Plate?

[GATECRASHER]

i dunno if the term is correct cos the lfs told me that this flat looking coral is called a plate. it's flat and round and got a bit of green. looks like a giant mushroom.

the lfs told me that i only need to feed it with dead market prawn cutets that all and nothing else. no need any iodine or trace elements. issit true? cos I'm thinking of going corals but dont want to spend too much cos not experienced enough yet wor

[Tanzy]

Plate is a widely used common name on corals that are shaped like a plate. The common ones are Fungiids and Heliofungia actiniformis assuming you are referring to the ones that live on the sand bed. Fungiids are easy to keep and grow well if given sufficient light and kept well fed but they can be very aggressive to other corals and they produce copious amount of mucous. Heliofungia actiniformis a.k.a. tentacled plate is more sensitive than Fungia sp. so it should be avoided if you are just starting out but the requirements are the same. Good water quality with preferably undectable nitrates and high calcium and alkalinity with sufficient light and food.

[bwilly]

need light. those greenie if u notice, they expand when u onz

the light. I got one plate coral. they will also feed onz prawns.

I have so far only fed mine once. (accidentally drop something

on its tentacles)

With good light, it will self-produce the food it need.

(ya, I also dose my tank with planktons too)

[FuEl]

Plate coral one of the easiest hard corals to keep. But they still need good water conditions like all corals do. They are not that fussy over water temperature that much as compared to other hard corals. Take note that they are strong stingers and they require a moderate-high light intensity.

[GATECRASHER]

Plate is a widely used common name on corals that are shaped like a plate. The common ones are Fungiids and Heliofungia actiniformis assuming you are referring to the ones that live on the sand bed. Fungiids are easy to keep and grow well if given sufficient light and kept well fed but they can be very aggressive to other corals and they produce copious amount of mucous. Heliofungia actiniformis a.k.a. tentacled plate is more sensitive than Fungia sp. so it should be avoided if you are just starting out but the requirements are the same. Good water quality with preferably undectable nitrates and high calcium and alkalinity with sufficient light and food.

why do corals such as plates need calcium? what is the purpose of iodine?

Fuel say they are stingers so cannot use our hand to tough it issit?

[bwilly]

why do corals such as plates need calcium? what is the purpose of iodine?

Fuel say they are stingers so cannot use our hand to tough it issit?

calcium helps build bones in human mah..

hard coral also need them. so u dun dose

they cannot tahan..

it won't sting u. but will expand (veri big) n sting

other corals lah. most corals dun sting

human. (actually we won't feel anytik)

[GATECRASHER]

calcium helps build bones in human mah..

hard coral also need them. so u dun dose

they cannot tahan..

it won't sting u. but will expand (veri big) n sting

other corals lah. most corals dun sting

human. (actually we won't feel anytik)

ok.

if i am going to start to rear corals in my fowlr tank, may i ask what items do i need to buy? cos very confusing lar

[FuEl]

Keep Fungia.sp. Those with long green tentacles with white tips..I find those easier to keep. Just take note that they can expand their tissues with water and move across your substrate. So if you want to prevent them from moving and stinging other corals it is best to form some sort of barrier using rockwork.

[Tanzy]

Iodine's role in the aquariun is not well defined and if you do intend to dose, it's recommended to get a test kit for it as iodine is dangerous if overdosed.

Calcium carbonate is what makes up a hard coral skeleton. The coral absorbs calcium from the water so it is recommended to keep the calcium level in the water above 380 ppm. They will also need carbonates to go with the calcium and that is measured by alkalinity and the norm is >8 dKH.

[GATECRASHER]

Iodine's role in the aquariun is not well defined and if you do intend to dose, it's recommended to get a test kit for it as iodine is dangerous if overdosed.

Calcium carbonate is what makes up a hard coral skeleton. The coral absorbs calcium from the water so it is recommended to keep the calcium level in the water above 380 ppm. They will also need carbonates to go with the calcium and that is measured by alkalinity and the norm is >8 dKH.

you mentioned ' if i intend to dose' .hmm does it mean is not a necessity? cos if not, no need lar. save money.

so i need calcium and a calcium tester i suppose. what about errr anything else i need to buy?

[Tanzy]

I never dose iodine and a lot of other stuff.

You need an alkalinity test kit too. Get Salifert because other brands are quite inaccurate as indicated by bad experiences from many other reefers.

[FuEl]

I have a bottle of Seachem's Reef Iodide. Concentrated to 8,000mg/l

The bottle is 250ml...meaning it actually contains 2000 mg of iodide. Iodine levels in seawater is naturally around 0.06mg/l

Now..just imagine how long will it be before I actually finish the bottle? I only dose it once every fortnight-3weeks? Used it for 2 years already and it's still more than 9/10 full.

[GATECRASHER]

ok iodine is optional but I better get cos kiasu

calcium n calcium tester plus PH tester.

if maintain PH at 8.2 is ok liao issit? cos my marine test kit oredi got PH tester. do i need alkalinity tester? issit the same or not?

[Tanzy]

pH is pH, alkalinity is alkalinity. pH is not crucial if your dKH (alkalinity) is >10.

[GATECRASHER]

pH is pH, alkalinity is alkalinity. pH is not crucial if your dKH (alkalinity) is >10.

i got DKH tester. 1st drop blue then drop until turn yellow. 14 drops. so dkh is 14 . is this an alkalinity test kit? if i rear corals, how often do i need to test the alkalinity?

[Tanzy]

It depends on what if you maintenance schedule like. In the beginning it's maybe once every two days and it get less and less as the tank settles down and you carry out routine and regular addition of supplements it becomes maybe once a month. When you are really experienced you can tell the water condition by looking at the tank inhabitants.

[GATECRASHER]

thanks dude

[FuEl]

Wow...14... ...better than mine at least...my utterly useless sera test kit gave me a reading of 5 dKH...even for newly mixed saltwater...think must save up for salifert.

[SpiderOne]

FuEL dude..

They are one of the more delicate LPS . compared to many many others LPS.

Fungia.sp are the short tentacled ones. commonly called disk coral. the one u are talking about is heliofungia sp.

Iodide dosage. Read the instructions on the bottle.9/10 after 2 years .. u going wrong somewhere

They dont walk. they more of float around. a rock barrier would be useless as it can and will float above it if it really wants to go somewhere bad (?). i seen mine float from sandbed to halfway up my reef wall before

There are many kinds not just green with white tips. got brown,pink etc.

[FuEl]

Oh..hehe...got confused between the two...what I meant was that heliofungia.sp easier to keep.

9/10 after 2 years...cause I don't dare to overdose...every 2-3 weeks add 0.5ml only. 1 ml will already raise iodine conc. in my tank by 0.04mg/l. Natural seawater has a conc. of 0.06mg/l. I don't know what is the lethal dosage. And I don't want to find out. And I have no idea how much iodine is taken up by my corals and other inverts. So I just play on the safe side lah...0.5ml every 2-3 weeks for my 180 litre tank.

[SpiderOne]

thats what i was about to ask u man..Iodide does not hang around in the tank and accumulate,it declines rapidly due to utilization and chemical depletion. go read the instructions on your bottle ! and get an iodide test kit :

. dose 2ml everyday and test water 8 hours after dosing. adjust until its 0.06-0.08mg/l .