Getting a bubble coral to expand

[Scottm]

I got a bubble coral at my LFS for really cheap because it was in sad sad shape. It has two living heads left on a sizable skeleton. It already looked better just 10 minutes after I put it in my tank but my problem is this. It expands a little and just puts out its sweepers. I have been feeding it brine shrimp and flake food which it gobbles up in minutes but just continues to sit with its sweepers out. It has gained back alot of color since I got it and is generaly looking happier and healthier so I'm not worried about it dieing. I would just like it to expand all the way. Its tank mates are xenia, some polyps, mushrooms and an unidentified sarcophyton that is still quite small. I have run carbon on the tank on the off chance that the problem could be due to chemicals from the leather but that yielded no results. It is at least 6" from the nearest other coral so I don't think its irritation. My calcium is at 450, PH 8.2 Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are at 0 or at least undetectable. I don't dose anything extra besides calcium and a little iodide for my inverts to molt.

 

[revhtree]

How long have you had it? Also it will take time to acclimate to your tank.

 

[Scottm]

I've had it for about a week now I think.

 

[revhtree]

It can take longer. I have had one for a while and I know that if it came from a stressful situation that it will take it longer to adjust and get back up to a healthy status. My bubble had problems when my heater exploaded and it took it a few weeks to expand again. Probably 3 weeks. Now it is doing great.

 

[Scottm]

well maybe that is this ones problem and just needs more time. I went to that LFS week after week watching it get sadder and sadder looking till I felt like I had to offer money for it before it died. I was mostly wondering becasue of how quick it respnded positively to being in my tank as opposed to the one in my LFS.

 

[DragonForce]

I have had my green bubble for about a month and now it opens HUGE. The best thing you can do for your sad friend is provide plenty of light and keep that CA high. I would not do direct feedings right now either.

 

[afilter]

My Bubble took time as well. I thought it looked good after a few days, but now am amazed at the difference a few weeks can make. The pic in my gallery is only half expanded by comparison.

I would look for another food source though unless the brine is live. Try some cyclopese and mysis. Also, you mentioned you dose calc, how is your alk?

Good luck,

 

[melosu58]

I say give it a few weeks alsobut in the future you need to be careful adding something that looks like it is not up to par. You can bring disease or parasites or any other problem it had right into your tank. Or at least QT it for a while before you stick it in the main. Dont put many lives at risk for one. Good Luck

 

[Scottm]

I don't have much of a QT setup and I was sure it would bleach out and die if It was only under the grow lights in my QT for any length of time, plus my lfs keeps its tanks in great shape and didn't have a parasite problem so I wasn't too worried, I figured I'd risk it. I also feed DT's live phytoplankton and my alk is at 8 which is at the low end in my opinion do you think that might be the problem. I'm not getting any noticable precipitate and don't have problems boosting my calcium levels, which of course follows with having a lower alk. My LFS recomended I dose magnesium for a nore balanced absorbtion of these minerals but I wanted to get everyones opinion here. My opinion on additives is the fewer the better and just keep up with water changes.

 

[melosu58]

Mine also. I think you keep that opinion you`ll be OK but there are times you might have to just make sure you can test for anything you add. Dont assume