Kenya Tree (capnella sp.) issues

[gbru316]

I've had a capnella in my tank for about 6 months now. Over the past 2 months, it's stopped opening up. It stays in various states of "closed."

Everything else in the tank is doing ok, except nothing is growing.


Yesterday, I discovered that my thermometer was reading a full 4 degrees low. What I THOUGHT was 78 was actually a little under 74. I'm in the process of slowly raising the temp to 78-80.

That being said, I noticed a few black spots on the tips of a few branches of the one "stalk." I attempted to rub it off and one of the tips came with it. By tip, I mean a ball about the size of a pin head.

I know they reproduce by dropping tips, but the black fuzz worries me. The stalks appear fine, minus the wrinkles from being closed. No black spots on them, no sloughing tissue, still leathery feeling, etc.

I do have some reef dip, but the coral is attached to a rock that I cannot remove without dismantling the tank, and I don't want to increase stress by cutting it off just to do a dip, unless it's recommended.

I know capnella are resilient, am I stressing over nothing?

 

[cloak]

With these corals, I think you might be tripping. Like you said, they're actually very durable. I would just use some scissors and cut the black tips off. FWIW, when mine start to fill out and get big, I just lop the top off with some scissors. All that's left is about an inch worth of stalk. Over time though, it grows back again. GL.

I doubt the temperature had anything to do with this btw.

 

[gbru316]

I doubt the temperature had anything to do with this btw.

I did also sort of neglect the tank for a few months because of a wife-induced air conditioning mishap where the temp increased to 85 or so, resulting in a complete loss of SPS. NO3 had risen to between 25 and 50 ppm. But I wouldn't think that the NO3 would be a huge issue to these corals either.

I'm hoping it just looked bad because of the low temp. Time will tell, I guess.

 

[HurricaneSystem]

Kenya trees should be the least of your worries. I think it is about impossible to kill those weeds. If you can't grow Kenya trees, you have some major issues. No joking, seriously, they grow faster than fingernails.

 

[danimallaminad]

Its true. Kenyas are very hard to kill. I actually bought live rock to cycle my tank and it had a little kenya on it and now the kenya tree is huge and doing very well.

 

[Bnaum85]

I "lost" a kenya tree bc it grew close enough to a torch. I cut the withering part at the base but I had glued the frag to a rock. It is now growing back. I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of it.

 

[gbru316]

One of my two stalks ended up dying. It was rotting at the tip and the "trunk" was turning black. When I removed it by hand last night, it was rather squishy.

The other one, which shared an attachment to the rock, looked better this morning.

Kinda sucks, but there's a frag swap in 2 weeks and they'll have them available for $5.

 

[cloak]

You could just use some scissors and cut a branch off the one you already have. Use a little super glue gel and attach it to a rock. Save your money. GL.

 

[gbru316]

You could just use some scissors and cut a branch off the one you already have. Use a little super glue gel and attach it to a rock. Save your money. GL.

I had some reef dip at home so I thought "ah, what the hell."

Cut the upper portion off of the remaining capnella and threw it and the base in reef dip. Secured the upper portion to some rubble via rubber band and threw the base back in.

2 weeks should be plenty of time to see if it works. Who knows? I might be back up to 2.

 

[scubaprashant]

Anyone who is selling you a kenya tree should be ashamed. I give them away by the dozen, along with pulsing xenia and plain jane xenia.

 

[gbru316]

Anyone who is selling you a kenya tree should be ashamed. I give them away by the dozen, along with pulsing xenia and plain jane xenia.

The club sells donated propagated corals and corals from the schools themselves to raise money for their "Tanks in Schools" program, which has tanks in 11 schools throughout the state.

I have no problems spending $5 on a "pest" coral in order to help the program out.


Back on topic, the frag ended up fragging itself last night, or something cut it off. I woke up this morning and saw the "head" of the frag had been nearly severed from the base that I attached to a piece of rubble.

 

[saf1]

I would give them the money and leave the trees behind. If the coral fits your overall Design than great! However 99% of the time that coral becomes a total pain in the rear. Both of my 29 gallon tanks have them along with green star polyps and blue cloves :-(

these pieces of rock will be with me has I upgrade to a 190 gallon so I am planning accordingly....they will show up regardless if I drop a nuke because this rock is from my former 100 gallon I lost while on vacation and Cali had a string brown outs....

 

[gbru316]

I ended up removing it when it became clear it wouldn't recover. Replaced with a neon green sinularia.

 

[ppark]

I liked my Kenya trees at first, now I can't get rid of them. they'll grow back from the smallest piece of the flesh that is left on a rock. it's ok if it can be controlled, but that can be tough too.

 

[ArnoVH]

I just got one first coral in tank

But in holland you actually pay around €35 (45$) for a Kenya new in store
Only for a fragment

 

[GreenSaltyOne]

I just got one first coral in tank

But in holland you actually pay around €35 (45$) for a Kenya new in store
Only for a fragment

?!!??!! Holy Sh*t!! At even $20 a pop I could have a trip to Europe by the end of the month paid for with those little guys. People in the states give them away. I got 12 for free, and have fragged over 30 for fun now and they are just hanging out in my frag tank taking up space!!!! They also took over a huge rock in my tank and if i don't frag them every other week, they frag themselves and will take over my whole tank! I seriously can't sell them, the LFS doesn't want them, and I'm too cheap to give them away. I'd sell them for $1 a piece cause thats what it costs me to get rubber bands and rocks to frag them.

 

[HurricaneSystem]

I hated these things so bad, I injected them with lemon juice to try and kill them. It didn't work, I had great luck killing aiptasia with lemon juice, but not Kenya Trees, lol.

I stand by my previous statement, if you are killing Kenya Trees, you are having some major issues and need to get your water straightened out quick. Not being facetious, just honest.

 

[ArnoVH]

I know bit stores keep selling for high prices but in deed on the forums the go away for much lower prices.
I can just tel that our LFS are expensive some cheaper but are extreme
Like this one "wesdijk"

Nemo €17,5
Snail €6
Hermits crabs €6
Yellow tang €55

 

[chris.scang]

I give away the "frags" that self propagate from my Kenya trees. I have three pieces available right now if someone wants them. Local pickup only though.

 

[ClownFish0322]

I have pink Kenya's and have found them hardy I went away for three months and had a friend change the water once every three weeks when I came back they were all black and shriveled I just went back to water changes once a week and they were fine in fact I have about 15 two inch ones I use for ground cover and four 7 inch ones or bigger one a rock strange thing is the big ones have stopped growing why is that.