. As long as you are doing scheduled water changes you should be replacing the trace elements your corals need to grow and propogate. I do about 15% change a week and it keeps my levels perfect. As far as fragging Xenia, they are a touchy coral IMO I let them spread on their own. Then I lift the base of them off where they are attached with a razor slowly and carfully. I havent fragged zoas yet but from what I hear its not difficult but they are extremly toxic so wear rubber gloves.
If you want to dose, my recomendation would be to test your water first. If you see a deficiency anywhere then dose other wise leave it.
Explain that about Xenias again? I set mine in between two rocks so it would hopefully attach itself to one of the rocks.
Once it does, where do you cut with the razor blade???

 

[perfectdark]

From what I have read you can cut a xenia off any where it branches from the trunk. Although I have never done this I wait until it separates on its own then I take a new razor and slide it between the substrate its on and the coral itself, you do tend to cut the tissue of the coral just a bit but from what I have done its never affected it. I have done this successfully 2 times so take my method with a grain of salt, as it may not work for everybody.

 

[new2salt1]

Sorry, I must be retarded. Im not understanding.
On one hand you are saying you let it separate on its own, and at the same time you are saying you use a razor blade???
confused

 

[new2salt1]

Hey Perfect, while I have you here, can you help me figure out the mystery of the lying finger coral?
When I got this coral, he leaned to his right for 3 days, he shed, and then stood back up straight.
Then, I added the xenia, and in doing so, I had to slide the finger coral over like 1/2". Now the goofy thing is completely laying over!! His polyps are fully open, his color is good, and he is no longer shedding, but now instead of leaning, he is fully lying on the substrate.
Does it look like it is sick/dying?? My levels are all right on. I attached pics...

 

[new2salt1]

So what you are looking at in pic #1 is a fully polyped finger coral lying on the ground. The base rock for the finger has a lot of cool corals gowing on it, as well as some coralline algae. #2 is the new engineer goby, #3 the new xenia pulsating happily.

 

[perfectdark]

Ok let me explain a bit more looking back I can see how it sounds confusing. With the original purchased coral I let it go, I place it next to something it will spread to. Once the piece spreads to the location I want it on and completly separates from its original stalk then I frag it off where it moved too. The reason is I dont want to disturb the original frag. Now I take the piece that has fragged and I cut it off the substrate that it moved onto the way that I described above. If I mess anything up I still have my original frag. I couldnt plan on it fragging onto the piece I wanted thats why I let it go where it wanted then took it from there. I hope this clears things up.

 

[perfectdark]

As for you leather... it looks healthy from what I can see I dont believe it is dying. Although I do believe that the portion of it that is in your sand bed will suffocate and eventually die. If that happens and any bacteria infect the dead locations it will spred necrosis throughout your coral.
Where is your flow directed? Do you have it blowing on the coral itself? If so is it heavy flow? IMO Leathers enjoy a soft direct or medium indirect flow. If it has none try giving it some. Do you feed it? and if so what and how often?

 

[new2salt1]

Hey PD -
The flow is coming from the left and the finger is in the bottom right hand corner. I have the pump flow directed towards the surface. I would post a pic, but I dont want to turn the lights on and disturb the light cycle (I am trying to stay religious with that).
The reason I angled the pump towards the surface was because when I first got the finger, he was leaning AWAY from the flow. I changed the flow and he stood back up (yea!). But when I got the xenia and I had to move the finger to the right about a 1/2", he started leaning forward (no!)!! This is a VERY finnicky coral and almost not worth the hassle.
Hey PD, I really appreciate you explaining stuff.

How is your tank doing?

 

[new2salt1]

Hey PD -
I thought about what you said about the Finger laying on the sand.
So I turned it around so it was leaning against the LR instead.
And wouldn't ya now it! He is now fully leaning AWAY from the LR!!! So, he definately didn't just fallover onto the sand. He just doesn't like this spot. My problem is, the elegance is so big that I cant put it anywhere else. I just listed the elegance for sale. It is REALLY outgrowing the tank.
I changed the water flow to go more towards the finger, but not too much.
I will post a full tank shot when the lights come on and maybe you can suggest a way to make this work until the elegance is gone.

 

[new2salt1]

The Replacement! Purple Pseudo was attempting to murder everything, so I swapped him for this little guy, who lives in the elegance.
Ahhh he looks so comfy!!!
I wil miss you pseudo, you crazy murderer!!!

 

[perfectdark]

Im glad to hear you are working things out. Ultimatly getting your corals positioned in such a way where they are happy usually takes a few attempts to get right. Your elegance IMO is not going to live too long, and it will be from nothing you did or will do. They dont have a high success rate in captivity. Mostly due to their high food requirements, something we cant offer as it would be too much of a bioload on our systems. Good luck..

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
Im glad to hear you are working things out. Ultimatly getting your corals positioned in such a way where they are happy usually takes a few attempts to get right. Your elegance IMO is not going to live too long, and it will be from nothing you did or will do. They dont have a high success rate in captivity. Mostly due to their high food requirements, something we cant offer as it would be too much of a bioload on our systems. Good luck..
Well, she's been in this tank for over a year now and has done nothing but get larger and larger every day. Usually the window is 6 weeks. Im not afraid of the elegance curse. I just fed her a some shrimp and she instantly inhaled it. She seems full of life. But thanks for the vote of no confidence.

It is up for sale and awaiting a buyer.
BTW (speaking of a voracious appetite), I think the elegance ate the watchman. Hasn't been around for 3 days. Elegance corals have this reaction thing that if they are touched right around one of their "mouths," they curl up around whatever it is touching them. I will often see my Coral Banded running through the elegance, and Bandit will step on a certain spot and "jump" out of the way. Im thinking the watchman may have gotten too comfortable and wandered into the center of one of the "mouths."
If this is the case, this will represent the first thing to suffer its demise in this tank. Hopefully he is just hiding somewhere out of view.

 

[perfectdark]

Well, she's been in this tank for over a year now and has done nothing but get larger and larger every day. Usually the window is 6 weeks. Im not afraid of the elegance curse. I just fed her a some shrimp and she instantly inhaled it. She seems full of life. But thanks for the vote of no confidence.

It is up for sale and awaiting a buyer.
LMAO.... Well that is awesome you are definatly doing somthing right. I have never attempted one although my wife wants one bad. She doesnt understand that it gets really big and is one of the more difficult species to take care of.
I wouldnt doubt it the elegance appears to be more of an anemone than a coral and I wouldnt put it past one to grab a fish.

 

[new2salt1]

Hey all, been a little while. Hope everyone's tanks are healthy are exciting.
Listen, I have to move around a bit and can't keep my tank. I know I can easily give the livestock to the LFS, but I still have the elegance coral, living happily since 2007!
If you are near Philadelphia and want to adopt, I'd rather give someone from the community who helped me get started a chance to care for him.
PM me!
Matt