My New Corals...

[ady]

Hi Bros...!!!

I just gotten some corals, algae plant from Ah Beng's/ Aunty's shop

(Pasir Ris Farmway) today. 1st thing 1st... they looked good...

Question...

Pls help me identify this corals..

2 of them actually...

Both left side of my Zoos.

Is it normal as both my leather corals are like... DEAD...now?

When I bought them at the fish farm earlier today, they looked great.

I went home straight after the farm visit.

Now they looked like this.. <pic below>

The long ones are limp to one side and my leather corals, all the tentacles are not showing...

I have fed them together with my other corals, 5-in-1 coral food (with rotifiers)

and on the lights (Blue 13000K) at least 10hrs already.

they still looked like this.Pls help me to find a solution to my problem....

Thanks in advance bros out there...

[ady]

Another pic blue lights with camera flash...

Can you see how smooth my leather coals have become....?

[sonicfrank]

If I'm not wrong is call Nephthea Coral, Nephthea sp., It is a coral that will do fine with medium lighting(under white light more than 3-4hrs), can be placed at any level of the aquarium, and should do fine with a medium water flow. Also known as Water Coral, Nephthea colors vary in the flesh tone ranges from soft pink to beige. Its appearance is often noted for resembling a stalk of broccoli or cauliflower. As it grows, it may encroach upon and damage other corals with which in comes in contact. It will benefit from feedings of any supplement designed for filter feeders. Iodine and strontium will help ensure its continued health.

for ur leather give some time see how.. might be changing skin..

[ady]

Hi Bro SonicFrank...

I am using blue light (13000K)...

Is it ok for the growth of th Water coral?

By the way...

Thanks for the advise...

Appreciate that...

[iantoh]

Dear Ady,

i think the spectrum of your lightings may not be the sole contributor to your limp corals. could you share with us the flow conditions within your tank? soft corals need good flow (in fact all corals do) to respirate, as well as to remove their excretions as well as to bring food. sometimes, just shifting your coral within the tank to a region with better flow helps.

the first pic you posted looks terribly blue. are you solely running a blue bulb, and also, what type of bulb and wattage are you using? i think its a bad example for some LFS to run purely actinic bulbs to showcase the florescence of some corals without thinking of their photosynthetic needs, which at the same time suggests to would be reefers that blue light alone is sufficient. in fact, i was a victim to this when i first bought an anemone like five years ago. the LFS told me blue lights gao liao, and of course, it prompt wasted away. if this isnt the issue though, then the only thing left would be water conditions.

i would usually put water condition first, but seeing as your fish and caulerpa taxifolia (the green macroalgae) looks fine, im assuming that it should be good enough for the sarcophyton sp (leather coral you have), as well as for the nepthea sp (cauliflower coral).

tell us more about your system bro?

cheers

[johntanjm]

damsels and SF tang not very indicative of water conditions.

corals can sustain for a while without light. imagine in nature when there's thunderstorm. overcast skies for days.

most imptly the basics for marine life sustainence:

1. salinity 1.020-1.023

2. pH 8.0-8.3

3. dKh 8-12

then you gotta think if anything is poisoning ur corals

1. NO2

2. excessive NO3

cheers!

[ady]

Yo Bro iantoh and johntanjm,

My tubeworms, mushrooms, Zoos, leather coral seems to be doing fine now

sinced I've converted to only blue light. Infact, they seems to be blooming sinced I've used only blue light (Coral Blue, 30watt, , colour temp of 13000K) instead of using PL Lights (consists of white and blue bulb). My PL Lights breaks down on me a few days back. Sigh... $$$ to be spent again...

Temp maintains at 30 degrees Celcius in this hot weather nowadays.

But the thing is that my cauliflower coral is still limping. No improvement sinced

yesterday. Heard around is that if the cauliflower coral still limps after 2 to 3 days, better to remove it from the tank as it will/ might cause water problems. Is it true?

Is my cauliflower coral "dead"?

The main question in my head is that, how do we know whether the corals are dead or alive? <<this is just for my infos, bro... he he he... Me curious...>>

As for the location of my cauliflower coral, I have put stlightly below one of the the water diffuser (I'm using Eheim 2217, 2 sets, meaning 2 inlets and 2 outlets, and a Jebao protein skimmer). The tentacles of the cauliflower coral is swaying allright but still limping...

As for the Salinity, maintainns at 1.023 to 1.024 always... and as for the pH ,dKh, NO2 and excessive NO3, sorry, I really have no idea what are those, bro...

Sorry, I'm still a beginner here....

Apologies...

[jacobus]

cauliflowers are not easy bro... but good flow... and coral food supplied.. it should be ok... maybe the flow in its area not as good.. btw good flow is not really defined by strong water movement ... its more like.... the current anyhow anhow .... like umm for example ... u stand in one position u can feel the wind blowing from everywhere .... instead of feel the wind coming from one side... hope this helps!

btw ur cauliflower limp nvm... got poylp come out and never shrink and stay shrunk for a few days then ok... if it shrinks and refuses to open for too long then not good..

[johntanjm]

you need to buy test kits to test the water. pH and dKH and NO2 being ur most basic

pH = acidity must be kept between 8.0-8.3 so tank water is alkaline

dkH = carbondate hardness, keeping it between 8-12 help to stablise your pH.

NO2 is nitrite and is poisonous

if they rot away, like break into bits and erode away means dead lar. how to say also. haha

goodluck

[ady]

Ok....

Bro johntanjm...

By the way, any rough estimation how much the test kits would costs?

Kinda on a tight budget nowadys, 2nd baby coming... he he he...

As for Bro jacobus,

Your advise is kinda confusing but makes sence...

I'll try to put it where water movements are "everywhere"...

Thanks...

By the way, as I've mentioned earlier, how to tell a dead coral and a alive one?

Regards

Ady

[sonicfrank]

http://wetwebmedia.com/nephtheids.htm

hope its help yu alots..

[johntanjm]

take the chance to promote, I've got Salifert dKH, ammonia and nitrite test kits. all going for $58 bucks. totally brand new expire in 2008. original price for all three should be around $72.

anywya there are other brands lar. i think Tetra is quite simple to use. I'd recommend that.

water parameters like pH dKH NO2 are invisible to our eyes. so defintely must spend one. cannot avoid.

the coral ah die or not ah? take it up and smell? if it smells bad means something wrong. if no smell means good?

--------------------------------------------------------

The Deep Blue Sea in my HDB

http://myfishyroomates.blogspot.com

[jacobus]

one confirm sign that its dead is when u touch it... whole thing start to dissolve ... but tt one too late liao ... must do alot of water change ... tts what happen when i was a cauliflower noob... haha..

[Dazza]

I think it cud still be suffering from acllimatisation shock.... gv it some time in a low light area n dont disturb it..... if its ok, within a couple of day shd recover

[iantoh]

bro ady,

hello. first things first. your lightings, 30w of blue lights will not be sufficient for the photosynthetic requirements of your autotrophic corals. it may seem adequate for viewing purposes, but for photosynthesis, is insufficient. Please do try to raise your lighting output.

what is your tank size? is it a standard 2 footer? perhaps you can aim for the mnimum of 2 x HO-T5 24w tubes, and opt for at least one white (6500k to 11000k) tube. If you prefer normal t8 flourescent tubes as their fixtures are cheaper, go for the arcadia tubes and use 4 of these tubes.

you dont seem to be keeping any calcifying corals, and i doubt coralline algae is taking off yet, so alkalinity (measured by dkh or meq/l) and calcium (measured in ppm) levels are not crucial at the moment. its important to maintain optimum levels for these two parameters, because aragonite is formed through the use of both alkalinity and calcium for coralline algae and calcifying corals, but for now, i think measuring your nitrites and nitrates is more important. they could be causing your coral limpness issue.

also, coming back to your lights. believe me, the blue lights will not provide sufficient light for your corals to photosynthesis, especially with a normal output bulb. i dont particularly like bringing bad news, but im afraid you might have to fork out more for better lights.

hope that helps,

cheers,

ian

[ady]

Ok thanks for all the advises Bro..!!

Thanks... really appreciate them...

[Morpheous]

I was told by a reputable lfs that when he does diving, cauliflowers are actually found under-hang on rocks, instead of standing upright in our aquarium. Other that mantaining parameters, are we against the nature of growth?

Probably the more experience cauliflower keepers could share, since mine is only hearsay, and i have never kept them before.... hehe...

[ady]

I have finally added white lamp in addition to my existing blue coral light.

The end results are superb. The cauliflowers, well I have to thro away. It is giving me the creeps as when I touched it, it started to "dissolve" slightly.

Did some water change after that. Here is my pics of my updated tank.

By the way, my "round, bubble" (I don't know the name of that algae) is startling to bloom some yellow "flowers" I think...

[ady]

Another pic...

[ady]

3/4 tank pic...

[ady]

Hey found an old pic of my marine tank abt 1 year ago... Looks pethatic...

Kinda many things have changed over the 1 year period.... Remember, the Damsel Guy.... It's me...!! Ha ha ha...!!