First Coral - Not So Well

^^ Get a digital meat thermometer probe.

Works great! You can actually pinpoint the exact temp between your tank and coral baggie

 

I will try an open brain, but I don't feel like my lighting is good enough yet, was going to get a retro fit kit and reflectors after my fuge is done. Going to try a mushroom first.

 

156W over 36g ?

That more than enough for LPS. They can be sustained by feeding (and probably under NO light IMO).

 

I made a trip to the LFS last night and got a great deal on a trumpet coral. I figured they were decently hardy and wouldn't be a bad start since this is one of my favorite corals. It was healthy, very full and colorful, and cheap. It was only $25 dollars, and the worker who got it for me was surprised at how this coral was so cheap.

I floated it in the bag, and luckily the temps were close, so it didn't take long until the temperature was the same in the bag and the tank. I used a digital thermometer to check. Its in my tank now and it looks just like it did at the lfs. It has its sweeper tentacles out, so I just need to feed it some. I will attempt to get a pic.

 

my first experience with a plate coral (heliofungia) wasnt good.. he was great for a couple days, then i target fed him some VHP gel formula.. he died three days later.. polyps receded and nothing but skeletal remains.. it was heartbreaking.. I bought another one and its thriving like a maniac.. talking, the whole thing is inflated like crazy and the tentacles seem to be growing a CM a week.. target feed it mysis shrimp with no current twice a week and watch its "mouth" open up and eat'em up.. i love these corals.. look like anenome without the bulldozing and crazy care needed for anenome. sometimes things are good and bad luck.. it seems when i got my cannister filter all my corals perked up and got super healthy.. get another plate coral and just be careful not to rub the polyps on the skeleton.. put him directly in the sand and leave him alone.. youll do great.. good luck and Godspeed.. hers mine gettin his grub on

 

You mentioned Hi KH are you using Kalwasser

HI,
LTA hate any change in KH if it moves up a little they get all stired up and start barfing, some of my corals will retract even the feather dustier get upset if I add the smallest amount of buffer.
They are a touche lot. I would leave KH alone any attempt to lower it will cause alot of problems, it will come down unless your agresively using kalwasser to add calcium.
Doug

 

have any pics?

 

of ?

 

I assume the Trumpet Coral? I will take one as soon as I find my camera.

 

Okay now, I have some questions here. I have had my tank for a number years and this year went from a 65 to a 125. That being said I really wanted to go forth with the corals. I have candy cane, red mushrooms, green and pink ricordea and a toadstool that I have had all of these for a couple of years. Oh and a red bubble anenome that has now become 4.

About 3 months back I tried a colt, absolutely beautiful, dead in 10 days.So then a month a month or so after that I got a green brain that seemed to do well. A week later my husband surprised me with a a red and white brain and an orange plate. The green brain has now died, the red and white is faded but does inflate. The orange plate is gorgeous. I have actually seen it open its mouth and take mysis. But... I have never seen its tentacles come out.

my calcium is at 420, ph 8.4, sg 1.025, no4 0, no3 about 20, protein skimmer, 40 gal fuge that really is not very well established yet as I just started it this summer, Solaris LED lights set at about 80%. Don't remember how many bags of sand and probably about 80 pounds of LR.

lLive stock is various snails, hermit crab, emerald crabs, serpent star, yellow tang, blue tang, black pygmy angel, tomato clown, purple dartfish, dragon wrasse, and 2 neon gobies. And a deresa clam.

I looked at the picture of the plate coral in this thread and was awestruck. Would someone please make a suggestion or 2 or 3 about what I should be checking that I may not be?