Thinking about sawing my Elegant Coral .. Questions

Crimthann

Crimthann

New member
I bought an elegant coral about a week ago that looked great in the store. (I've been watching it in the store for about a month). So i bring it home and it's good for a few days and then closed up (first picture below). I'm positive it's the location of the coral. After taking the below pictures i just kinda rested the coral against the glass on the bottom of the tank and now it's almost fully open only 5 min later. The problem i have is that the shape of the elegant coral is a triangle and it can not rest on the sand correctly. I'm thinking i can saw the coral with my rotary saw the way i marked it with the black line on the 2nd and 3rd pictures. Problem is I'm not exactly sure how far down into the rock the coral goes vs how much is just dead coral that i can cut off without hurting it. I'd appreciate any help you can give me regarding this.

Thanks!

Way it's looked for the last few 2-3 days
<img src="http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/Crimthann/elegant.jpg?t=1168302524">

Planned cut from the front
<img src="http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/Crimthann/elegantcut.jpg?t=1168302580">

Planned cut from the side
<img src="http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/Crimthann/elegantcut2.jpg?t=1168302608">
 
If you saw that base, you will create a hole that will admit detritus and bristleworms up into the base. Now, this is not totally bad: I have a mangled-up fox coral that came this way, and it was full of 'hitchhikers' and on its way out. Its center died. I finally sliced it in half [in the dead area] and tried many arrangements until I puttied the two halves together and created a 'community' of the two pieces. This worked for this coral....HOWEVER...if I actually had a living elegance [you surely know how rare these are getting] I wouldn't saw the base. I'd putty it against a stable rock so I could set it on the bottom, as you say. Create a base for it without sawing, and I think it will stand a better chance.
 
That's kinda the problem. I know it's hard to find ones that don't die real quickly, so i was kind of shocked when it survived in my LFS. I know 100% of why it's not doing great in my tank is the location. There suppose to be on the sand on the bottom of the tank. Here's a picture of what it looks like now that i moved it.

It has started to open back up already and it's only been a half hour or so.
<img src="http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/Crimthann/Elegant2.jpg?t=1168304873">

It's not a good idea to rest it on the glass like it is, besides you cant see it :), so i figured it'd be easier to cut it& rest it on the sand. I don't want to kill it which is why i wanted to grab some opinions.
 
Incase anyone's interested Eric Borneman figured the tissue for the coral went down to about the blue lines in his picture here :

<img src="http://forum.marinedepot.com/Attachment1243.aspx">

So per his suggestion i relocated the coral and kinda pushed it into the sand so it looks like this :

<img src="http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/Crimthann/Elegant3.jpg?t=1168307798">

Lemme know what you guys think :)
 
I would leave it in the sandbed as in the last pic. I have elegances on both sand and on rock, sand is a much more natural position. Try to spot feed it bits of meaty food to entice it to open and maintain health.

Mark
 
Leave it alone. I don't think it is the location, but a mystery ailment that has affected elegance corals for the last ten years. Nobody knows what causes it or how to cure it. You will be lucky to keep it alive anyway. You don't need to stress it any more than it already is being it is brand new. To also risk tearing the coral and introducing an infection.
 
Mine is shaped exactly like yours and mine has done wonderfully stuck into the sand bed. I would say that the point is into the sand about 1" or a bit more. Here's mine in the sand.

IMG_6785.jpg


I did TONS of reading before I got this coral and I'm still crossing my fingers it will continue to flourish. I have not moved or touched mine since initially placing it in it's current position. More fiddling = more stress.

Best wishes -
Clownchic
 
We are getting mari cultured ones in the uk now come with papers ;)
and all of them are doing very well, stunnings colours and eat well
mine is under 150 watt halides 14000k .:D
Elegancetoday22.jpg
 
Great looking corals Clownchick & wizard! I'm glad i didn't end up cutting mine as it looks very happy where it's at now. Hopefully it'll stay like that for a long long time :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8946064#post8946064 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Crimthann
Great looking corals Clownchick & wizard! I'm glad i didn't end up cutting mine as it looks very happy where it's at now. Hopefully it'll stay like that for a long long time :)
Click to expand...

I am glad to hear that!
 
I like my cat so much i just had to get him a kitten :lmao: :jester:
little one on the right been in the tank about two hours when i took the picture.
Thecatcomeshome.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8943356#post8943356 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Grand Wizard
We are getting mari cultured ones in the uk now come with papers ;)
and all of them are doing very well, stunnings colours and eat well
mine is under 150 watt halides 14000k .:D

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love as much info on these as possible. I just lost one last week from the "affliction" and I don't think I would trust one from the lfs again. But, who knows, maybe sometime in the future the ones you spoke of would be the only viable option. Any idea if those are fragged?
Click to expand...
 
Grand Wizard, I've also just picked one up which looks exactly the same as yours. my LFS ( Aquaworld) got it from TMC and I was told the same thing - maricultured. It was expensive but I've not seen one in a long time so couldn't resist.
 
I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love as much info on these as possible. I just lost one last week from the "affliction" and I don't think I would trust one from the lfs again. But, who knows, maybe sometime in the future the ones you spoke of would be the only viable option. Any idea if those are fragged? [/B][/QUOTE] These are now been farmed, in about 6 foot of water, these are slowly trickling into the uk, i think cites has relaxed for about 6 months or so, all of the ones iv seen are all stunning colours. They all seem to like a nice gentle flow and they all accept mussel, cockle, silversides etc. Were all excited as we have been unable to get them for about 5 years now. ;) :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8961711#post8961711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LesMartin
Grand Wizard, I've also just picked one up which looks exactly the same as yours. my LFS ( Aquaworld) got it from TMC and I was told the same thing - maricultured. It was expensive but I've not seen one in a long time so couldn't resist.
Click to expand...
Hi Les i knew Andy had them in at aquaworld, as my mate uses the shop all the time. TMC are getting quite a few in and will do so until Easter, maybe longer. Put a picture up of yours Les.
 
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