flower pot coral not opening

[shredmaster]

I've done a lot of research. parameters are fine. calcium was at 350 but now 425 brought up slowly. I use LED lights in my 125 gallon, on 12 hours a day, actinic lighting as well. Kept on sand mainly, moved to more flow, less flow, over the course of a couple weeks. Just not extending. The coral is in a rock the size of a baseball. They actually came out about 1 mm the other day. Not sure what is up. Thanks. This has been going on for a couple months. no slime, no brown. still green tops of heads.
Steve

 

[Mock]

These corals do not like bright light or heavy water movement. I would guess at that being your first problem.

12 hours a day for LEDs not knowing the settings could be an issue.

 

[Webmanny]

I have a few of these corals and I can tell you that I have learned the following.

1. They do like lots of flow
2. They don't like too much light (Corners of the tank are best for them)
3. They prefer a slightly dirty tank (In super clean tank, they last about a year)
4. Longer than normal drip acclimation is critical for these corals
5. Feeding them twice a week makes them very happy
6. Dosing magnesium has made a good difference for me

These are mine. I run DIY LEDs for around 8 hours total a day. I hope this helps.

The green/yellow one. (Right front corner of the tank) I've had it for about a year now.

The pink and red. (Left bottom corner of the tank) I've had these for a few months now.

 

[RA]

I think that you will find that this is one of your more difficult corals to keep. Webmanny has some good advise. I also found that feeding them very tiny pieces of food really helps. I dissolve my food in water from my tank and then a use a small baster to feed the coral the water from the frozen food, not the food itself seems to help. Be sure to research the coral you want before you buy.

 

[Mock]

Feeding them has definitely been proven over time to be a very successful key to keeping these corals. They are one of the ones that like to over eat and be target fed.

 

[smittysmith2]

I have a few of these corals and I can tell you that I have learned the following.

1. They do like lots of flow
2. They don't like too much light (Corners of the tank are best for them)
3. They prefer a slightly dirty tank (In super clean tank, they last about a year)
4. Longer than normal drip acclimation is critical for these corals
5. Feeding them twice a week makes them very happy
6. Dosing magnesium has made a good difference for me

These are mine. I run DIY LEDs for around 8 hours total a day. I hope this helps.

The green/yellow one. (Right front corner of the tank) I've had it for about a year now.

The pink and red. (Left bottom corner of the tank) I've had these for a few months now.

What do you feed them?

 

[Webmanny]

I feed mine coral frenzy. Do a quick Google search and you will find many places that have them. I got mine from eBay. Should be around $12.00 and it lasts a long time, because you just use a bit.