New Corals

[steve5520]

I have had my reef tank for several years. Up till now, I only had soft corals, all of which have done very well.

Last week I decided to give hard corals a try. I bought a Brain Coral, Lobophyllia and Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea furcata).

My tank is a 55gal with CSL Moonlight (4x65PC).

Several questions (some are going to sound very basic (dumb?).

How long until the corals look like the pictures I've seen? The coloring just doesn't seem to be there yet. The Brian coral seems to have changed a bit, but not all that much. The Candy Cane is just like when I put it in, coloration seems a bit on the pale side.

I have both of the located about halfway UP the tank. Neither is close to anything else.

I've read that these corals should be fed. What do they get fed and how often?

Thanks.

 

[reefrunner69]

How long until the corals look like the pictures I've seen?

It depends, some corals will not color up, alot of their coloration will depend on species, lighting in the tank, nutrition, where they were collected on the reef and their particular color morph.

I've read that these corals should be fed. What do they get fed and how often?

The two mentioned will appreciate meaty foods like silversides, krill or shrimp, chopped to appropriate size for the coral.

 

[steve5520]

Thanks, Reefrunner.

Maybe I didn't even describe what I was seeing properly. Since these are my first hard corals, I really didn't know what to expect. I tried to choose wisely, something that might be a little easier to keep, not need TONS of light, and not be too agressive. Hopefully, I met those requirements.

I didn't even know what to expect when placing the corals in the tank. I didn't even know what a hard skeleton felt like. To be honest, when first putting them in the tank, I would probably have describe the "feel" as that of a rock. Funny, when you only know one thing (soft coral, completely fleshy) how different something else can be.

Pictures of the Brain coral and the Candy cane give the appearance of being fleshy. I guess this is what I was trying to originally ask, not knowing how to state it. The corals I put in a few days ago were sort of looking like pretty rocks.

Oddly enough, shortly after reading your reply, I was adding a bit of Tropic Marin BioCalcium and rearranging a powerhead. And wouldn't you know it, like magic, the Brain started to immediately repond. I think it liked a bit more water flow.

Funny too, you can go to site after site (places that sell) and read about a particular coral and they will not all be alike. I've read that Brains like low flow and I've read that they prefer medium to high flow. Same with lighting requirements, descriptions vary all over the place.

That's why I'm glad I found this board and have the chance to ask the "dumb" question. I know that someone out there will have some actual experience and be willing to share the knowledge.

Thanks.