HARDIEST corals?

[MandarinFish]

Well, I have a white bubble coral that's tough as nails. So I got a MUCH larger green bubble, was careful to acclimate it, and now it looks dead.



Sometimes this hobby kinda sucks. I really, really hate losing animals.

My white bubble has even grown since the green was introduced.

And yes, my green bubble was kept at a safe distance from all other corals.

So.... I am once again left asking what are the HARDIEST corals? I have a sinularia that does well, in addition to the white bubble, shrooms, brown and yellow polyps.

What else is a really hardy coral (other than Xenia, which I am about to get...)?

 

[Anonymous]

I have had good luck with Montipora sp. in my relatively new tank, even when they have been injured or broken from a fall they recover fast and grow quickly. So if you want to try an sps that is one choice.

I just bought a green bubble as well, so far it is expanding well and looks great, how long was yours placed before it declined? Hopefully they aren't all that touchy...

 

[Anonymous]

Soft corals release chemicals into the water that injure hard corals. In a closed system softies can decimate hard corals from oposite ends of the tank. Carbon and protien skimming can aid in removing the chemicals.

 

[john f]

"What else is a really hardy coral (other than Xenia, which I am about to get...)?"

You may be disappointed there.
Xenia can grow fast as weeds when happy, however......................they can die back just as fast.
Still, get some tank raised pieces and give it a try.

IMHO..............Turbinara are the most hardy hard corals, and lobophytum the hardiest soft corals.....followed closely by sarcophyton sp.

I have a T. peltata and T. reniformis that survived a whole tank wipeout due to a pump failure while I was out of town.
The T. peltata I have had for about 10 years and it has been to hell and back.
I lost all of the fish in the wipeout and 99% of my corals.
The ones that survived I consider extremely tough customers.
They are:
T.peltata, T.reniformis, Montastrea cavernosa, lobophtum sp.,mushrooms, yellow porites, and Dichocoenia stokesii.



John

 

[fishfarmer]

Anthelia glauca, high light, low light, I can't kill it, neither can my LFS. My xenia withers away in their low light display tanks while anthelia will hold on for months. It's a weed you probably don't want in your tank.

 

[MandarinFish]

Montipora are very attractive corals. I don't have a calcium reactor and don't really even measure my calcium, although I do add B-Ionic from time to time.

When I top off with RO/DI water, the spot where it hits the tank sends out shimmering clouds of calcium, so I think I've got a lot in there still.

I mostly have soft corals anyway, except my white bubble which is doing well.

Some of your suggestions are very colorful, attractive corals. I hope I can find them as tank-raised frags.

 

[2poor2reef]

I think we sometimes fail to consider how a coral was treated prior to getting to our systems. We may acclimate very carefully and still lose corals, especially wild-collected stonies. Who knows under what conditions a wild-collected coral has been gathered, stored (several times most likely) and transported. That's one reason why captive propagated specimens seem to be so much hardier than the identical wild-collected species.

 

[SPC]

Posted by Mandarin Fish:
and don't really even measure my calcium,

-My suggestion would be to measure your calc and alk and get them to excepted ranges before you consider buying another coral.
Steve

 

[MandarinFish]

I check Ph and have put a lot of B-Ionic in.

I stay away from most stonies because I don't have a reactor.

I do have a ton of calcium in my tank though. Of that I am certain.

Agreed Steve. I have such a healthy little white bubble that I figured the big green bubble would do really well also.

 

[Tybond]

When I top off with RO/DI water, the spot where it hits the tank sends out shimmering clouds of calcium, so I think I've got a lot in there still.

Huh?

Sure thats not salt creep :lol:

I check Ph and have put a lot of B-Ionic in

I have dosed 1/2 oz b-ionic everyday in my 55 for the past 7 months and my calcium hovers at 420. 3 days of forgetfullnes equaled 320 and my tanks not near fully stocked yet.

If you dumped a bottle of the stuff in there like it sounds, that will explain the shimmering cloud of calcium. if this is the case please disregard the "Huh?" and insert " 8O "

Plesae don't take this as a flame, I just hope you didn't accidently miss dose.

ty

 

[danmhippo]

When I top off with RO/DI water, the spot where it hits the tank sends out shimmering clouds of calcium, so I think I've got a lot in there still.

You are not referring to the "cloud" when freshwater mixes in with saltwater, are you? How do you know it's calcium you are seeing?

 

[Anonymous]

Hey man, i bought a purple blade gorgonia from Premium Aquatics. I wish now that I'd bought 2 or 3 of them. Their hardy and add some variety to the *shape* of the reef scape.

just a suggestion,
po

 

[Anonymous]

Meat polyps,fox corals,and fungia corals are pretty hardy.

 

[MandarinFish]

I don't pour a bottle of B-Ionic in at a time. I'm not stupid. I follow the directions.

When I do, I notice the alk makes the water cloudy.

I wait, of course, before putting in the measured amount of calcium, which forms a shimmering cloud in the water. That same effect happens when I top off RO/DI water.

I've always assumed it was calcium, but I could be wrong.

Thanks for the suggestions. I saw an inexpensive meat coral I liked. I will do some research before I buy it though. Good to hear they are hardy.

 

[monkeyboy]

When I do, I notice the alk makes the water cloudy.

I wait, of course, before putting in the measured amount of calcium, which forms a shimmering cloud in the water. That same effect happens when I top off RO/DI water.

FWIW, the alkalinity portion of B-Ionic makes everybodies water cloudy at first, but it rapidly dissipates. The reason that the calcium portion of the b-ionic does the "shimmering cloud" thing is not because of the calcium at all, it's because it's a different density than your tank water, just like R/O.

If you've never tested calcium or alk levels, they could be dangerously low which can cause corals such as your bubble to just detatch from their skeleton and die. It's happened to me and it's quite the wake-up call to not get complacent about your calcium and alk levels. Corals in the tank may not look affected because they're used to it but throw in a new coral and watch out!

Viva calcium and alk test kits!

Kevin

 

[MandarinFish]

Lesson learned

and thanks offered. :wink:

Other coral suggestions?

 

[monkeyboy]

Well, great beginners corals include goniopora, dendronepthia, scleronepthia, dyed red colt corals, etc. Oh wait, nevermind...

In reality turbinaria, trumpet, cynarina, open brain corals (trachyphyllia, wellsophyllia), colt corals, sarcophyton toadstool leathers, etc are all great beginners corals. FWIW, i've never ever seen nor heard of a dead turbinaria, that may be a good choice

Kevin

 

[skylsdale]

I would recommend a few test kits to gain some actual knowledge about your system before even considering another coral. You keep saying you have plenty of this and that....but how much EXACTLY? This hobby isn't about "eyeing it" and hoping you get by. :roll:

I do have a ton of calcium in my tank though. Of that I am certain.

How are you certain...because of a visual cloud? I've dosed a TON of kalk on a 20 gal tank before--so much that people thought it would melt everything in my tank--and I barely maintained levels at 400 ppm. You need to know what's going on in your tank and what the trends are, or else you'll just be playing an expensive game of hit or miss.

 

[MandarinFish]

I have tested, but not recently.

I don't add corals other than shrooms, which are going crazy and doing well.

Advice heeded, Flaming Moe.

:roll:

But seriously, that's why I *don't* buy a lot of corals (hardly any really)... only a green bubble which was sick anyway. And no, I won't buy more until I have a calcium reactor going anyway. AGAIN - advice heeded and lessons learned. Kicking my ass isn't going to encourage me to listen to you, though. :idea:

PS Monkey - I've seen and can easily recognize dyed corals. They are terrible. I've seen electric pink and blue sinularia. Didn't know they naturally exhibited pastel! :wink: