Long Tentacle Plate - Should I?

[forddna]

My LFS has an awesome long tentacle plate. What is the success rate with these? How best can I keep it alive? Any info on these would be greatly appreciated.

 

[chrissreef]

just look under the skeleton... if there's no recession, it's healthy.

place on bottom in medium current/light

 

[RicksReefs]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2003/invert.htm

 

[PJD]

Heliofungias are tough. Make sure nothing falls on them and they don't get to much flow. You don't want them to ever get their tissue pierced/broken. If that happens they deflete and are usually goners IMO.

 

[forddna]

I have a spot in the front corner and then along the side that is wide open. How large do they get? This one is probably 8-9" long and 5" wide...how much room should I give it for future growth?

I only have 25x water turnover and only 3 x 250w MHs over a 30" tall tank, so I'm pretty "moderate" I think.

 

[forddna]

Rick, thank you for the link!

Here's a link to a post with a video of it. I'm have to fight people off with sticks to get it. LOL

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1436348

..and here's a pic I took with my phone.

 

[PJD]

Beautiful specimen. I have actually heard of them blowing up so fat, that they would actually move across the tank. Rather slowly, but they would still move. I wounder if this had more to do with the amount of flow in the tank, or the coral wanting to move?

 

[RicksReefs]

yup, fungia and heliofungia (among others) can readily walk about the tank and most sand dwelling LPS corals can at least inflate to rid themselves of sand, flip themselves over, and/or dig themselves out of the sand in nature.

 

[forddna]

So if I decide to get it, how should I prepare my tank for it?

 

[kramgnik]

Hi,
Keep him on soft sandy bottom of the tank, with few things around it that it could tear itself on. Keep in low/ md flow like others said and under md/hg light. Make sure to feed him meaty foods often such as shrimp or squid. They are rather difficult to keep for extended periods of time. Be sure to keep some coral dip (iodine based) on hand in case he gets damaged as they can go down hill quickly. Good luck!

 

[kramgnik]

Also being that it is so large inspect it very carefully as they are easily damaged in shipping bc their skeletal septae cut their own flesh. Bc he is so large it probably made handling without damage difficult.

 

[forddna]

I've decided to pass on it. I don't have the heart to lose a $100 piece.