"Christmas Tree Rock ??

[strgazr27]

Although my tank is nowhere near ready for it I have always been fascinated by "Christmas Tree Rock" I have done a bunch of reading and now know it is more an SPS coral that the worms feed off of. My question is, I don't find it mentioned much here on MR. Is it that difficult to keep? Is it just not popular?

Any thoughts on it?

If this is better served in the SPS section than mods please feel free to move it.

Thanks!

 

[Josh]

They do very poorly in captivity. Most vendors no longer stock them.

 

[ed51802]

I see them at aqua hut all the time. I think they live in dead porites skeletons but not sure. They are awsome though

Sent from my SPH-M910 using Reefs

 

[reefs4life]

I've tried keeping them twice and it didn't work out very well for me. I have since given up just because I don't want to keep killing them, but they are my mom's favorite and I would love to keep them successfully, I just wish I knew how. I never tried feeding them but that would probably help but it is also a matter of keeping the porites happy, once the porites go so do the worms at least from my experience

 

[Josh]

I see them at aqua hut all the time. I think they live in dead porites skeletons but not sure. They are awsome though

The problem is that they actually live in LIVE porites colonies, not dead skeletons. Without the porites the worms will die.

 

[James]

in the wild I have never seen them in skeletons of coral, only in dome shaped porites and I believe I have seen them in brains as well but I could be wrong and don't have an underwater camera.

 

[albano]

I don't find it mentioned much here on MR. Is it that difficult to keep? Is it just not popular?

Don't waste your $...odds of survival are very low!

 

[rookie07]

I had a few (3-4) that lived long after the coral died off. They lived for almost a year without the coral, and i eventually gave it away after i moved. I will look gor picture soon.
I even had them in my sump for 3-5 months with a weak pc fixture above.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[ESSELO]

i had one for about two years, when my tank was a year old. it was one of my favorites. just because it is more demanding isn't a reason not to try it. everyone has different experiences. if i listened to everyone regarding which coral to avoid my tank would be empty.

 

[DCG1286]

Don't waste your $...odds of survival are very low!

+1

i had one for about two years, when my tank was a year old. it was one of my favorites. just because it is more demanding isn't a reason not to try it. everyone has different experiences. if i listened to everyone regarding which coral to avoid my tank would be empty.

I don't see people discouraging others from purchasing corals very often, only for very advanced species, ones that are known for having a poor survival rate.

 

[jerl77]

I had one for about 1 year I only payed 30 bucks so I think it was worth the year

 

[reefs4life]

Idk about you guys, but I'm more concerned with the life of the coral more than the cost of it. I would rather spend $100 on a coral and have it live than spend $10 on one and have it die but not care much about it just because it was $10.

 

[jerl77]

yes your right but for a coral that is hard to keep i think a year is very good for a hard coral like this one

 

[James]

Idk about you guys, but I'm more concerned with the life of the coral more than the cost of it. I would rather spend $100 on a coral and have it live than spend $10 on one and have it die but not care much about it just because it was $10.

+1

This hobby is the best when you are responsible and aware of what you are doing, regardless of if it only cost a $1. I don't know the lifespan of a Xmas tree worm but if it is more than a year, I don't care if it is free, you won't see one in my tank. The more responsible we are, the better chance we have of continuing to have importing be legal, once the wrong mindset takes hold, it is only a matter of time before importing of coral is shut down and our hobby made ilegal or limited to the corals we already have.

 

[strgazr27]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm not looking to purposely keep a coral just to keep it. I enjoy the challenge and look at it as a test of my ability and how good I can maintain the tank and it's inhabitants. To me if someone is willing to give his best effort to keep the specimen it's better than those just need to have something for the sake of having it.

 

[albano]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm not looking to purposely keep a coral just to keep it. I enjoy the challenge and look at it as a test of my ability and how good I can maintain the tank and it's inhabitants. To me if someone is willing to give his best effort to keep the specimen it's better than those just need to have something for the sake of having it.

:scratchch sounds like, you going to get it anyway! (?)

 

[jerl77]

Bobby they are hard but if you must aqua hut has them for 30 bucks. If they have a life span of one year it will only cost you 2.50 a month for this pretty cool coral in my book I can deal with that !!!!and once again this is jmo

 

[strgazr27]

:scratchch sounds like, you going to get it anyway! (?)

Actually I haven't made up my mind. More of a looking forward post/thought. If I can maintain my tank as well as most of you guys do than maybe but not a definite...

 

[pecan2phat]

They are difficult due to the feeding requirements. They need phytoplankton sized food and also need a laminar type of flow going over the top of the coral so that the desirable food suspension enters from the bottom up on the feather crown.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

+1 Josh, they attach to LIVE porites.

If the porites is dead or receding I really wouldn't waste my money on it. It's an incredibly difficult coral to keep and I suspect that most of the limited "success" is 90% luck at this point. They are very cool but they are cheap and common on availability lists which isn't doing them any favors.