New Corals

[MarkW19]

As some of you know, I have a 10G nano which I've added some corals to, 2-3 weeks ago.

I have 3.5WPG of CF lighting (2 white and 1 actinic in the middle), pH is (now) a stable 8.0/8.1 at night, temp has a swing of ±1°C and averages 25°C (77°F). SG is 1.024, and ammonia=0, nitrites=0, and nitrates=~3ppm. I need to get myself a calcium/alk test kit, but I replace 30% of the water every 2 weeks with good salt (Seachem).

I drip acclimated them all over 2 hours.

The corals I added were: small toadstool leather (towards the bottom of the tank but getting lots of light as it's directly under one of the whites), double toadstool leather (same position), pink short-tentacled plate coral, yellow polyps, and a green brain/maze coral.

The small single leather sometimes extends its polyps, and often not. It's very erratic, and looks pretty bad sometimes, others it looks a lot better. It's shed it's "skin" once so far - when I initially put it on, it looked awesome for 3 days, then started folding up/changing colour and refused to extend its polyps for days. Then, it finally shed, and started looking a bit better, and now doesn't look all that bad, but not exactly "thriving". Its polyps remain in a lot of the time.

The double leather sometimes looks great, and often looks awful - the left one shrinks right down practically daily and changes green (from yellow). This has also shed it's skin once (it looked terrible for a week before this, then MUCH better a day after it shed. Now, it's slipping back again).

The plate coral looks pretty good, although I think it's lost a bit of its pink colour since I got it (turning more brown/grey now), but it extends its tentacles fully dailly, and I've seen it inflate/move a few times, so it seems to be doing ok. This is of course on the bottom of the tank on the sand, so the overhang of the rocks blocks some light, but it does seem to be fairly happy with the tentacles/inflating. Often I see some stringy mucus/film or something stuck to it, that my powerhead finally works free. This is probably every 4/5 days. It also seems to like to perch one side on a little bit of rock (just above the sand), rather than being fully flat where I placed it. It's moved a couple of times, but seems to go back to this position.

A lot of the yellow polyps have died, some have really shrunk in size, others have strangely turned translucent, and others just don't have as much colour. I'd say that 80% of them have died or withered away They're close to the bottom of the tank, but again directly under one of the white lights. They don't get THAT much light, but I didn't think they needed it? Disappointed with these as I was expecting them to be easy to keep!

And, finally my brain coral is my favourite. It's placed the highest in the tank, directly under a white light, and fairly close to it. It's far enough away from the other corals so that its sweeper tentacles can't reach them, and it seems to be getting a lot of light. Its colour is still very bright green, which fluoresces under my actinic light. Its sweeper tentacles don't come out every day at night, and sometimes only a few are out - sometimes a couple of really long ones, some very short/bunched up ones that seem to be all messed together, and sometimes a good number of long ones. Some days they won't come out at all. The first 3/4 days, they were out every night, quite long, and thicker than they are now! Also more defined, as I said a lot of them seem very short and bunched up now. Does that make sense? Anyway, as its colour hasn't changed at all since I got it, I was wondering how I can tell how this coral is doing? What are the signs its not getting enough light etc.?

I also got a large red/brown feather duster, which has moved a bit since I got it, and firmly anchored itself in place. It stays open probably 75% of the time, and only stays in for a bit when it goes in.

As far as food goes, I always feed my fish at night, when the tentacles of most of the corals are extended, and put a bit more in (smaller particles) of frozen food so that some can hopefully make its way near the corals. I also feed a small amount of DT's Live Phytoplankton weekly, trying to aim it towards the corals (although my powerhead quickly pushes it all around the tank).

There are a few pics at:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidw4...7602267042537/

I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts, or advice?

Thanks.

[lando]

The pics look good.
I would consider moving the brain to the substrate. They seem to be the most happy there.
Yellow polyps do require the occasional target feeding of cyclop-eeze. This may help them come back.

[Innovator]

In their natural habitat Platygyra spp. are commonly found within the rock structures rather than substrate where sedimentation can prevent tissue expansion. Usually coming from deeper water, I'd place this coral more vertically.

[lReef lKeeper]

some sound advise so far ... lets go a little deeper here.

as for the toadstools ...
it sounds like when you say ...

The small single leather sometimes extends its polyps, and often not. It's very erratic, and looks pretty bad sometimes, others it looks a lot better. It's shed it's "skin" once so far - when I initially put it on, it looked awesome for 3 days, then started folding up/changing colour and refused to extend its polyps for days. Then, it finally shed, and started looking a bit better, and now doesn't look all that bad, but not exactly "thriving". Its polyps remain in a lot of the time.

The double leather sometimes looks great, and often looks awful - the left one shrinks right down practically daily and changes green (from yellow). This has also shed it's skin once (it looked terrible for a week before this, then MUCH better a day after it shed. Now, it's slipping back again).

it sounds to me like they need to be moved up onto the rock work in the tank, because they are not getting enough light. i would move them at least half way up in the tank and see if that doesnt do the trick for you.

The plate coral looks pretty good, although I think it's lost a bit of its pink colour since I got it (turning more brown/grey now)

sounds like this coral is not getting enough light either. most LPS corals will not thrive under such low WPG (bad way to judge lighting) of PC lighting.

A lot of the yellow polyps have died, some have really shrunk in size, others have strangely turned translucent, and others just don't have as much colour. I'd say that 80% of them have died or withered away Sad They're close to the bottom of the tank, but again directly under one of the white lights. They don't get THAT much light, but I didn't think they needed it? Disappointed with these as I was expecting them to be easy to keep!

these polyps have to be spot fed at the very least every other day to thrive in a captive system. without spot feeding very often, a lot of times they will just wither away and die. kind of like humans if we do not eat.

And, finally my brain coral is my favourite. It's placed the highest in the tank, directly under a white light, and fairly close to it. It's far enough away from the other corals so that its sweeper tentacles can't reach them, and it seems to be getting a lot of light. Its colour is still very bright green, which fluoresces under my actinic light. Its sweeper tentacles don't come out every day at night, and sometimes only a few are out - sometimes a couple of really long ones, some very short/bunched up ones that seem to be all messed together, and sometimes a good number of long ones. Some days they won't come out at all. The first 3/4 days, they were out every night, quite long, and thicker than they are now! Also more defined, as I said a lot of them seem very short and bunched up now. Does that make sense? Anyway, as its colour hasn't changed at all since I got it, I was wondering how I can tell how this coral is doing? What are the signs its not getting enough light etc.?

this coral will do much better on the sand bed, but i dont think that you have enough lighting to sustain LPS corals that need to be placed low in the tank. i would suggest returning this coral and the plate coral to where you got them and getting some more low light LPS corals like candy canes, frogspawn, torch, hammer (all should be placed high in the tank), or something like anthelia, xenia, or green star polyps. i am not trying to "bash" you in any way, just trying to help.

[MarkW19]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll try moving my two leathers higher up the tank.

I wasn't aware that specifically yellow polyps needed to be spot-fed, so my mistake. I thought they were just like most other polyps. If I fed them cyclop-eeze, would I have to target feed? Also, as a lot of them have withered away now and turned translucent, will feeding cyclop-eeze hopefully bring them back? Or am I better starting with some more?

The plate coral - I thought that the inflation, and the way its tentacles are out every day (and look very healthy/uniform), was a good sign? The only "bad" thing is that it is losing a bit of its colour.

The brain coral - this does look the healthiest of the bunch, by far. But, how can I tell if it's doing well, or if it's not? What are the signs?

Also, I thought 3.5WPG was considered "moderate" lighting, particularly in a small nano set up?

[lReef lKeeper]

The plate coral - I thought that the inflation, and the way its tentacles are out every day (and look very healthy/uniform), was a good sign? The only "bad" thing is that it is losing a bit of its colour.

you are right on the tentacles, however the color lose is usually a sign that it is not getting enough light. since they are photosynthetic feeders ... light is required to keep the healthy.

I wasn't aware that specifically yellow polyps needed to be spot-fed, so my mistake. I thought they were just like most other polyps. If I fed them cyclop-eeze, would I have to target feed? Also, as a lot of them have withered away now and turned translucent, will feeding cyclop-eeze hopefully bring them back? Or am I better starting with some more?

the polyps should make a fairly fast come back with regular spot feeding. a lot of people do this little trick to keep the fish from stealing the food.
take a 2 liter bottle and cut off the top 1/3 of it (leaving the neck and spout in tact). rinse it out well, and place it over the polyps and into the sand bed. do your feeding through the spout. if you have fish trying to get in the spout you can put the cap back on it.

The brain coral - this does look the healthiest of the bunch, by far. But, how can I tell if it's doing well, or if it's not? What are the signs?

usually you will see the tissue receding around the base of the skeleton or bleaching all around the coral.

Also, I thought 3.5WPG was considered "moderate" lighting, particularly in a small nano set up?

IMHO, it is the TYPE of light. PC lighting is really only good for soft corals.

you could have 250w of PC lighting and only keep soft corals or you could have 250w of Metal halide and keep anything. they halide penetrates the water with a much greater par than the PC's will. if it were MY tank .. i would add at least another of the same fixtures to the tank and you MIGHT be able to get away with LPS.

[MarkW19]

Thanks again for the help.

Does it have to be cyclop-eeze that I target feed the polyps with? What about live phyto, or just some small brineshrimp etc.? Are other types of polyps not this requiring?

Tissue receding around the base of the skeleton, what will this look like? At the moment, it has defined channels of bright green, surrounded by "walls" of brown. If it's not doing too well, how will these change?

[lReef lKeeper]

Does it have to be cyclop-eeze that I target feed the polyps with? What about live phyto, or just some small brineshrimp etc.? Are other types of polyps not this requiring?

No, it does not have to be cyclopeeze. i use to feed mine the blender mush that i make every 10-12 months. between the fish feedings i would just feed them Mysis shrimp. Brine shrimp have very little nutritional value to our fish and would suggest switching to Mysis. i alway soak my Mysis in garlic extract also, but that is not really necessary for corals. polyps like zoanthids, palythoas, buttons, ect. do not require feeding, but because the sun polyps are NON photosynthetic they DO require constant feeding.

Tissue receding around the base of the skeleton, what will this look like? At the moment, it has defined channels of bright green, surrounded by "walls" of brown. If it's not doing too well, how will these change?

Receding tissue will look like the tissue is just peeling away from the skeleton, actually revealing the skeleton underneath.
it will start to loose its coloring and stop extending it tentacles if it is not doing well.

[MarkW19]

Looks like I'll start feeding then, I assumed they were photosynthetic.

There is a tiny part of the brain that fades slightly to white, but this was there even in the LFS, and hasn't got any worse in my tank, it may have even got better.

The colour has also not changed, very strong colour. But, the tentacles don't seem to come out at much, and when they do, only a few do...

[lReef lKeeper]

normally the tentacle should only be visible after the lights go out or you are feeding the tank. try feeding the few that come out with cyclopeeze and see if the others do not come out right after that. in the wild the tenacles come out at night because the fish are usually asleep and there is less chance of being eaten then.