Some corals good, some not!

Birdlady · 01-14-2005, 05:53 PM

I chose my corals somewhat carefully so as not to get in over my head here....

I have lost one Pagoda coral (looked great in the store, and never ever opened at home) There was a small sps hitchiker on it that is fine, I fragged it off before tossing the pagoda...

and one Cynarina...it just wasted away.

From the same store I bought a Lobophyllia which is outta this world! When I feed, it extends feeder tentacles and the like.

I also have a red zoanthid colony that is multiplying, A great big huge xenia that was a tiny little frag two months ago, a big green star polyp colony, and one beautiful Crocea Clam.

I was at my local reef club meeting last week, and posed the question. I was told, Oh, if your clam and xenia are doing well, then you have nitrate problems.

I do not understand that. I have a Seachem and a Salifert kit that both read zero for nitrate (even the high res with the salifert)

I was given the advice to rip out the sand and go barebottom etc.....

Does anyone have any opinions?

pH is 8.05 - 8.2
SG 1.026
Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate - 0
Ca - 350 - 400
Temp 79 - 80F
Iodine .06

Birdlady · 01-15-2005, 05:48 AM

No takers on this question???

fletch · 01-15-2005, 06:08 AM

Well Birdlady your test results look great. I don't think that I would rip out my sand or anything drastic like that, But have you been adding any strontium to your system? I have been using Warner Marine strontium, iodide and trace element supplement and my corals seem to be doing a lot better than they were.
Just a Thought

............. *John

Birdlady · 01-15-2005, 06:10 AM

I use the B-Ionic and I think that has some strontium in it, I will have to check. I just thought it was crazy that an assumtion would be made about the nitrate....

Keeping my sandbed.

fletch · 01-15-2005, 06:16 AM

[quote author=birdlady link=board=CoralHealth;num=1105753988;start=0#3 date=01/15/05 at 09:10:59] *I just thought it was crazy that an assumtion would be made about the nitrate....

Keeping my sandbed.

*[/quote]

I agree with you, Was that just one persons opinion or was is a general consensus?

Birdlady · 01-15-2005, 06:17 AM

Two people said it. They were ANTI SAND people!

You never know, there could be something to it...what do I know! So I thought I would post it here. But I use 2 different nitrate test kits..so I am fairly sure they are accurate.

fletch · 01-15-2005, 06:22 AM

[quote author=birdlady link=board=CoralHealth;num=1105753988;start=0#5 date=01/15/05 at 09:17:28]Two people said it. They were ANTI SAND people!
[/quote]

Well I guess that explains it all then

Matt Rogers · 01-15-2005, 09:13 AM

Great water parameters doesn't always mean great corals I've found.

LIghting and water flow play a part in it as well.

Sometimes you just have to move stuff around.

And sometimes people don't have success with one but when they replace it the next one grows.

One thing I've found interesting is when people say that some corals are affected by being up or down stream from other corals. That one makes me think.

Anyway there seems to be a lot at play and it seems like the best thing you can do is too read up a lot on the coral you are thinking about buying and see if you can find out anything about compatibility.

I had a pagoda in my 30 and it was fine, but everything grew in that tank. Everything grows in slowmo in my 20 now.

I am not familar with Cynarina though.

Jay · 01-15-2005, 12:22 PM

I agree about moving corals around to find the best place. It seems to me that I have found just the right placement and balance of variety in my 30 gallon tank as everything grows great in that. And it has aragonite gravel bottom and the nitrates are always present. I move the corals into different areas and then play with the powerhead and return from my canister. If I put the Torches and hammer and the like in the right side where there is gentle irregular water movement they open up all the way huge and their tenticles are always moving around. Never just sitting motionless. The leathers and zooz have done fine wherever I put them.My Colts and Kenyas did not really like the strong areas of flow but I keep moving them little by little into stronger and stronger current and they acclimate to it slowly. Now they are almost being bent over sometimes but they still open huge and have grown alot since I got them 6 or 7 months ago. When I first started puting them in the stronger areas they kindof objected and looked like they might be struggling a little to stand up but they have adapted by building their stocks up and have branched way out. It makes sense to me that these soft corals with their thousands of small feeding polyps would feed better in the stronger current. Some may dissagree with this and I may be wrong but they sure seem to like the current. I also feed them Microvert and the similer. And I have dosed this tank with Strontium and elements, Coral-Vite occationally and of course Iodide but almost all the supplements have this already so use it sparingly. My 60 gallon tank is not doing that great but I also dont spend near the time with it. I have been working on it though. The only coral in it is the Xenia that are stressed but I mentioned them in another post.
If you look in this picture you see the powerhead in the top right pointed at the bottom. Its a gentle powerhead with light flow. This area gets the most current.

Probably more than I needed to say about current when this isnt even the topic here. Just thought I would mention my thoughts.

Jay

Matt Rogers · 01-15-2005, 12:38 PM

Good post Jay. I have had the same experience with hammers. Tank looks great!