R2R LIVE SALE 3/5/22 SAT - Aqua SD 15th Year Anniversary LIVE SALE - Discounts, Games, Freebies, Fun!

[Tamberav]

Don't chase numbers when your corals look happy

 

[tbrown3589]

Don't make large changes too fast - it can kill fish, coral, bacteria, and your bank account!

 

[JoJosReef]

If you don't have a quarantine tank, buy quarantined fish. More $$, but less costly than a fallow tank.

 

[TeamAquaSD]

I cycle my new tanks by peeing in them.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Many here also purchased torch corals. Do I place them where I think they look good in the tank ?

For starters, If you have leather corals, this may be part of the issue. Many leather coral species produce and release toxic chemicals, called terpenes, into the water to protect themselves and to stunt the growth of other species. One of the biggest problems I have seen beginner hobbyists have is failing to account for the calcium demand for these corals. If there is insufficient calcium in your aquarium water, these corals will not be able to make their coral skeleton. You should also never lift a torch coral out of the water if you can avoid it. You could tear the polyps, and torn polyps are prone to infection followed by necrosis
Torch require typical parameters including:
Temperature around 78 degrees
Specific gravity of about 1.025
Ph of about 8.2-8.3
Calcium level of about 400 ppm.

Like most large polyp stony corals, torch coral benefit from moderate water flow. The polyps will remain retracted and under-inflated if the water current is too fast because the large flowing polyps are prone to rip and tear in high or ultra-high current environments.
The torch coral is a photosynthetic coral, meaning it has a relationship with symbiotic zooxanthellae (single-cell photosynthetic organisms) that live inside its tissues that converts the light energy into sugar. In exchange for a home inside the coral, the zooxanthellae split their harvest and feed the coral. Therefore, it is possible to keep the Torch coral without any feeding at all. However, all corals are animals, and animals are meant to eat.
The best placement for a torch coral is in a location that gets moderate water flow and moderate-intensity lighting. Torches are aggressive corals that protect themselves by wielding their sweeper tentacles maliciously. Sweeper tentacles are specialized tentacles that extend much larger than the typical tentacles and are equipped with stinging cells. Torches will send out these long tendrils to zap anything nearby within reach.

 

[tbrown3589]

Don't give your wife access to PayPal when there is a live sale going on - you might get nasty stares or yelled at!

 

[JoJosReef]

Try not to change things too much or too fast. Lesson learned from a lousy BTA that became very unhappy with my frequent changes on light and flow (trying to make the nem happy, ironically).

 

[tbrown3589]

You've never done that? Cheap, easy source of ammonia. It's also a great way to sterilize cuts in the woods.

 

[billyocean]

Good thing he's not asparagusfarmer

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I know it sounds out..but it worked. Tough part is when you lean back..figuring out the angle.

 

[JoJosReef]

Don't give up if you lose your corals or other tank inhabitants. Learn.

 

[Seamore2001]

I'm guessing because you're a masochist!

Heh. Was. I'm now a sadist whenever I see Xenia.

 

[ADAM]

Gets that ammonia spike kickstarted… eating some asparagus beforehand aids in the bacterial foundation too

 

[vetteguy53081]

And . . . some of you also purchased coniopora coral.
For a long time Goniopora were considered an impossible coral to keep. There were even discussions online about it being unethical to keep importing them because of their poor survivability. Goniopora are a photosynthetic coral so they derive some of their nutritional requirements from light. This is done through a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae that live in the flesh of the coral. The dinoflagellates are actually the photosynthetic organism and the Goniopora colony derives nutrients off of the byproducts of the dinoflagellates’ photosynthetic process. Zooxanthellae is usually brown in color and the coral tightly regulates the population living in its flesh. Too little light will cause the coral to turn brown in color.
I would not recommend blasting Goniopora with a lot of light. I don’t think there are a lot of advantages to doing so. If you start to see the coral starting to turn lighter and bleach out, it is likely the result of high lighting intensity. When in doubt, favor lower lighting intensities until it is clear that the coral is demanding more.
One mistake I think some reef keepers make is providing them too much flow. If you have a powerhead blowing right at Goniopora from short range, it may kill off some of the tissue at that point of contact and cause a chain reaction to the rest of the colony.
Goniopora appreciate low to medium flow, but preferably with some randomness to it. That way you will get that gentle waving motion which helps keep the coral clean and brings food past the colony. If you see the tentacles violently thrashing about, that is probably too much flow and it would benefit from being relocated to a more calm section of the tank.
Lack of food is a big issue with these coral and there are two types of food to provide Goniopora. The first is liquid amino acids. In short, they are simple organic compounds that play a major role in building proteins as well as other biological functions at the cellular level. Corals regularly take in available amino acids from the water column so it is easy to provide them with adequate quantities by broadcast feeding an amino acid solution.
The second type of food I like are dry powdered plankton. There are several different types on the market.
The general consensus with these is to keep Phosphate levels around .05 ppm and Nitrate levels between 10-20 ppm. This is a safe zone that not too many people will dispute. If you need a recommendation there you go.

 

[Manose]

I learned to not chase numbers and never look for an easy fix to complex problems like algae.
Slow and steady wins the race and use common sense based on proven scientific facts.

 

[tbrown3589]

I know it sounds out..but it worked. Tough part is when you lean back..figuring out the angle.

Never have your wife stand behind the tank, she gets mad. Also, don't let your son see you do it - it creates bad habits and you don't want it once you have coral and fish in the tank...

 

[JcxViper1]

Always have a backup temp sensor on your heater to turn it off if your heater fails on.

 

[ADAM]

ONE PIECE OF ADVISE!!!

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

And . . . some of you also purchased coniopora coral.
For a long time Goniopora were considered an impossible coral to keep. There were even discussions online about it being unethical to keep importing them because of their poor survivability. Goniopora are a photosynthetic coral so they derive some of their nutritional requirements from light. This is done through a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae that live in the flesh of the coral. The dinoflagellates are actually the photosynthetic organism and the Goniopora colony derives nutrients off of the byproducts of the dinoflagellates’ photosynthetic process. Zooxanthellae is usually brown in color and the coral tightly regulates the population living in its flesh. Too little light will cause the coral to turn brown in color.
I would not recommend blasting Goniopora with a lot of light. I don’t think there are a lot of advantages to doing so. If you start to see the coral starting to turn lighter and bleach out, it is likely the result of high lighting intensity. When in doubt, favor lower lighting intensities until it is clear that the coral is demanding more.
One mistake I think some reef keepers make is providing them too much flow. If you have a powerhead blowing right at Goniopora from short range, it may kill off some of the tissue at that point of contact and cause a chain reaction to the rest of the colony.
Goniopora appreciate low to medium flow, but preferably with some randomness to it. That way you will get that gentle waving motion which helps keep the coral clean and brings food past the colony. If you see the tentacles violently thrashing about, that is probably too much flow and it would benefit from being relocated to a more calm section of the tank.
Lack of food is a big issue with these coral and there are two types of food to provide Goniopora. The first is liquid amino acids. In short, they are simple organic compounds that play a major role in building proteins as well as other biological functions at the cellular level. Corals regularly take in available amino acids from the water column so it is easy to provide them with adequate quantities by broadcast feeding an amino acid solution.
The second type of food I like are dry powdered plankton. There are several different types on the market.
The general consensus with these is to keep Phosphate levels around .05 ppm and Nitrate levels between 10-20 ppm. This is a safe zone that not too many people will dispute. If you need a recommendation there you go.

Gonis are my kryptonite. bought one in the last AquaSD sale...just shrivelled up. I avoid them like the plague now.

 

[JoJosReef]

Get a pair of clowns. They are great no matter what.