Question about coral...

[lkb3493]

I have just set up my first salwater tank and it is day 8 of the cycle. My question is this:
I have an awesome piece of coral that has been sitting on a bookshelf for a few years. It has been bleached etc....I want to add it to my new tank. Any suggestions? Should I clean it in saltwater/ soak it in something? Is this even safe to put in the tank? Like I said, it is cycling right now (no fish) so I figured now would be the time if any to add it. I also have live sand and live rock in the tank...
Thanks in advance for your help! :notsure:

 

[badoleross]

I am by no means an expert on this but from what I have been reading everyone seems to enjoy boiling things they are going to be adding to a tank that are old corals etc. I would be concerned about the coral breaking up in the process. I would at a minimum soak it in a saltwater bath for a few weeks with a powerhead and check the water for everything you can prior to placing it in your tank. Might want to wait for a more knowledgable reply as well.

 

[lkb3493]

Thanks for trying! hmmm boiling :notsure: that sounds like a good idea to me :thinking: maybe I will wait and see if there are any more suggestions..

 

[pallan]

ive seen posts about how to do this but the downside has always been do you want it to develop the natural dirty color that for the most part will eventually turn to the purple corraline or do you expect it to stay the bright white bleached color. if you want it to be white it may require alot of cleanning to keep it that way once intuduced to the water.
as to cleanning it i would say a good rinse and let sit in salt water for a good amount of time to let it leach out any chemicals that are currently in it. (been sitting on shelf for years bound to have been sprayed with pledge, windex etc...) all major problems for an aquarium. test the water it sits in before adding and do water changes until nothing is present.
IMO go to LFS and purchase one of their dead corals if you want that look.

 

[lkb3493]

Thanks for the advise. I knew it wouldn't stay that white color but that's fine with me. The more natural the better. More for the fish to stand out. I think I will just leave it on the shelf. Sounds like I may be asking for trouble...