Leather coral lighting

[jdantunes]

I would like to make a comment. I proven by experience in keeping a colony of Fiji yellow fingers leather, that you can keep this coral healthy at low or high light. What's is important is medium to strong flow and good parameters.

I bought this coral in 2010 and placed it in my biocube 14. This was my first saltwater tank and keep it running for three and a half years. When I picked this coral at the store looked bright yellow, but after a few months of keeping it under PC's it lost his brightness and turned tan.

After that I upgraded into a 75 gallons tank. I choose to run 2x 150W MH and 4x T5's over it. You can see that the real difference is not in health but is in coloration. This happened within a few months of being under halides.

Later I downgraded my lights into just 4x 54w T5's, but only for a year or so. And once again it's color changed to tan. But now and for the last year, once again it's under Metal Halides & T5 combo, regained his splendor bright color and tripled his size.

 

[cloak]

I would like to make a comment. I proven by experience in keeping a colony of Fiji yellow fingers leather, that you can keep this coral healthy at low or high light. What's is important is medium to strong flow and good parameters.

I bought this coral in 2010 and placed it in my biocube 14. This was my first saltwater tank and keep it running for three and a half years. When I picked this coral at the store looked bright yellow, but after a few months of keeping it under PC's it lost his brightness and turned tan.

After that I upgraded into a 75 gallons tank. I choose to run 2x 150W MH and 4x T5's over it. You can see that the real difference is not in health but is in coloration. This happened within a few months of being under halides.

Later I downgraded my lights into just 4x 54w T5's, but only for a year or so. And once again it's color changed to tan. But now and for the last year, once again it's under Metal Halides & T5 combo, regained his splendor bright color and tripled his size.

I'm not seeing the Yellow Fiji Leather in the pictures above. What you have looks more like a Sinularia, not a Sarcophyton elegans.

 

[champion6sigma]

What do u mean, "keeping under pc's" jdantunes...I'm working on adjusting flow in my system to get more to the fingers. Having a cube tank is tough getting flows right.

 

[jdantunes]

I'm not seeing the Yellow Fiji Leather in the pictures above. What you have looks more like a Sinularia, not a Sarcophyton elegans.

I'm sorry for the confusion. It was sold to me as a Aussie Yellow Finger Leather. I could very well be a type of Sinularia, but does not have the tree shape like the other two specimens that I keep in my tank. I got a Neon Green and a Pink Polyps\Green Stalk Sinularia.

What do u mean, "keeping under pc's" jdantunes...I'm working on adjusting flow in my system to get more to the fingers. Having a cube tank is tough getting flows right.

I'm giving an example on how this leather reacted under different light. PC means Power Compacts.

What are you using for flow in your tank, champion6sigma?

 

[champion6sigma]

I'm sorry for the confusion. It was sold to me as a Aussie Yellow Finger Leather. I could very well be a type of Sinularia, but does not have the tree shape like the other two specimens that I keep in my tank. I got a Neon Green and a Pink Polyps\Green Stalk Sinularia.



I'm giving an example on how this leather reacted under different light. PC means Power Compacts.

What are you using for flow in your tank, champion6sigma?

power compacst...Ok

I'm using 2 MP40's. I'm running a ecotech vectra.

I'm actually now just having problem after problem, I think my green mandarin is dead, I have to find him if he is...in back of tank.

Two of my corals are showing whitish areas where polyps used to be....I suppose that is necrosis?

My two leathers do not show change. My clown has had whitish looking coloration, doesn't even seem external anymore...looks like he lost coloration...and gills are distended. I tried quarantining two of my clowns, a large one that I've had for years and a baby one I've had for weeks. The baby died under the ich x med I tried. The large is back in the DT. The green mandy may have died in last 2 days. I'm going to search for him now, do a 10 percent water right now. Maybe get water tested. Try to take pics of two dying corals (using less MP on DSLR). Start another thread. Quarantining was a nightmare. I bought IMO junk tank with junk parts and a fish died. Feel like the worst aquarium owner lately.

 

[champion6sigma]

OK. I retook pics of entire tank. I changed my DSLR to tiny size files. I'm going to start new thread in next 5 minutes requesting help with tank, diatoms, powerhead placement, coral help. My tank is not looking good I've been having problem after problem. Think I'll use the coral section for coral and maybe go to newbie section for others...

 

[champion6sigma]

Could u guys check out the thread I started

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2559598

I'll be running my test kits tomorrow and making new water this weekend. I've got some fresh pics I took today. If u could read from beginning and maybe see what's happened in last week or so. I'd like to get !y coral growing better while concurrently cutting down algae issues. Thank you