Sick coral? sick clown? Opinions please

[cartophilus]

This is my first livestock-related post, and I have a lot of questions, so please bear with me. First, I'd like to thank NR.COM for its existence. This site has been singlehandedly responsible for my interest in this hobby. It is an incredible source of information and (generally) helpful people. I've been lurking and reading for a few months, much to the girlfriend's consternation, but hey, the tank is still lower maintenance than her. I've made some unwise purchases, as I'm sure everyone has, but I'm living with that. And now, my questions.

 

1. This week I purchased a "green elephant ear mushroom" that the knowledgable clerk at my LFS told me would be low maintenance. I've had it a few days, and I don't know if it's just my imagination, the different lighting, or what, but it appears to be fading and maybe the tissue is pulling away from one of the rocks it was attached to. At the recommendation of clerk, it is LIGHTLY rubberbanded to a piece of my LR to assist in attachment. Could the rubberband be harming it? Am I better off putting it under a piece of tupperware with holes in it to help it attach? Are the possibly bleached spots due to my lighting? I am running a 32 watt csl smartlite in a JBJ Nano-Cube. I have two lights, but I am waiting to hook up my Iceprobe to fire up the second one. I am running a 12 hour photoperiod. If memory serves, the LFS had the coral under a buttload of VHO's. Please see attached pictures for further description of the coral. Should it open or anything? Maybe have small sweeper tentacles? I'm feeding phyto once a day, and it never looks like it's doing anything.

 

 

2. I have an ocellaris clown (tank-raised) that I just noticed a brown spot the size of a pinhead on. It may be a mark he had already. I've had him about three weeks. Please look at attached picture and give me your opinions.

 

3. Due to the difficulty of going to LFS, seeing what they have, coming back here and researching it on NR, determining that it's compatible with my tank size and level of experience, returning to LFS and hoping it's still there, etc. etc. etc. What's the best book for determining what corals That fit all of these parameters that I can get. Please note that I'd like the best book, not necessarily the cheapest. (But cheap works too.)

 

4. One of the unwise purchases I have made is a sun polyp coral. To anyone with experience with these corals, how much to feed? I feed it 10-15 pellets of New Life Spectrum every other day and about 20 daphnia every other day. Is this too much? It has its polyps open about 12 hours a day (mostly at night), and I don't think I'm starving it, but it seems to think I am. Also, does it not require light or does it not like light. I have it in the most shaded area of the tank, which ain't real shaded. I can redo the rocks, but would rather avoid the PITA aspect of this if possible.

 

 

5. I am serious about this hobby, and was wondering what additional test kits I will need for the best monitoring of my reef? I have the Fastest Master Salt Kit. What else do I need, and what brands are best? What do you think of Salifert and Red Sea products?

 

 

6. Tank Specs:

 

JBJ 12 gallon nano-cube (About three months old)

2X32watt CSL smartlite retrofits (Only one active)

Iceprobe (not hooked up yet.)

Rio 600 powerhead

1 liter of ehfisubstrat

1 poly-filter

 

Livestock:

 

6? Asstd. hermit crabs

1 turbo snail

3 astrea snail

2 margarita snail

1 bumblebee snail

1 stomatella (free hitchhiker)

 

1 I-hope-it's-not-dying green elephant ear mushroom thing.

1 purple gorgonian with yellow polyps ( I read here that these are the photosyntheticones. Is that correct?)

1 Sun polyp coral--Oldest coral I have at one month, and seems to be doing great.

 

Stats:

Temp: 80-81

Salinity: 1.023-1.024

PH: 7.8-8.2

Nitrite, nitrate, ammonia: 0

2 tank-raised ocellaris clowns.

1 four stripe damsel

 

PLEASE NOTE: I KNOW THAT THIS IS TOO HEAVY A BIOLOAD, BUT WHEN THEY GROW, I'LL REMOVE THE DAMSEL. PLEASE DON'T WASTE TIME FLAMING ME BEHIND THIS.

 

Thanks in advance for anyone's help.

[cartophilus]

Full tank pic

[tinyreef]

get the salifert test kits or aquarium pharmaceutical ones or even the quick dip ones. i suspect your readings may be off.

 

ditch the rubber band. the coral's peeling off either because of an injury or it doesn't like where it's currently at. trying to hold/keep it there doesn't help it. btw that doesn't look like an elephant ear but i can't really tell too well from those pics/views.

 

three months is a very short time. i wouldn't add anything else for a while, especially considering you're having issues with the shrooms.

[cartophilus]

Better pics of the coral and disconnecting tissue.

 

Thanks for your rapid response, tinyreef. I've removed the rubber band and the coral is sitting near the bottom of the tank in a low-current spot. It came only attached to the two white rocks in the picture, and I was hoping to get it to attach to the LR. At this point, I'm just hoping it will make it. Also, I thought I was being prudent with my stocking time; only 3 corals in 3 months. Is this not true? Is there anything I can do to increase this coral's chance of survival? Is it possible that It was on its way out when I got it at the LFS?

[cartophilus]

Another better pic of coral

[cartophilus]

Better picture of clown. And by the way, is anyone sure of an ID on the coral?

[cartophilus]

How likely is it that my readings are off? The test results I gave are an average of eight or nine readings, with high and low results being the ones I posted. I haven't shown any ammonia/nitrate/nitrite readings in a month and a half. Are FasTest kits that inaccurate? I've been very stringent with my testing.

[2manytanks]

while it certainly may have been on the way out at the LFS, judging from those last pics, it may have gotten stressed/torn in transit from the LFS. Since it was attached to two rocks, instead of one, and if those two were far apart it would be easy for it to have been injured/stressed in transit.

 

I have to agree with tiny on the value of quality test kits. Get Salifert's, you won't be sorry in the long run.

 

Have you done a recent Alk. test ? The reason I ask is your pH is at the lower end of the range, although not by much.

 

Far as the ID on the coral, can't give a positive from the pics....although if it is an Elephant Ear..... the can get big..some up to 12" across...

 

Congrats on your Sun Coral. I had one...couldn't get it to eat... finally succumbed to starvation, I can only surmise.

[CrocoDillon]

About the sun polyp coral, the don't require light but you don't need to put them in a shaded area... they don't seem to care from what I've heard. In nature they seem to grow in very lighted areas too.

 

The problem with this coral is, since it eats so much, it adds big time to your bio-load. So I'm suprised your nitrate reads zero. Better measure again with a quality test as said before. I had a test once it always read zero nitrate... think it was something like FastTest.

[kennerd]

Shrooms in general are pretty hardy, so just keep an eye on it. One thing to consider, though: elephant ear mushrooms not only get HUGE (read: up to 12-14" across in some cases), they are actually know to capture and eat slower fish.

 

Broan spot on your clown doesn't look abnormal. My false perc has a bunch of darkened spots.

[Crakeur]

birthmark on the clown.

 

Sounds to me like you have done quite a bit of researching which is impressive and makes the issues more frustrating I'm sure.

 

Did the lfs salesperson suggest rubberbanding the shroom after you took it home and it started to release itself? It looks like the shroom was not happy about the rubberband (center of the shroom appears to have disappeared).

 

Don't be surprised if the remnants evolve into one or more shrooms. They are fairly hard to kill.

 

The sunpolyps are a tricky thing. Sounds like you are doing well with them and I wouldn't change a thing if you don't see signs of tissue recession.

[caja]

Here's my input. You asked about a good coral book. Look for Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals. Excellent resource.

[cartophilus]

2many: What Saliferts should I get for the level of reefing I currently occupy? I saw a pro package for $209.00, a reef package for Ca, Alk, Iodine, Strontium, Magnesium for $89.00, etc. etc. What should I test for regularly, and what can I wait to get or not get at all? Do I really need phspate tests, silicate, dissolved O2, Dissolved organics? I don't have an Alk test yet, but realize it's important. I'll get that this week, but the wife doesn't see the necessity of these aquarium investments. She equates all money spent in increments of pairs of shoes. Also, she has strange priorities, like food, rent, phone bills, etc. Women, huh?

 

Croc: Thanks for the sun coral info. It's doing great in the light, so I figure let it be. I has grown in the month I've had it, and, as mentioned, eats voraciously.

 

Kennerd: Thanks for clown info. I was very concerned

 

Crak: LFS guy suggested rubber when I purchased the coral. It was on two separate rocks, and I just want it to attach to something bigger for its own stability. I'm considering fragging it if it doesn't attach, because the two rocks I think may be causing tissue stress because of the non-attached portions between them. IYO is this wise?

 

 

Caja: Thanks, I'm ordering it tomorrow.

 

 

Why do I always pick expensive PITA hobbies? Reef expen$ive, girl expen$$$ive, even pig (see avatar) expen$ive.

[cartophilus]

But man, that pig is cute.

[CrocoDillon]

You actually have that pig in your home?? COOL!

 

As for Salifert, I think you're through the curing process, so don't mind measuring NH3 and NO2, if you have it, your clown will tell ya.

 

Go for NO3, PO4 maybe, kH and pH. These r the tests I started with (plus NO2, NH3 which u dont need). I have now included Ca, and glad I did buy it since it was way too low (200ppm). Maybe I'm going for Mg and other elements in the future.

[2manytanks]

the 4 kits I use regularly are kH,pH,Ca,Mg....since they're all dependent on one another.

 

I have the rest of them, rarely use them though. Once you get to "know" your tanks, you'll be able to tell if something's amiss by looking at 'em...

 

NO3 would be a good investment, PO4 possibly.

kH and pH, most definately, along with Ca.

 

IMO

[cartophilus]

Thanks everybody. FYI, the times I'm giving for how long my tank has been set up may be misleading. I'm counting when cycling was over as the start time of tank. Thanks again, guys

 

BTW: yes, croc, the pig not only lives in our home, she slleps with us as well. . .

[CrocoDillon]

That's a happy looking pig

[tinyreef]

how big does it get?

 

(the pig)

 

 

the mrs. must sure love the fact you're posting pics of her sleeping. that'll do hubby, that'll do.

[Isaka]

Wow, that is a great pic.

very funny, very cool.

[TiGs]

you got some guts posting a pic of your lady sleeping on the internet. If I did that...well I wouldn't, im too scared of the can of arse whooping I would get.

 

Are pigs as smart as they say?

[caja]

I can not believe there is a pig in the bed and under the covers.

 

Man. That's something.

[birdman204]

lol at the pig in bed

 

For the tests, if you buy strontium, you have to test for CA first and it is included in the test kit, so if you get the salifert strontium kit, you don't need the CA kit. ( 1 thing the LFS actually told me that was correct:P )

[SeaMountain]

Which one is which?!?!?

[Crakeur]

a friend of mine had a pet pig in college. It got into the lightening vat and ended up in the dorms before it was taken to a zoo.

 

 

 

lightening vat, for the uninitiated, is grain alcohol, kool aid and acid. the pig went nuts.

 

pigs are very clean animals. or so I've heard.

 

as for the pic that was posted, all I can say is you know you got it bad when your wife opts for a pig over you in the sack. oddly, they both have very pleased faces. go figure.

 

south park the movie comes to mind (pig fu**er)