Plate Coral!

[madamo]

I just bought a plate coral (cant tell if it is a long tenticle or short tenticle yet because it is really small). My LFS sold it for $5 and I couldn't resist knowing how much they cost with other sites.


Is there any particulars in terms of care and feeding. I know they like phyto with the addition of mysis hand fed to them.

Additionally, are there any experiences (whether good or bad).

Thanks

 

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Spot feed it with mysis or other small meaty bits. Can you get us a pic for ID purposes?!

 

[Der_Iron_Chef]

BTW....$5 is ridiculously cheap.

 

[madamo]

Yeah, I know!

 

[weaselslucks]

not to steal the thread but what are plates lighting needs?

 

[madamo]

From what I read, they need moderate lighting. Additionally, they need to be feed mysis (or something similar) as well as phyto.

 

[Jefe12234]

Stony corals typically do not feed on phytoplankton and I have never heard of plate corals being an exception. I would stick with the mysis and various other meaty foods. Phytoplankton is probably a waste of money unless you're feeding it for other purposes as well. My Fungia do well under bright light (at the bottom of a 20" tank lit by a 250w 10k MH), but I have never kept them under lesser light since I read that they prefer bright light.

 

[mvite]

Phyto is one of those things that isn't advertised very thoroughly--and people buy it up.

Phyto usually feeds the things that feed your coral. For instance, phyto will feed a rotifer that may get snagged by a tentacle here or there.

For my LPS "plates" I usually tease them by pouring some defrosted mysis juice in the tank when the lights are off---the mouths will kinda swell---and you can drop a mysis on them and CHOMP CHOMP...turn off your pumps so that the shrimp doesn't blow all over. They don't need to be fed a lot--or often.

$5 is a great deal!!!

 

[Opcn]

Phyto's benefit is indirect, by augmenting the bottom of the food chain it feeds all of the critters that your critters eat naturally, thats why a lot of serious reefers run phyto reactors. At the very least its more copepods for your fish and shrimp (anything red eats copepods as a general rule) which means less competition for the food you feed directly to your LPS.

 

[Der_Iron_Chef]

The more you feed it, the faster it will grow. In my experience. It will also start to extend its tentacles and expand more.

 

[Qckwzrd]

$5? Can't wait to see a pic of it. I feed my short tentacle plate mysis and chopped squid. From time to time I'll chop up fresh shrimp chunks and give it. All my LPS eats the same things...mysis, fresh chopped shrimp, cyclops and squid. I have my plate in a 15 gallon with 130 W PCs

 

[seapug]

let's here it for the $5 plate corals! here's one I picked up for $5 back when it was receded and half covered in algae. A few months of strong light, low current and mysis feedings brought it back to glory. Strange how these guys end up on the clearance shelves all the time-- one of the easier corals I've ever owned.

 

[BLockamon]

I've heard some rumblings that the idea of hard corals not injesting phytoplankton might be incorrect. I can't remember where, but I read a short article mentioning that hard coral tissue contained more phyto than would be accounted for by accidental capture. My initial though was that it might be residual phyto from "gut loading", but it is interesting.

 

[Thunder1ips]

Just stick with feeding the meaty foods mysis is good but my plates really open really good on some good old cyclop-eeze freezed dried, frozen, but I think the flakes are the best.

 

[mvite]

How do you use the flakes? Wet them?

 

[Qckwzrd]

Seapug...nice lookin plate

 

[madamo]

Qckwzrd...what type of plate coral is that and what type of lighting do you provide it. (I have that)

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Qckwzrd]

All I knw is that its a short tentacle. The pic is with my actinics on at night. I have 65 10,000k and 65 actinic on a 15 nano

 

[weaselslucks]

so in my 40 with 15ow pc lights would one do ok?

 

[seapug]

150 W over a 40 gal would probably be okay. Just make sure it's not off to the side or under an overhang. Keep in mind, they are capable of moving inches/day if they don't like where they are and will sting other corals, so give it some space until it's settled in.