first coral purchase pictures inside

[hackteck]

well i desided to buy my first coral sunday its an anthia pictures are included. do i have it placed in the aquarium in the right spot? also how does it look like it doing?. been setup about 3 months i dunno if any members would suggest that 3 months is 2 short for corals but all my parameters where in order ammonia 0, nitrite 0 , nitrate 5, calcium 400( is this an ok number?)

 

[TheRealFF]

Beautiful.

I got my corals from month 2 and they are doing great. Some people might say it's too early but i'd say ur doing great with those parameters

 

[afilter]

Congratulations and welcome to the addiction!

Looks to be healthy, but I am not familiar with the name Anthia for corals. I know there are fish by that name. Have you found anything on it? Almost looks like a type of brain.

As for being to early, not really as long as your system is holding steady. Some would say you should wait until you system is 6-12 months old. As long as your water parameters and lighting are adequate you should be good.

What do you have for lighting?

 

[hackteck]

540 watt metal halide and power compact combo, i brought from a local aquarium shop the guy told me they where anthias and thats what the receipt says i cant find any info on it either hehe

 

[afilter]

You should be fine on lighting for just about any corals anenome or clams you want down the road with a metal halide.

Try posting you pic in ID section and someone may be able to help. Ask the LFS if they have some information on it as well.

 

[afilter]

Sorry double post

 

[hackteck]

thanks for all the info

 

[AquaReefer]

That is a goniopora (flower pot coral). They are very difficult coral to house along with a low survival rate. I know 5 people locally that have had these. Only 1 is still alive. I had 1 for about 6 months untill my clown stressed it to death. Here is a link with some info on it. Those polyps should be extended atleast 5 more inches or so.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/coralidprofileresource/p/goniopora_p.htm
http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/photos/blpiccoraldmangionebrain.htm
http://www.marinecenter.com/corals/coralslargepolypstonycorals/gonioporacoral/

 

[afilter]

Yeah I can see that now. I did not recognize it with the tenacles retracted. I almost bought one early on, but the LFS employee did something uncomon and advised against knowing I was new to corals. Not to say you cannot be successful, but is it possible to return to LFS?

Since you are making the dive into corals I highly suggest you pick up a couple of books for IDing them. The one I find most helpful is Julian Sprungs "Corals" Not much narative on each coral, but tons of pictures with an easy to read guide on lightin, aggressiveness, feeding and placement.

Check out the book list on this site for some ideas as well:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/saltbook.php

This link is also good for identification and some basic info.:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=597

Take a look at my info. All the corals I currently have would be considered easy to moderate care and good for beginners.

Do not give up, I am disappointed the LFS would sell this to you as a first coral.

Good Luck,

 

[hackteck]

i took the picture when i first turned on my lights, after my lights are turned on for a while the polyps fully exstend,also i think i'll keep it i understand it doesnt have a high servival rate but that doesnt exactly mean it will die also thanks for the info guys

 

[Brenden]

As aquareefer said, that is a goniopora. Very low survival rate. Yellow has the lowest survival rate of any of them though. The red and blue are a little more hardier but not much.

 

[tooldini]

Mine lasted about 6-7 months,, but I only had 198w PC's so maybe that had something to do with it. Mine was a flourescent green very pretty. Just enjoy it while you can. I got mine for 19.99 for it was too expensive.

Jeff

 

[hackteck]

hm if i wanted to return it how are pulsing xanias they had some nice ones their, do they have good servival rate?

 

[afilter]

Very hardy and a good starter IMO. Will spread like crazy over time. I bought two frags for $13/each about a month ago and they have already doubled in size.

 

[Brenden]

xenia is a good choice but place carefully as it will try to take over your tank.

 

[lando]

Yah, not a great choice for the home aquarium. It looks like it is already necrosing around the bottom. They will generally die from the bottom up. I recommend taking it back and getting something that will last.

 

[JG]

I also purchased one some time ago, and true to form, it started to decline within about 4 months. I did a little digging and found a report by someone who did an honest to goodness controled experiment on flower pot corals. His findings were that iron suppliments were necessary for goniopora survival. I ordered a bottle of iron suppliments made by seachem...and...

WOW ! This guy had not been open for weeks, but after several days of iron suppliments ( 8 drops per day in a 90 gallon tank) it was extending polyps and feeding. It continues to look better each day.

As for feeding ... another post ( don't remember if on this site or somewhere else) it was mentioned that these guys love tang poop. And yup.. they seem to like it just fine. I have directed a few pieces via a turkey baster.

JG

 

[afilter]

OK, I love my corals, but I draw the line at collecting fish poop. Cleaning up after my Golden retriever is bad enough. LOL

 

[hackteck]

lol

 

[MT79]

Frankly that is one of the worst corals to pick period-let alone as your first. You have set yourself up to fail and the life of the animal to be lost. I did the same thing when I was a newbie, the are definitely beautiful corals.
Goniopora's are generally from lagoons/intertidal areas. These areas are "dirtier" than the outer reefs we hobbyist generally try to simulate. They have an abundant amount of plankton and other nutrients available. So, along w/ good lighting Gonioporas need plenty of available live zooplankton and phytoplankton along w/ other minerals etc. Much more than most hobbyist can add, let alone maintain, w/ out fouling their tank water. They are definitely not for a beginner or intermediate hobbyist.

FWIW one of the advisors has fellow members of her reef club that not only have managed to keep them healthy, but also nurse sick specimens back to life. They have provided much info. on other forums regarding their husbandry practices.