How to take care of corals?

petzerman · 01/19/2009, 05:01 PM

So I have a Frogspawn Coral, a Green Torch Coral, a Bubble Coral, and a Flowerpot Coral. I was wondering what do I have to do to keep them healthy and happy? Do i need to feed them anything or put them any supplements?

jkrentz2515 · 01/19/2009, 05:34 PM

If you do water changes often you should replace enough trace elements to eliminate dosing.

petzerman · 01/19/2009, 05:37 PM

is once a week good enough? and what about things like coral-vite?

abulgin · 01/19/2009, 07:41 PM

You need to feed these corals meaty seafood, like mysis, small pieces of silversides, etc. Once or twice per week, using a baster. Otherwise, they will starve. It's a good idea to research your animals before you buy so you know what you're getting into.

Lots of good info on coral care here: http://www.asira.org

reefworm · 01/19/2009, 08:33 PM

good link, that. I also agree that for any further purchases do plenty of research so you can keep them alive and thriving. I would also recommend getting a copy of Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals - a great resource.

also agree with the feeding recommendations, and your lighting should be sufficient.

as to supplements, water changes for trace elements, and/or two-part Ca++ & buffer additive, [such as B-Ionic or Randy's homemade recipe] and kalkwasser drip. test for pH, Ca++, alkalinity and Mg. Go to waterkeeper's link at the top of this forum and click on the links to water parameters and chemistry issues, as it's far more critical for corals than for fish in most cases

nikon187 · 01/19/2009, 08:37 PM

I don't think any of the corals you mentioned will take in mysis or silversides aside from the bubble. I have had much better luck feeding zooplakton to torch, frogspawn and flowerpot corals ( Marine Snow, Reef roids, zoo plex ect.) In fact i believe reef roids was specificly designed to feed flower pot corals because the other types of foods were too big ( Mysis, silversides) I have had all of my frogspawn for years and have never directly fed it anything and it grows just fine

abulgin · 01/19/2009, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nikon187
I don't think any of the corals you mentioned will take in mysis or silversides aside from the bubble. I have had much better luck feeding zooplakton to torch, frogspawn and flowerpot corals ( Marine Snow, Reef roids, zoo plex ect.) In fact i believe reef roids was specificly designed to feed flower pot corals because the other types of foods were too big ( Mysis, silversides) I have had all of my frogspawn for years and have never directly fed it anything and it grows just fine

I was talking mainly about the frogspawn and bubble. I agree with you on the flowerpot, but I disagree with you on the frogspawn. Marine snow is junk. It's all a matter of how finely you chop the seafood. Fresh seafood is way better than bottled crap. Silversides, shrimp, clam, etc. Can be finely minced, soaked in Selcon or some HUFA and fed with a baster.

You may have good lighting that's compensating for less food, your frogspawn may be getting nutrients from the food you feed your fish/other corals and/or fish waste. Generally, you can't stick these corals in a tank and expect them to thrive with no supplemental feeding.

See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/caryophyllids.htm

01/19/2009, 05:01 PM	#1
petzerman Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Diamond Bar Posts: 522	How to take care of corals? So I have a Frogspawn Coral, a Green Torch Coral, a Bubble Coral, and a Flowerpot Coral. I was wondering what do I have to do to keep them healthy and happy? Do i need to feed them anything or put them any supplements?

01/19/2009, 08:33 PM	#5
reefworm Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Waxhaw, NC USA Posts: 2,139	good link, that. I also agree that for any further purchases do plenty of research so you can keep them alive and thriving. I would also recommend getting a copy of Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals - a great resource. also agree with the feeding recommendations, and your lighting should be sufficient. as to supplements, water changes for trace elements, and/or two-part Ca++ & buffer additive, [such as B-Ionic or Randy's homemade recipe] and kalkwasser drip. test for pH, Ca++, alkalinity and Mg. Go to waterkeeper's link at the top of this forum and click on the links to water parameters and chemistry issues, as it's far more critical for corals than for fish in most cases __________________ "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." - Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: 29 gal. reef/assist with 75 gal. at the school

01/19/2009, 08:37 PM	#6
nikon187 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 4,717	I don't think any of the corals you mentioned will take in mysis or silversides aside from the bubble. I have had much better luck feeding zooplakton to torch, frogspawn and flowerpot corals ( Marine Snow, Reef roids, zoo plex ect.) In fact i believe reef roids was specificly designed to feed flower pot corals because the other types of foods were too big ( Mysis, silversides) I have had all of my frogspawn for years and have never directly fed it anything and it grows just fine __________________ ----------------- Current Tanks: New 210 custom 84 x 24 x 24, 60g sump, SWC 250 extreme with bubble blaster 5000, 2 vortech mp40, 2 vortech mp10, 12 T5, Water blaster 5000, warner marine bio pellets, 60g clownfish cube, red carpet anemone with a 25g sump,SRO octopus 1000sss, 250w radium, lumenarc large.

01/19/2009, 05:34 PM	#2
jkrentz2515 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mauerapolis Posts: 635	If you do water changes often you should replace enough trace elements to eliminate dosing.

01/19/2009, 05:37 PM	#3
petzerman Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Diamond Bar Posts: 522	is once a week good enough? and what about things like coral-vite?

01/19/2009, 07:41 PM	#4
abulgin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 2,664	You need to feed these corals meaty seafood, like mysis, small pieces of silversides, etc. Once or twice per week, using a baster. Otherwise, they will starve. It's a good idea to research your animals before you buy so you know what you're getting into. Lots of good info on coral care here: http://www.asira.org