Chili Coral

[rotorjock]

Does anyone have any experience with the Chili coral? I bought one recently before I did the proper research on it. When it arrived (mail order) I acclimated it as prescribed and it seemed to do well enough. It was "open" the first day and very colorful. Then it only opend up about once or twice a week for the next three weeks, and then I only saw it sometime long after all the lights were out in the tank and room. Now it doesn't seem to be opening at all. I have it on a lower section of the reef pile in an area of some flow but not real strong. I have a 72 gal reef with 220 total watts of light on more than it should be, but I also have at least seven hours per day of pitch black darkness.
How can I either get it to be more active and open, even if it's only after dark, or how can I tell if it's dead?
Thanks

 

[jeffbrig]

I've had a chili coral for probably 15 months or more. Like you describe it frequently seems to go "dormant". Periodically it will inflate, usually at night, and you'll see full white polyps extended. There seems to be little rhyme or reason to it, although I've noticed that after moving or touching the coral, it tends to open up more in the next few days. Bizarre.

Not a coral I would generally recommend to people.

 

[Alexj716]

Totally normal. I've had mine for about 2 years and it does the same thing. They are not what you would call a "show piece" but I do think they are pretty amazing looking when they do open.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Before I try one, what type/color do the rest of you keep?
I'de read somewhere that one particular color is easier to keep.

 

[rotorjock]

Mine is a red one, although right now it's more of a burgundy color and not very showy. My mother-in-law refers to it as the "red turd". Frankly, I wouldn't recommend one as it's too sporatic in inflation and virtually never inflates during daylight hours. Unless you spend your time watching your tank in total darkness, it's pretty boring. I wouldn't do it again.
Now that I've siad all that, let me explain that I'm fairly new to this hobby and have only had a reef setup for about a year. I donot use a refugium, I do not spend nearly enough time testing water. I feed generic fish food and phytoplankton. I have a cheaper light setup that's on far too long each day, but the fish are happy and the other 9 slft corals seem to be happy, too. My two biggest mistakes so far are the additions of the Chili Coral and the Valentini Puffer, which is fine with coral but hell on crabs and snails.
Just my $0.02.

 

[sufunk]

Mine did the same thing. 1st few weeks it was open everyday and looking nice. Then for literally 2-3 months, it was shrivelled to nothing and never saw it open 1 time. I checked day and night and was positive it was dead. All of a sudden, it started opening again and now opens almost everyday and looks better than ever. No change in parameters or anything else

They just seem to be temperemental. As long as it isnt meting away, i'd say just give it time.

 

[jeffbrig]

Mine is also red. Recently it had become grown over with zoanthids, so I took it out and tweezed them all off. It rewarded me by opening nicely for the next few days, then went dormant again.

 

[dendro982]

Question: who has chilies for a long time - is there any growth, post shot of tank and a coral, what are you feeding, how water is cleaned. Thanks!

I have 3 kinds - almost year, half year and a few months, not in order listed below.
This is wide kind with a small pinkish-white polyps, warmer red body color:

contracted:

close-up (ignore the yellow, sun spawns):

The only one, who tried to disconnect from attached stone.

This is similar, but with pure white polyps and thinner branches. Large colony, but looks like miniature. Both corals here are the same:

And the different, vertical cactus shape, cold red body color, larger white polyps. Seems to be from the warmer sea - closed at 75.4F, when the wide kind (with sun babies) was wide open. Could be coincidence, of course. Also most light-sensitive. Accepts the bigger food.

Shots were made in different times, by different cameras, in different tanks. All - IMHO and E (wink).

- Flow: They better to be placed in a high flow, mine were in less than a foot from powerhead ~600gph laminar flow. 150 gph reflected - in another, nano tank.
- Food size - I have impression, that 50-250 mk is accepted (ZoPlan range), but could be more or less sized. I would not argue about that ingestion doesn't mean much.
- Frozen cubes particles, ZoPlan, crushed parts of cyclop-eeze - that they receive in my tanks. Others may have access to a special small-sized food. Tried Micro-Vert, Chroma-Plex, Zoo-Plex - as I gave nothing at all. Strange.
- A lot of food, 5-8 times more, than recommended on the label. If food is given during all the day - the coral is open almost all day. If not - is open late evening and morning, before lights are on.
- Water quality becomes a problem. Will try to move some of them in separate nano-tank for a feeding and cleaning water after that.

The corals from the ocean can went dormant for a months, then, in right location, opened, as if nothing happened - as was said before. Except the number 2 in a list - small white polyps on a hand-shaped body - never closed for a long time, have it for a few months only.

Frag, cut from the vertical coral, is doing much better.

Red finger gorgonian has similar polyps, but larger - easier to feed. Skinny and takes a lot of space, but easier.

Anyway, I will use micron filter sock and protein skimmer, water is polluted too quickly, and with less feeding - less polyps opening, alas.

 

[bllfish]

Try palcing the coral under a ledge. I read somewhere it does best hung under a ledge with very little lighting?

 

[supervdl]

I have the same experience. My chili coral is dormant for a long time and then it suddenly opens up, mostly at night. It looks great when its opening up, but since it is rarely the case, I wouldn't necessarily buy ity again. Unless I have a a low light spot to fill that has a lot of flow.