receiving carnation corals, need help

[wingman200]

Hi everyone!,
I own a 300g Volume mixed reef tank..and just recently started adding soft corals..Ive always wanted carnation corals because of their stunning colors, so I purchased 2 of them to be delivered tomorrow (about 4 inches ea)..My tank is 8 feet long with 250w halides covering the middle 4 feet, a 150 w hailide covering the first 2 feet and no lights over the last 2 feet. (it kinda has a nice fade going on)..I have multiple power heads running plus 4 return lines being alternated by a flow switch..Any suggestions on lighting, water flow, food, salinity, temp, placement etc will be very helpful because Ive never had any soft corals before except 1 gargonian and a small toadstool...thanks everyone!

 

[oldreefer76]

The Carnation is a non photosynthetic coral and should only be kept by experts as they require non stop feeding, in fact they should be just left in the ocean as there is no proven way to keep them alive in our systems even the experts struggle with them

 

[wingman200]

ok..dam..sorry i asked

 

[rowjimmy]

wingman...the name "Carnation Coral" is a common general name given to a few soft corals. What colors did you get? Do you know the specific genus name of the corals you purchased?

If it is in fact Dendronepthya then I'm sorry to say oldreefer was pretty much correct on this one. If that's the case post your question in the Non-Photosynthetic Corals forum. A few people have had some/limited success with this coral, and could probably give you better advice. But the track record on these corals surviving long term in captivity are pretty dismal unfortunately.

If what you bought was Stereonepthya (also commonly called "Carnation Coral") then that is good news cause these corals are semi-photosynthetic and alot easier to keep. I keep a few in my tank, and they do well for me.

 

[snorvich]

The Carnation is a non photosynthetic coral and should only be kept by experts as they require non stop feeding, in fact they should be just left in the ocean as there is no proven way to keep them alive in our systems even the experts struggle with them

Exactly. They are gorgeous but require a constant feed system.

 

[wingman200]

thanks for the help "rowjimmy"!!..Ill find out the exact genus and get back to you..i did google both names you talked about and my 2 carnations look almost exactly like the pics for the Stereonepthya coral..but i dont know for sure yet..The colors are yellow on one and red on the other..I wasent told of the extreme difficulty for Dendronepthya carnations..I do have great success with all types of corals however, and i do hatch my own baby brine shrimp..So if it is that type of coral hopefully i can keep it happy for as long as possible..thanks again