View Full Version : Candy cane I got yesterday
kmw0004
02-11-2010, 03:47 PM
I went to my LFS yesterday and got a small ricordia mushroom and a candy cane coral. This coral was about 40 bucks and looks terrible! I have a closeup of it as well as a picture of my tank. Is this a good place for it? I have had a burst of algae bloom recently... I still can't get rid of the damsel in my tank and he killed my featherduster. I tried to put a rock close to it to protect it, but it died. A snail fell in the crevice and died, which I found yesterday as well. The levels on the tank are good, the nitrate is locked up in the algae. Do you have any tips on how to nurse this coral back to health?
Its a 30 gallon with a bakpak protein skimmer, 2 powerheads, and a coralife light fixture. It has moon lights and two 65 watt double bulbed lights, one actinic and the other 10,000k. ANY advise is appreciated.
kaybee
02-11-2010, 04:26 PM
Yes that candy cane seems to be in bad shape.
However it is a hardy coral and should be able to rebound and grow under proper care. I recommend feeding it mysis shrimp a few times a week if it extends feeder tentacles at night to expedite recovery.
Please post your water parameters, specifically salinity, alkalinity, pH, and calcium. Also how old are your PC bulbs (candy cane is a low light demanding coral and should be fine under that light and where you have it positioned in your tank).
In the future you may want to select only corals that are in great shape. Again, the candy candy/trumpet corals (calaustrea sp.) are hardy and your's should rebound. But other coral that are purchased in bad shape may continue a downward spiral after you acquire them.
kmw0004
02-12-2010, 12:36 AM
I just did a water change today, The Ca is at 420, Salinity is at 0.0228, pH is 8.2, and Hardness is at 168. I tried to look for his feeder tentacles last night, but I didn't see any... can you see them? I can feed him when I feed my sun coral, does he need to sense food in the water column like the sun coral?
kaybee
02-12-2010, 01:45 AM
The feeder tentacles aren't extended in the pics. It may take several days before the start to extend, and when they do they should do so nightly.
They can sense food in the water column like the sun coral and extend will after the lights are out or just before they go out, but unlike the sun coral they're photosynthetic so they should be okay if not fed, but for recovery purposes feeding is important with LPS's.
I presume your salinity is 1.022? If so you may want to increase it to 1.025-1.027 SG.
kmw0004
02-12-2010, 05:02 AM
I will bump up the salinity tonight, thank you so much!
kmw0004
02-12-2010, 05:12 AM
Oh, and the 10,000k bulb is about 8 months old, and the actinic is 6 months.
kaybee
02-12-2010, 05:21 AM
Changes in salinity should be done gradually. For increases topping off with SW instead of FW should suffice until target salinity is achieved.
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.