People with Chili coral

I was wondering if everyone's chili corals is as temperamental as mine. I had it for two months before the polyps even shoed themselves. Then they came out all the tim e for about three months and now they have not come back in about a month. I have recently moved to a bigger tank (pictures forthcoming) and I don't expect the polyps out yet, but they went into hibernation before the move. Has anyone seen this with their's? It does not seem to look bad, just no polyps. Just curious.

Klagos,

This happened to me too. I owned a chilli coral, nice red one with about 3 fingers. Almost looks like a small cactus.

During the first months it was always out. Then it collapsed on its side was always looking sad, once in a while it would show polyps, then it just kinda of disentigrated.

Hope this sheds some light.

Mike

One common mistake that people make with chilli corals (including myself) is to mount them upside down. These corals like to hang upside down from rock ledges. If you buried the base of the coral into the sand in some dark corner of the tank, that's wrong and will cause their polyps to not come out at all. Find a nice rocky outcrop and 'hang' the coral from it. That'll make it happier and it will have more polyp activity at night.

PS: To hang it, you'll either need cyanoacrylate or underwater epoxy most likely.

I think what Brokken means is that hanging them upside down is good ...

"One common mistake that people make with chilli corals (including myself) is to mount them upside down"...that means that people should NOT mount them upside down...

He probably meant: "One common mistake that people make with chilli corals (including myself) is NOT mounting them upside down"....sorry, couldn't help it, I was a little confused when I read your post ...

That i smy mistake. I had not read that anywhere about them. I had only read they like dark and generally people do not like them becaues they are boring. I tend to go for stuff like that. I was so thrilled when the polyps first opened. I hope they will re-emerge when I remount the chili upside down, or right side up or what ever. Thanks.

Originally posted by rbaby

I think what Brokken means is that hanging them upside down is good ...

 

"One common mistake that people make with chilli corals (including myself) is to mount them upside down"...that means that people should NOT mount them upside down...

 

He probably meant: "One common mistake that people make with chilli corals (including myself) is NOT mounting them upside down"....sorry, couldn't help it, I was a little confused when I read your post ...

They're upside down from the Chilli's perspective.

But yeah, I guess I could have worded it better.

I figured out a way to get the chili upside down without using glue stuff. I will update all the people enthusiastically following the chili saga as more news about the polyps continues to unfold.

How's the chilli coral doing? Most people overlook this coral because they don't see what goes on their tanks at night. A happy Chilly will fully extend at night and it won't even look red anymore. More like a white fluff or polyps. I'm curious to see how yours is doing now.

Don't they need to be target fed? What are you guys feeding yours and how often? I've always thought these were pretty but was nervous about their care.

Originally posted by Carinya

Don't they need to be target fed?  What are you guys feeding yours and how often?  I've always thought these were pretty but was nervous about their care.

It's enough that you hang them upside down and they'll do their own catching of food. Just give them a chance to expand - and that's accomplished by hanging the coral upside down. Soon you'll see that it becomes covered in hundreds of small white polyps similar to those found in gorgonians.

Well, it is upside down, however, it still won't extend its polyps. I am going to try somewhere else in the tank. It is not looking good at the moment. I'll keep you updated. I do check it often in the middle of the night and still have not seen the polyps.

Originally posted by klagos

Well, it is upside down, however, it still won't extend its polyps.  I am going to try somewhere else in the tank.  It is not looking good at the moment.  I'll keep you updated.  I do check it often in the middle of the night and still have not seen the polyps.

The lights went off about an hour ago:

http://www.critter.net/~brokken/chillycoral.jpg

Gets even 'fuzzier' later into the night.

Give it some time to 'decompress' after all, it's been mounted incorrectly for some time.

Well then, I guess this guy is fine, He is just pointed in his natural direction!

Ideally he shound be hanging upside down. Eventually he'll compress under his own weight and polyp extension will cease and it will slowly die out - I say this from personal experience.

Have you had success keeping yours like that for a long time?

no actually, I picked this up at the LFS and it was in a cup with substrate just like this. I will get him hung byhis toes tonight.

I am guessing that when the ends are darkening that it is a bad thing. I am not giving up hope as of yet. I am going to wait till it melts. Well, maybe a little ebfore that.

This how it looks the last few mornings when I see the lights go on: ( have since layed it on its side till I can get it a hanging spot)

So as soon as I write that my chili isn't looking good, I wake up this morning and after about 5 months of not opening up, She had most of her polyps extended and looked great. Don't give up on these corals until you are SURE it is dead. Rock on chili folk, I'll try to get a picture of it opend.

Originally posted by klagos

So as soon as I write that my chili isn't looking good, I wake up this morning and after about 5 months of not opening up, She had most of her polyps extended and looked great.  Don't give up on these corals until you are SURE it is dead.  Rock on chili folk, I'll try to get a picture of it opend.

I don't know if you left it hanging upside down or if you moved it. What's its orientation now?

Both upside down and hanging. He wasn't out tonight, but we'll see tomorrow. At least they came out once when I could see. When work dies down I'll get up in themiddle of the night and check em out.

Key to any good coral, is sneaky, looks good in the dark

He is out almost full right now. Good thing I wrote this thread. I almost threw him out. Thanks all.

Here it is. There is another older pic in my gallery, but here si the recent one.

Oops.