new coral- help w/ the name?

fishkiller

fishkiller

Active Member
I forgot the first half of name. The last part was like -amphthya or something like that. Other comman names are Strawberry, coliflower, and tree coral. Anybody keep these? I know they are not photosythetic, and they filterfeed and eat A LOT and they thrive best in strong currents. I know a lot of people have a hard time w/ them cuz they have to eat so much. I bought some phyto w/ it. Mine is white w/ red branches- BEAUTIFUL! Please help me keep this think healthy! Thanx!:D
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
Chironephthya,Dendronephthya, or Scleronephthya.
Yes they need alot of water flow. You should see their branches waving some. And yes phytoplankton or zooplankton is necessary. Good luck. They aren't hardy....Try and place it in a shady spot with good water flow. Just make sure you dose specifically by the instructions. Overdoseing can lead to serious algae blooms.
 
fishkiller

fishkiller

Active Member
Yeah it's a Dendronephthya. Will hi light do it damage? I have 130W on a 30 gallon. I have it on the sand bed right now right in the light b/c I moving stuff around looking for a good spot. Should I getit out of the light. I just gotit a few hours ago. It's drooping and looking a little deflated. Should I worry, or is that common? Thanx a lot!
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
Well. I don't know much about it. I wouldn't worry if its a little in the light. The book i have shows it underneath ledges or on a reef slope. I wouldn't place it up near the top but down on the bottom somewhere.
Time will tell if it comes back. Provide it the right conditions and im sure in a couple days it will come back. If it turns stark white then its probably dyeing or if it shrivels up and doesn't even show signs of inflating. I hope you acclimated it like a fish :)
 
sammystingray

sammystingray

Active Member
Dendronephthyas are near impossible to keep. I took a frag to a frag fest once, and nobody would even bother. I gave it to the host who owns a frag business, and it lasted a week for him.....it's going to die. Just my opinion. Mine lasted about 6 months, but shrank the whole time and looked worse and worse. Pretty much impossible for most folks..... don't bother asking why it died....that's why when it happens....absolutely stunning coral, but near impossible to keep....right up there with gonis, but these usually die even faster IMO.
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
Good ol optomistic sammy.....
J/K I know he's being realistic. Do your best. You know what to try to do to feed them. Maybe if you tried hard. Try this. Get a syringe and mix the phyto and zoo in a little water. Then gently spray it at the colony so it gets first dibs. This will release the stuff in the column at the same time concentrating it at first on the colony. About the only thing you can do.....
 
sammystingray

sammystingray

Active Member
We are talking about the commonly named carnation coral right? The most difficult soft coral to keep alive pretty much......brine babies is what I hear works .....I doubt anything will keep it alive. I only say this stuff because I know others read it...hopefully they will save their money.
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member
I'm with Sammy. In my opinion, this is the most difficult coral to keep. The longest I've kept one was for 3 days.
Dendronephtya sp. is not carnivorous (Eric H. Borneman) and will not consume zooplankton. Phytoplankton is ideal for feeding.
The flow speeds for proper feeding are very specific and may not be easily achieved in tanks. If the flow is not accurate, the coral has no chance of survival.
I would return it before it dies and before it's too late for any refunds. I could tell you right now that the coral has no chance of survival. I apologize for being negative, but it's the truth. Purchase an easier coral to keep, something that will live.
Graham
 
sammystingray

sammystingray

Active Member

Originally posted by SPSfreak100
Dendronephtya sp. is not carnivorous (Eric H. Borneman) and will not consume zooplankton. Phytoplankton is ideal for feeding.
Graham
I agree....I appologize for my mistake...just a single look at one will tell you the particle size must be minute. I never fed mine....he was still there when I just moved, but not much left....I guess his rock ended upside down....I don't see him or his rock anymore.....tough to move a tank and keep everything right side up when the rocks are covered.:( Lost several things...not death, but actually just lost....he was about one tenth of his original size anyway......slow death.
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
SPS wouldn't returning it for sure sentence it to death. LFS don't do anything for their corals. At least he can try and NEVER buy one again :)
 
fishkiller

fishkiller

Active Member
(Bagging up coral in a hurry to take back to lfs)..... OK, well, I guess this was a BAAAAAd choice...... It just looks so damn good!!! MAN!!! Oh well. THANK YOU!!! I will go get some store credit for hwen they get some cool stuff in. You guys rock!
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member

Originally posted by bdhough
SPS wouldn't returning it for sure sentence it to death. LFS don't do anything for their corals. At least he can try and NEVER buy one again :)
It's called supply and demand. You purchase one, they buy another one to take its place. Another person buys one, they buy a few more to takes its place. Another person buys one, they buy 5 more to takes its place. If you return it, they will most likely lower the amount of orders they get if they see people returning them.
Now, here's the confusing sentence:
"SPS wouldn't returning it for sure sentence it to death."
It's already sentenced to a death in his tank. He might as well return it to the LFS so they will stop buying as many corals from the wholesaler.
Graham :)
 
fishkiller

fishkiller

Active Member
Good point. But this guy said that it came as a filler. They order by the box, and take what they get. He said that they never order them. People buy them, b/c this gives them false hope. I did a lot of reading on the coral at the lfs before I decided to purchase it. The books said it was one of the most difficult to keep alive, but they didn't emphasize HOW difficult. I took it back today and got a leather. I htink it's called a spaghetti leather? It's pearl white w/ 1 inch tentacles that flow around. The leather itself is shaped kinda like a flower. Let me know if this is the right name, and if you have any other info on it, please, feel free...:D Thanx AGAIN yall!!
 
fishkiller

fishkiller

Active Member
(Bagging up coral in a hurry to take back to lfs)..... OK, well, I guess this was a BAAAAAd choice...... It just looks so damn good!!! MAN!!! Oh well. THANK YOU!!! I will go get some store credit for hwen they get some cool stuff in. You guys rock!
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member

Originally posted by sammystingray
Good choice fishkiller. This hobby is too expensive to buy things that have virtually no chance.
I completely agree :)
Graham
 
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