210 build PIC INTENSE

so i have been thinking a lot about my sand beds both in the DT and the sump..... its been about a year now and I am wondering if i could do some cleaning up a bit?
I was planning on reworking my sump/fuge and one thought was to remove the cc and syphon some of the extra sand from my dt into the fuge to replace the cc.
I have held off on doing it because i messed with my sand about a month ago and ever since i have been fighting off cyano! Guessing it was from stirring up the sand! In this hobby who really knows for sure.
But also i have fuzz algae growing like weeds in my sump and so I do need to do some major cleaning and thought while i was at it i would get rid of the cc.
what do you think....could this be a bad idea? Would a year be enough time to build up bad elements in the sand that could be released by messing it up?
 
DUDE! That tank is simply beautiful! I think it represents the largest turnaround I've ever seen in a tank that size, in that short a period of time. What a phenomenal job.:thumbsup:

I have noticed that the elegance doesn't seem to have grown much, and it certainly hasn't "relaxed" any. If you're interested, I could suggest some changes that should cause a substantial change in the coral. Just let me know.

Good luck and keep up the good work.:thumbsup:
 
elegance coral said:
DUDE! That tank is simply beautiful! I think it represents the largest turnaround I've ever seen in a tank that size, in that short a period of time. What a phenomenal job.:thumbsup:

I have noticed that the elegance doesn't seem to have grown much, and it certainly hasn't "relaxed" any. If you're interested, I could suggest some changes that should cause a substantial change in the coral. Just let me know.

Good luck and keep up the good work.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Well thank you, and I would love to hear your suggestions!
 
EleganceMan said:
so i have been thinking a lot about my sand beds both in the DT and the sump..... its been about a year now and I am wondering if i could do some cleaning up a bit?
I was planning on reworking my sump/fuge and one thought was to remove the cc and syphon some of the extra sand from my dt into the fuge to replace the cc.
I have held off on doing it because i messed with my sand about a month ago and ever since i have been fighting off cyano! Guessing it was from stirring up the sand! In this hobby who really knows for sure.
But also i have fuzz algae growing like weeds in my sump and so I do need to do some major cleaning and thought while i was at it i would get rid of the cc.
what do you think....could this be a bad idea? Would a year be enough time to build up bad elements in the sand that could be released by messing it up?
Click to expand...
 
EleganceMan said:
Well thank you, and I would love to hear your suggestions!
Click to expand...

Well, you asked for it.:lol2:

The first thing I would do is get it out of the sand. I know everything you have read about these corals tell you they must be kept in the sand, but this is a belief that seriously needs to be overturned. Detritus decomposes in sand. As it does, it releases phosphate. This phosphate binds with the calcium carbonate of the corals skeleton. In turn it fuels calcium carbonate burrowing algae (Ostreobium). This process discolors the skeleton and drastically inhibits the corals growth. It's arguable if this slowed growth is caused by phosphate, Ostreobium, or a combination of the two. What is clear, is that Elegance corals with discolored skeletons, like you see in yours, have had a very slow growth rate. Healthy, rapidly growing Elegance corals lay down brilliant white skeletons. In order to do this, they must be kept out of sand, where decomposition takes place. As you have seen with your coral, they can live in this environment for a very long time. Some even do it in their natural environment. This has lead some scientist and researchers to believe that there are two distinct types, or species, of Elegance coral. They come to this conclusion, because corals from different environments can have very different characteristics. Those found in soft sediments of lagoons, deep water, or grass flats, are typically small. Their skeletons are discolored, and are restricted to a flattened cone shape. Their tentacles are typically short, fat, and posses relatively few nematocysts. In comparison, those that live attached to, on, or near protected corals reefs grow much larger. Their skeletons form a meandering pattern, and are typically a brilliant white. Their tentacles are typically longer, thinner, and posses many more nematocysts. The annual growth rate of these corals can easily exceed 4x's that of the lagoonal corals. However, this is not evidence that there are two species of Elegance. There is but one. If you change the environment of the lagoonal Elegance to one that more closely resembles that of the coral reef dwelling Elegance, its growth will increase, its skeleton will begin to take on a meandering pattern, its tentacles will lengthen, its polyp will expand, and it will produce an abundance of nematocysts. One of the first steps to accomplishing this is to get the coral out of the sand.

Flow is very, very, very important to these corals. If you look at this coral with simple physics in mind, it becomes obvious that this is probably the least equipped of all corals to deal with high flow rates. In a healthy Elegance, the polyp can expand many, many, many times the size of the skeleton. This makes for a very small point of attachment with a large fleshy polyp creating drag in the water. I try to keep my corals with just enough flow to gently move some of the tentacles, but not the polyp itself. Sometimes that may not be as easy as it sounds, but that's what I strive for. If the flow is to strong, the polyp won't be able to expand to its full potential.

Are you able to feed the coral with those tangs in the tank?

Sorry for the long drawn out response, but I knew if I simply said, "Remove it from the sand" you would think I was off my rocker. After all, I'm probably the only one that would give you such advice.
 
elegance coral said:
Well, you asked for it.:lol2:

The first thing I would do is get it out of the sand. I know everything you have read about these corals tell you they must be kept in the sand, but this is a belief that seriously needs to be overturned. Detritus decomposes in sand. As it does, it releases phosphate. This phosphate binds with the calcium carbonate of the corals skeleton. In turn it fuels calcium carbonate burrowing algae (Ostreobium). This process discolors the skeleton and drastically inhibits the corals growth. It's arguable if this slowed growth is caused by phosphate, Ostreobium, or a combination of the two. What is clear, is that Elegance corals with discolored skeletons, like you see in yours, have had a very slow growth rate. Healthy, rapidly growing Elegance corals lay down brilliant white skeletons. In order to do this, they must be kept out of sand, where decomposition takes place. As you have seen with your coral, they can live in this environment for a very long time. Some even do it in their natural environment. This has lead some scientist and researchers to believe that there are two distinct types, or species, of Elegance coral. They come to this conclusion, because corals from different environments can have very different characteristics. Those found in soft sediments of lagoons, deep water, or grass flats, are typically small. Their skeletons are discolored, and are restricted to a flattened cone shape. Their tentacles are typically short, fat, and posses relatively few nematocysts. In comparison, those that live attached to, on, or near protected corals reefs grow much larger. Their skeletons form a meandering pattern, and are typically a brilliant white. Their tentacles are typically longer, thinner, and posses many more nematocysts. The annual growth rate of these corals can easily exceed 4x's that of the lagoonal corals. However, this is not evidence that there are two species of Elegance. There is but one. If you change the environment of the lagoonal Elegance to one that more closely resembles that of the coral reef dwelling Elegance, its growth will increase, its skeleton will begin to take on a meandering pattern, its tentacles will lengthen, its polyp will expand, and it will produce an abundance of nematocysts. One of the first steps to accomplishing this is to get the coral out of the sand.

Flow is very, very, very important to these corals. If you look at this coral with simple physics in mind, it becomes obvious that this is probably the least equipped of all corals to deal with high flow rates. In a healthy Elegance, the polyp can expand many, many, many times the size of the skeleton. This makes for a very small point of attachment with a large fleshy polyp creating drag in the water. I try to keep my corals with just enough flow to gently move some of the tentacles, but not the polyp itself. Sometimes that may not be as easy as it sounds, but that's what I strive for. If the flow is to strong, the polyp won't be able to expand to its full potential.

Are you able to feed the coral with those tangs in the tank?

Sorry for the long drawn out response, but I knew if I simply said, "Remove it from the sand" you would think I was off my rocker. After all, I'm probably the only one that would give you such advice.
Click to expand...

ok.... I will give it a shot...I just dipped my elegance in some coral revive and put it on a rock right off the sandbed....in lower flow.

I have never target fed this elegance, maybe i should start, but i put a ton of food in the tank each day for the fish and i think it gets a lot from that. But mainly just because I spent enough time maintaining this tank as it is!

thanks for the info....
 
so far no change in my elegance.....but i did notice my GSM clown nipping at it today....didnt really seem to bother it at all though!!
 
Got the tank all moved but killed a ton of corals in the process. I ended up doing a 150 gallon water change and not many sps corals made it. I am going to be makeing a large sps coral order from vivid as soon as some of the ones i want are ready.....but in the mean time I need some thoughts as to what I should do with my refugium/sump. Since the move I removed everything from the fuge and swapped out my PC fixtures for some really nice LED fixtures. I have been contemplating putting a DSB with macro's again but I also like the idea that I can siphon out the bottom when junk builds up. The only problem is figuring out a good way to siphon it out, since the fuge is on the floor a gravity siphon doesnt work. Using a pump just gets clogged with junk right away....and ideally i would like to siphon the water into a micron bag and just take out the junk.
any ideas???
thanks,
Josh
 
Last edited:
I am seeing many similarities to a tank recently posted on Fargo's Craigslist on 11-29-2010:

http://fargo.craigslist.org/for/2086396488.html

By comparing the two tanks the clam, acans, and other coral placements look very similar so they may be the same. It was originally listed for $7,500 when I responded asking about the possibility of parting out some of the corals but never got a response. I see the ad has since been modified to drop the price and include a comment:

I am not willing to sell parts, corals, or fish separate so please don't ask!

If it is not the same tank yeah let's get some updates. If it is the same tank, how about them corals? ;)
 
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