Coral Wants..... A Fireside Chat

[package]

Elegance - There was 1 at Inland Reef a few weeks ago. I see them from time to time in Toledo. I am about 99% sure Phishy Business had one a few weeks ago also in Columbus.

Actually there was one at Inland Reef (Crosslanes) a couple of weeks ago.

I bought 1 a few years ago (Toledo), had it about 2 weeks, Ron mentioned the survival rate issues to me and it started to receed about a week later.

 

[phljess]

It may just be bad karma that kills them. If no one told you they were suppose to die you could keep them.

 

[package]

Phil,

I think you are right. I blame Ron.

 

[phljess]

Yeh, just blame Ron. Its always his fault for telling us that we cant keep stuff, ie: carnation coral, sun coral, chili coral, goniopora, elegance, etc...

 

[Reef4Fun]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12021933#post12021933 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phljess
Yeh, just blame Ron. Its always his fault for telling us that we cant keep stuff, ie: carnation coral, sun coral, chili coral, goniopora, elegance, etc...

AND my beautiful yellow/red sponge...it was FINE until Ron told me they usually don't live long...thanks Ron!

 

[igotsalt]

Well, I got caught up reading the threads this evening/morning! It does get a little spicey in places....The lineage thing is not important to me. I want the colors and the different structures of the corals to make my dream tank come true. I know my softies and do well with them. I learned about the softies from reading and the club members. I am acquiring SPS frags from Barry, the group and other hobbyist. I can't tell you what the names of the coral are in my SPS tank. I need to get a couple books to learn how to identify the hard corals. My goal is to start a journal of the frags I have and where I got them from....and the scientific name should be listed to help me learn them quicker.

I saw a "journal" being marketed to record data about your tank. I don't remember where I saw it advertised but think it would be nice to do. I have taken pictures of all my SPS frags-showing the date and size. It will be interesting to see the growth in 6 months. It is always fun to look back at older pictures of your tank. Many times things are missing and you don't miss them until it is brought to your attention.

So now that I have bored you all.......Tazbader, I would like to see pictures of the corals your friend from California mailed to you. Can you label the names with the corals? as I have no clue what the names are and what they should look like. and no, I don't know the scientific name of ANYTHING in the sps family

 

[Tazbader]

The shop in nitro has the journal you are talking about I think. And I will post photos soon, work has been killin' me here of late. as far as I.d.ing stonys try this site: http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/coralid_search.php it will help you alot. I like it as it shows the growth forms at various sizes and shows their natural habitat. It shows if they table, meander, grow like a stag or a plate, it is great. It helps find what is really "rare" in nature. Then you can go about finding what you want to fill up you tank with. Lemme know which ones you find that are interesting, there are quite a few that are uncommon in the trade.

 

[Tazbader]

Quote from phljess,"Yeh, just blame Ron. Its always his fault for telling us that we cant keep stuff, ie: carnation coral, sun coral, chili coral, goniopora, elegance, etc..." now thats funny...

I have kept goniopora with great success. I had 2 in the past and I have 2 now. Keys are proper acclimation, low flow, and not burning them up with alot of light. Regular feeding is key too. Don't let the clowns or crabs get to them, they don't take too well to being hosted in or picked on. Then leave them alone. . I try to put them in the front corners of my tank were all the crud collects. I am trying one up in the structure of the reef but it is shadowed by a big tonga branch.

 

[igotsalt]

thanks for the info!

 

[coralreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12021933#post12021933 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phljess
Yeh, just blame Ron. Its always his fault for telling us that we cant keep stuff, ie: carnation coral, sun coral, chili coral, goniopora, elegance, etc...

Glad I don't listen to Ron. I've had my yellow sun polyps for 4 years
I would agree that micranthra tubastrea (green/black suns) are more difficult but I did keep one for over 3 years. If I ever lucked into a smaller piece, mine was "show size", I'd probably have to give it another try. BTW when I got that piece I didn't know it was considered to be harder than a "regular" sun.

So I hear alot about the aussie purple elegance and how they seem to fair better as far as not having the "plague". The only place I've seen them available was through ATL but they want 150.00 for them plus shipping. So I think I am going to try another route.

Like Lloyd said I know Phishy has had the Aussies. You might try Eden's Gate too. So far the imports seem to have a good track record and I hope it continues. Jim did keep an elegance for ~7 years or so I think but it was collected when they were still easy keepers. It took up a large portion of a 180 and was an awesome coral. Died after a tragic accident fwiw he kept his on the sand bed.

I have kept goniopora with great success. I had 2 in the past and I have 2 now. Keys are proper acclimation, low flow, and not burning them up with alot of light. Regular feeding is key too. Don't let the clowns or crabs get to them, they don't take too well to being hosted in or picked on. Then leave them alone. . I try to put them in the front corners of my tank were all the crud collects. I am trying one up in the structure of the reef but it is shadowed by a big tonga branch.

How long have you had your current goniopora and when/how long did you have your first two? Also what color/type? Like elegance goniopora used to have a better track record. The conditions you've described are what I've heard are idea for them. One theory on goniopora, is as we've "advanced"...increasing flow, lighting and water quality...we no longer provide condition favorable to them. I've heard of more success with them in the past couple years and some of the new foods seem to have made a difference but they still have a very poor overall track record. At some point I'd kinda like to try one...wouldn't unless it was a freebie but it would be neat to experiment with one. I still don't think they should be available on a routine basis because of their poor survival record. Luckily I only see them when they're added as "fillers" in box orders.

 

[Tazbader]

I have had the two that I have now coming up on 3 months now. I think they are G. Panchoraensis and a baby G. Tenuidens (a branch goni). Very tentative I'Ds BTW. The two I had years ago were G. Stoksi and I think a G. Lobata. Which look very much alike. One grows like a mound or a column and has smaller tentacles and the other is just a big round beast (mine grew to about the size of a basketball cut in half in my tank when extended). It would spit off little baby buds every now and then. I got a mention years ago in a magazine called Marine Fish Monthly because of that goni. I even had a tiny true percula that hosted in it. I kept a bare bottom tank at the time with a mirror under the tank and I think that made the coral irritated enough to slough off buds by its base. Strangly, I never fed that tank. But it only had a perc, a kole, a bicolor blenny and a manderin dragonet in it. We didn't keep much in the way of fish in a reef back then. One inch of fish for every 15 to 20 gallons. But skimmers are alot better now.

 

[firefish2020]

Phil,

I think you are right. I blame Ron.

Oh man... you guys are on to me now I have the ability to kill your coral from a remote distance.

 

[sixliner6]

I don't give you that much credit Ron.

 

[phljess]

No you just hex us with your evil black coral killing magic. I really think you do not have the technological means to kill our coral from a remote distance yet. But I have heard about your R and D on a sonic coral killing boom stick. I think it is a revision of a vintage Nazi death machine, which you can pick up at SMart, think smart think S-Mart.

 

[firefish2020]

But I have heard about your R and D on a sonic coral killing boom stick.

Now Phil you know that's just a rumor, besides that vintage death machine was part of a crashed UFO recovered by an Illuminate committee for ancient alien technologies in 1939 on the Banks of the Shior. Oh crap, I said to much, carry on.

 

[Tazbader]

My voodoo stronger than your voodoo.......

Anyway, has anyone heard of a tridacna tevora or devil's clam? I am well on my way to having all the tridacnas, and I'm trying to snag this elusive red clam. I also need a gigas and hippopus. I know that the tevora is not common in the trade but I know that it should show up on someone's order list. So far I have a T. derasa (fine line), 4 T. maximas (a black, blueline zebra, a blue/purple teardrop, and a green), 2 Squamosa (a green teardrop and a maxim/squam hybrid - very pretty) and a large blue/green crocea. I just traded a really good guy named Nathan for the teardrop squamosa today which has sort of renewed my energies to hunt down the rest. I am also proud to say that all my clams are aquacultured. So if anyone has any clam questions or any ideas on local availability for a gigas, hippopus or any info at all on a devil's clam please let me know.............. thx

 

[mcox33]

Pictures of your clams PLEASE Pretty Please. I love clams and hope to get some for my new setup someday.

 

[Tazbader]

Mary whats up with the refracs? Gimme my meter and I'll give you some photos..... maybe a drill if you were the one asking for the 1/2in drill last week...........kung fu you.

 

[LtPiper]

I just want one with a gold mantle.

 

[Tazbader]

LtPiper, I'll ask Barry to get an extra with the next ORA order and I'll try to have him save it 4 you