Bubble Coral Question

[Colin Harbut]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anybody could offer some advice on bubble corals(Plerogyra sp.) and let me know if they will more likely expand their bubbles under more or less intense light as well as direct or indirect lighting. I have a 37 gal tank w/ a 175watt 10k metal halide. Should I place the coral on the top/middle/bottom?

I wrote in earlier about my damaged bubble coral and I was wondering if it would heal faster under more intense lighting. The bubble will not expand but I am now concerned I have them in low of light. All help is greatly apprecaited.

Thanks,
Colin

 

[ChrisRD]

IMO, with that lighting your coral should be OK anywhere in the tank. They seem to be very adaptable and don't really require strong lighting.

Mine didn't inflate as much when I added a second halide to my tank (I lowered the lights once I had two), although it seemed to adapt over time. It never did expand as fully as it did under the single halide though (which was mounted higher - ie. less intense lighting).

Do you target feed? Mine would eat like a pig and target feeding helped improve its appearance and growth rate noticeably...

HTH

 

[mark78]

They like lower light and very low flow.

I moved one to the sand, in a small cave of rockwork and it has gotten insanley huge since.

 

[Colin Harbut]

Thanks for the advice.
If I am going to target feed my bubble coral, what product/type food do you recommend?

Thanks.

 

[ChrisRD]

Yeah, I agree about the low flow too (as Mark mentioned).

I was feeding chunks of fresh seafood (squid, clam, shrimp, fish, mussels, etc.) every other day to every few days. Sometimes I soaked the food in vitamin and lipid supplements (ie. Selco, Selcon, etc. or some equivalent product) if I had time. It would have the feeding tentacles really well extended about an hour or so after lights-out, so that's when I usually fed it (although it seemed to manage to be able to eat ANY time ).

Unfortunately the coral was growing so fast I ended up giving it to a friend...LOL.

HTH

 

[krullulon]

mine has eaten krill, formula one frozen, and mysid shrimp... and even pelletized formula one! and yep, it's piggy.

tonight it puffed its mouth up and i watched it give this HUGE muscular contraction and expel some bubble poop with more force than i've ever seen from a coral... it shot about 5 inches away from the bubble!

then it puffed itself up and went about its business.

FWIW, i have mine at the bottom of my tank just inside a partially shaded cave -- 90g, 250W MH + 4x110W actinics VHO.