Favia - what can/should I do with this frag?

A couple months ago, my most recent visit to Tropicorium, they gave me this little favia frag for free. Not having had any favia before I took it without doing any research (smart). I got home and read and read, and to this day I am still not positive on what to do with it. Here's what I'm not sure about...

1. It appears to have been damaged/injured/sick etc... You can see it's dead skeleton in the pics. From what I've read I think I should leave the dead part alone. Should I remove it from the plug?

2. Some say low lighting, some say high, many say mid lighting. I've been keeping it in the middle. I have (2) 110watt (9325 kelvin) power compacts, (1) 40watt T5 actinc & (1) 40watt T5"magtinic" bulbs. Where should I put this thing?

3. People say to feed them with small meaty stuff like baby brine shrimp and also that it should have some type of sweepers that will come out when feeding. I have covered it to feed like I do my sun corals, and never have found sweepers nor evidence of eating. I have checked at night and it seems no different. Can it just live off of zooxanthellae? If not then hat should I do?

4. I see that these are very slow growing. Should I just chill out?

 

I wouldn't, looks like it's doing good now so leave it along. I have one and it had some dead skeleton showing so I just buried it in the sand.

Mind has been under Compacts, T5's and a standard fluorescent for all of the last month. It sits on the bottom of the tank, when I had it closer it seem to not be as happy as it is now.

Never target feed mine nor have I seen sweepers either, and its growing just fine.

Slow is a good word for it, I have had mine for almost exactly a year and it has added maybe 2 small heads since them. When I moved it closer to the light it seemed to stop gowning so I put it back on the bottom.

 

Maybe I'll stick it on the bottom then, unfortunately the tank it's in has crushed coral so I can't easily bury the dead stuff with sand, I could move it to my tank with sand though but it doesn't have PC's just some T5's.... Anyone else?

 

I see the sweepers on my favia at night. you really have to look hard cause they are transparent. They do have it and usually come out during at night only. I placed some small pieces of mysis shrimps last night in front of their mouths and the took them in. That was my first time and i was surprised they actually eat the mysis shrimp. So, nice to feed them once in a while, I think. Might speed up some growth. Experts, pls correct me if I am wrong.

 

I feed ALL my LPS, and I feed them often, at least 3 times a week. I use frozen fish eggs(capeline roe) and it works great! It sinks, its small, and packed w/ protein. Most recommend to feed at night when the sweeper tentacles are out but most LPS will extend them in the day, once you start target feeding them, in anticipation to the meal. My caulastrea, euphyllias, favia and acans all get the eggs. I put all mine at the bottom yesterday as I combined my two tanks and the light is very intense and most LPS don't care for a sudden increase in light esp caulastrea. You can work LPS towards higher light and shouldn't have a problem, except in the species that need/like to be in the sand like elegance and so on. My new tank also has INCREDIBLE flow about 40 times turn over and I've noticed my acans and favia's are extending the sweepers during the day more now.
Back on track, for LPS good growth, maintain good Ca and alk and an elevated pH as with all stonies, feed heavily and keep the water quality up and they will grow great.
As far as your question about the skeleton, leave it, the new growth will encrust over it.

 

I would do what everyone else has said, they are fairly hardy and it probably will regrow in time. They actually tend to grow depending on the light given, higher the light, they will tend to be a round/boulder shape, the lower, they will be more flat. Also, I've seen the sweeper tentacles once on mine. It was about 3 in. long and relatively thick actually. Don't mistake the sweeper tentacles for the tentacles around the mouth, those are ones they use for feeding and tend to come out at night.

 

Thanks for your help everyone! 3reef is such a great resource!

 

I got one as a hitchhiker with my blue clove polyps. A lot of the skeleton was showing, it has filled out almost all of it in 2 months--I put it 1/2 up with t-5s and feed it brime shrimp and mysis. the feeder and sweeper tentacles come out at night.

 

This morning I sucsessfully fed my favia! It's "mouths" were open at 5am when I got up for work. Seems that they must not come out until a few hours after the lights go off. I'm excited! W00h00!!!

 

are you sure that's a favia? looks more like some blasto babies. really nice thought