plate coral with poor health

[rabbi2153]

I've had a short tentacle plate coral for aprox. 2 weeks in my JBJ nanocube. The lighting consists of 56 watt pc lighting. The tank itself is aprox month and half old. Params are amm. 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 15 ph 8.4 phos <.1 ca 400

 

In the store, it looked great, all the tentacles extended. I placed it in the bottem of my tank on the sand. I had him in my tank and it looked the same for about a day, then has gone downhill since then. The tentacles do not extend fully and are kinda limp. I thought it might be hungry so I layed a small peice of raw shrimp near its mouth and I think it ate it as it wasnt there anymore after an hour when I returned.

 

I havent been able to find much information regarding these guys and what they require for good health, just the usual water params, decent light, and low flow. Nothing in the tank is bothering it, I only have a small frag of xenia and some ric's and both are nowhere near it. Only 1 fish and 1 coral banded shrimp, neither of which is bothering the plate.

 

any suggestions or advice?

 

[Tigahboy]

try feeding silver sides...cut the silver side into smaller pieces...place it over the mouth and it should grab on to it...

 

but shrimp should've worked as well. I would watch it carefully to be sure it actually eats it. Your coral banded probably snatched it from him real quick when you left it behind. I tried feeding mine and he got it in his mouth, then my cleaner shrimp jumped in and snatched the silver side RIGHT out of its mouth and devoured it within minutes.

 

I had to shoo him away in my second attempt. Plates should be fed, and his hunger may be causing his poor health. Otherwise, they should be pretty hardy corals.

[rabbi2153]

yeah, i forgot to mention it, but I had the same thing, I fed it and then my coral banded shrimp ran over and plucked it from the plate coral, so while the shrimp was busy with the other piece, I fed another to the plate coral. I'll try again, see how it goes.