Sun coral ans phytoplex

[mary]

I purchased Phytp plex and later saw on one of these forums a negative comment on that product. Bought it for my sun coral. Any comments? Thanx

 

[mary]

Phyto plex, a kent product. Aquacultured.

 

[squidd]

I'd be interested in positive and negative comments on this as well...
Everybody (most everybody ) says "DTs" only way to go" ...which is fine if you can get them...I can't around here and on line shopping PLUS the shipping makes them unreasonable..
So I also use the Kent's Phytoplex, Chromaplex and Microvert along with (thawed) frozen cubes of Marine cuisine and Mysis shrimp for my tank...
My Sun coral seems to be doing well on the mix of Phytoplex and Mysis (they're more a meat eater anyway)...The polyps and Zos are thriving on the Phyto and Chroma plex and the clam gets leftover floaters, he's big enough to enjoy the MH lighting...
I suppose we'll get a post or two about how "I put ONE Cap full in and my tank turned to Hair Algae" type thread(s) but that's to be expected..(the post, not the algae)...
I don't feed my tank alot, mostly just the Brains, Cynarina,Sun and Anenomes..and the Hairy Mushrooms... The rest of the tank gets the floaters,Pods and naturally occurring phytoplankton...

 

[bang guy]

I don't have much comment on Kent Phytoplex except that it's completely useless for Sun Coral.
Try Prawn eggs, Frozen Cyclop-eeze, Saltwater zooplankton, or Frozen Mysis Shrimp.

 

[mary]

Zooplankton is what I had been feeding it, now I know my LFS isn't always correct. It does eat brine shrimp, but with shrimp I have to keep fighting them off, in that they get the brine from the polyps of the cups on the sun coral. Well, guess it is feeding on something other than what I have been giving it in that it continues to develop new cups . Thank you. I will have to go out and purchase zooplankton. For some reason when I told them I was ordering this, they led me to believe it was the same as the zooplankton they had previously sold me, but were out of. Got it from SWF. When it arrived the ingredients were certainly not familiar to me. Will take this up again with them. Either I misunderstood or they weren't listening. Maybe now they have the other in a huge shipment they received today.. Just what can I do with the phytoplex? What IS it for? Too late to send it back.

 

[mary]

Squidd, So you do feed yours the phyto plex? I am so confused. Have to go and read up on this. Hopefully one of my books will clear this up. And hair algea; since I have been using both zooplankton and phyto, the tank has a terrible problem. I am constantly sucking up the algea. A new problem for my tank. Is it the liquid foods? Damn. Maybe just the brine shrip and marine cuisine will be enough for now. Thanks for your input also. We will all get to the bottom of this.

 

[squidd]

I thaw out a frozen cube of Marine Cusine or MYSIS shrimp (not Brine I heard they were pretty much useless) pour off the fluid/liquid/gelatin they were frozen in (also not good stuff for the tank) and then squirt in a shot of Phyto or Chroma plex...Mix well...
Then I "spot feed" the corals in question... I figure they take what they can use and the rest "floats" off and feeds the rest of the filter feeders...
Some of the bigger guys will eat a small piece of squidd or krill as well and I'll skip the "mix" for them that day...
I lose the "juice" they were frozen in...feed "sparingly"(2-3 times a week) and have a Large fuge with Macros that grows rapidly and is "harvested" on a bi-weekly basis...and have NO hair algae problems...

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by mary
Just what can I do with the phytoplex? What IS it for? Too late to send it back.
Phytoplex can be indirectly useful. Just don't over do it.
Pods like Mysid Shrimp, and Copepods will eat the Phytoplex. They will reproduce and occationally feed a Sun Polyp.

 

[mary]

Thanks Bang Guy!! Well, it is useful, will keep it and use it sparingly.

 

[mary]

Say, Any of you ever watch in horrific belief as your fish, in this case a five year old mandarin, was being pulled in as I tried to get its carcass out of a very large rock, by a bristle worm the size of my index finger. It pulled it into a deep hole in the rock which was immovable due to its size. Could lift it, as everything shifted, but that was all I could do. In looking for the mandarin after a few days of it missing, I looked with a flashlight everywhere and there under the largest rock it was still being consumed! Have also seen them wrap around button polyps. It is time again to trap them. Some are usefull, too many create havoc. The mandarin always slept at the base of these large rocks, and I always feared that one of the larger worms would get it at night. Witnessed one approaching the gramma that used to be part of my group of fishes and had I not grabbed it with my tweezers, it may have injured if not worse, the gramma. 'course, it broke off leaving just another worm to grow back. Any of you see this stuff occur in your tanks?

 

[shoreliner11]

Was your mandarin healthy? any unusual behavior at all? Bristle worms are detritus eaters and will generally not go after any fish unless they are dieing. I have several six inch bristle worms in my tank and they have never bothered any of my fish. What most likely happened is that your mandarin died and being the scavenger the bristle worm is found a good meal. Bristle worms often get a bad reputation for people mistakingly thinking that they killed their fish when they were just helping with the cleanup:yes: .

 

[mary]

Shoreliner, Beth has also stated as such so for now will take yours and her word for it. The mandarin was eating and very active a few days before that. But, I can feel more relaxed about the worms. I have everything from red to bluish to pink bristleworms in my tank and I forgot to mention to Beth that fact. Also snow white ones. Most are pinkish in their irridesence. Thanks for your time.