Dendronephthya / Carnation Corals - pics/care/advice

[noy]

My latest project is keeping these guys alive.


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yellow carn stacked


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Not a Dendronephthya but pretty cool pickup


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Haven't had a lot of time to work with these - been target feeding with just about everything. Seems to have shrunk a bit and spends the day flopped over like a leather coral.

 

[Bratyboy2]

I'm tagging along as I would love to keep a few myself one day

 

[Johnnychainsaw]

I have one that I feed rotifers phyto feast oyster feast and anything else you can throw at it as many times a day as you can lol. Makes keeping parameters in check a challenge.

 

[noy]

Video of Feeding with Cyclopeez

http://youtu.be/QVcZMKjl5CI

You can see a feeding response from the polyps. I post other foods as I try them.

 

[REEForBANG]

Feed feed twice daily if possible in small dosages also try to get live cultured phyto feeding is the key with the last one on the pic and keeping params stable

 

[noy]

here's the video again in embedded version. You really need to see it full screen to see the polyps clearly.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QVcZMKjl5CI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[coltrref]

beautiful animals, but complex maintenance.

the C. spiralis or black coral are very easy to maintain.

 

[ZephNYC]

I have a few in this tank. I use a 24 hour dosing system of cryo preserved frozen phyto, and 5-50 micron golden pearls. I target feed frozen rotifers, kent microvert, and chomoplex. Daily water changes keep nitrates low, phosphates are a pain as reactors and even pads clog in 2 days from all the food.
I have heard contradictory advice on these guys. Some say they are VERY sensitive to even traces of nitrate and phosphate, and some some they are oblivious. Im still not sure.

 

[noy]

i'm inclined to think its the latter (oblivious to nitrates). some of the NPS tanks that's kept these successfully (i.e. > 1 year) have continuous feed systems (like yours) but they run very high nitrates.

As for phosphates, I always understand phosphate is a problem only in the sense it promotes algae and it inhibits calcification (more of a SPS problem).

 

[ZephNYC]

i'm inclined to think its the latter (oblivious to nitrates). some of the NPS tanks that's kept these successfully (i.e. > 1 year) have continuous feed systems (like yours) but they run very high nitrates.

As for phosphates, I always understand phosphate is a problem only in the sense it promotes algae and it inhibits calcification (more of a SPS problem).

The reason I mentioned it is because Live Aquaria Divers Den comments that they are very sensitive to even traces of No3 and Po4, but I have heard conflicting advice from other members.

 

[Bratyboy2]

Maybe trying these in a macroalgae heavy tank would help with many different established copepod strains?