kenya tree coral not opening any more?

[john08007]

I've had a Kenya tree coral for several weeks, it has been doing good until two days ago when it has stopped opening. I have recently started to run GFO, other than that everything has been the same. My parameters are:
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate .25ppm
calc 420
Alk 11dkh
Phosphate .02ppm
PH 8.11
Mag 1300

I did just read online that this relies less on light and more on phytoplankton, I do have Seachem Reef Phytoplankton that I add weekly, should I be directing some toward it with a baster?

Any other ideas? my other corals are all doing fine

 

[bertoni]

Those numbers all are fine. Could you post a picture of your coral? I thought that most corals called "Kenya tree corals" were photosynthetically enabled. I wouldn't bother with directed feeding.

 

[Docdiggy]

I've never fed mine and it grew so much I was ripping it off rocks. It's a coral would never add again.

 

[mcgyvr]

They do close up sometimes.. but usually come back in a day or 2..
Mine just did that last week and now its back and bigger than ever..

 

[Kearnel]

They close up sometimes, mine do on a regular basis. As mentioned it grows like mad, I started with one about a year ago and now I have about 10 of them. An easy thing to care for and I never feed mine either. I personally think they are beautiful to look at but some see them almost as a pest.

 

[john08007]

It is still standing vertical, not wilting at all, just the tips arent extended at all. I have some other soft corals that are all doing well. I have it about 1' down from the top where I have 2x175 mh's so lighting shouldn't be an issue. I did try directing some plankton around it last night and nothing, hopefully its just part of its cycle. It was only $20 so no big loss but I'd want to figure out what the issue is if there is one for the future

 

[bertoni]

I'd give it a bit to see whether it is just sulking for a bit. Soft corals do that from time to time, IME.

 

[goldslinger]

Mine was geat until I moved it to higher light. Then, it bunched up and would never inflate. Put back lower and Violla! Back to normal.

 

[tmz]

I don't know what you read .

I keep masses of kenya tree( capnella). They rely on photosynthesis to an extent for their carbohydrates about 80 to 85%, IIRC, making up the rest with organic material they take from the water . In contrast sps corals rely on photosyntesis for about 95% of those needs. Capnella demonstrate no feeding response ;so it is thought they absorb organics from the water like xenia seem to; they don't need phytoplankton. They don't need a lot of light vis a vie other corals ;mine do better with much less light than sps for example. Intense light might cause photo inhibition . I keep them in tanks with very little to no skimming and moderate PC or T 5 lighting. They do better in those conditions than in the main system which is lit more intensely lit and heavily skimmed.

 

[john08007]

From liveaquaria.com:
It is not normally considered a threat to hard corals, but may itself be disturbed by their presence. The Kenya Tree Coral relies less on the symbiotic algae within it, and depends more on obtaining outside food. Microplankton, marine snow, and dissolved materials should make up the bulk of its diet.

-Maybe they are trying to get you to also buy plankton from them.

Today it is still vertical, hard to tell if it is getting some "buds" on some of the tips or how it is just retracted. Also it looks like it may be losing some of it's outer "skin" along the trunk and a few of the branches

 

[tmz]

Micro plankton includes organics,bacteria, etc; not necessarily phyto plankton. They absorb the micro plankton from the water. They don't need to be fed since an average reef tank will have plenty if it is not overfiltered. They grow quickly and stay healthy in the conditions I noted in the earlier post.