For those of you not already aware of the standard operating procedure:
A. If you have a problem with a coral, please provide enough information on it.
DO NOT POST something akin to "I got a coral the other day. It looks bad. What's wrong with it and what do I do?"
Please provide the following types of information as applicable:
- The type of coral - use scientfic names if possible.
- How long you have had the coral
- How long it has been having problems
- The rate at which the problem is occurring/spreading
- Any changes to the tank - equipment, additives, new livestock, etc.
- How long the tank has been set up
- size of the tank ( gallons or liters)
- nearby corals
Water quality:
- pH
- temperature
- salinity
- nitrate
- phosphate
- alkalinity
Tank information I care about:
Lighting - 2 x 65W PC or 400W MH is fine
Water flow - number of powerheads/pumps and the flow rate
What you add to your tank on a regular basis and how much
Tank information I don't care about:
The brand name of your skimmers, light bulbs, pumps, spectrum of your lights, if your tank is a bowfront, acrylic, starfire, etc.
A clear description of your problem.
- what it looks like - analogies are helpful.
- size of any lesions or areas
Try to use meaningful terms. Remember, you are there looking at it. I am trying to get a picture of it in my mind's eye.
This should suffice to begin with...it is likely I will ask more questions as the thread progresses.
B. If you are requesting an identification, please read the ID faqs at the top of the forum first, and/or read my articles at Reefkeeping.com. If this does not help, I am more than pleased to try an ID your coral. However, unless the coral is very distinct, I cannot tell you the species from a photograph. If you post a photo, try to get a shot of the whole colony and a close up. Generally, it makes it much easier to attempt to ID something if the coral is not expanded and the polyps are completely withdrawn. The color and the polyps are all but useless in identification of the vast majority of species - you can mention it, but please don;t use it as the primary information given.
Thanks.
A. If you have a problem with a coral, please provide enough information on it.
DO NOT POST something akin to "I got a coral the other day. It looks bad. What's wrong with it and what do I do?"
Please provide the following types of information as applicable:
- The type of coral - use scientfic names if possible.
- How long you have had the coral
- How long it has been having problems
- The rate at which the problem is occurring/spreading
- Any changes to the tank - equipment, additives, new livestock, etc.
- How long the tank has been set up
- size of the tank ( gallons or liters)
- nearby corals
Water quality:
- pH
- temperature
- salinity
- nitrate
- phosphate
- alkalinity
Tank information I care about:
Lighting - 2 x 65W PC or 400W MH is fine
Water flow - number of powerheads/pumps and the flow rate
What you add to your tank on a regular basis and how much
Tank information I don't care about:
The brand name of your skimmers, light bulbs, pumps, spectrum of your lights, if your tank is a bowfront, acrylic, starfire, etc.
A clear description of your problem.
- what it looks like - analogies are helpful.
- size of any lesions or areas
Try to use meaningful terms. Remember, you are there looking at it. I am trying to get a picture of it in my mind's eye.
This should suffice to begin with...it is likely I will ask more questions as the thread progresses.
B. If you are requesting an identification, please read the ID faqs at the top of the forum first, and/or read my articles at Reefkeeping.com. If this does not help, I am more than pleased to try an ID your coral. However, unless the coral is very distinct, I cannot tell you the species from a photograph. If you post a photo, try to get a shot of the whole colony and a close up. Generally, it makes it much easier to attempt to ID something if the coral is not expanded and the polyps are completely withdrawn. The color and the polyps are all but useless in identification of the vast majority of species - you can mention it, but please don;t use it as the primary information given.
Thanks.
