Elegance coral questions...

[PadresGirl]

I was at my LFS yesterday and they had an elegance coral that was about 4-5" and $30. This seems like a pretty good deal as most online retailers have this coral priced at $60 or more for this size. I've read different decriptions on different websites; some saying it's perfect for beginners, others saying it's one of the more difficult LPS. What are the requirements for this coral as far as placement, lighting, and flow are concerned? Thanks for any info...!

[kfisc]

Lots written about it here; you'd be doing yourself a huge favor by avoiding it in favor of another coral- very poor survival rate.

[PadresGirl]

Written about it where? Reef Central? Or did you mean to attach a link?

[macreefster]

i have three elegance corals and they are all doing great. i've found that once they've survived the shipping process healthy, they are quite easy corals to keep. most of them don't do well during the shipping process though.

[Freed]

The only time any on line website or LFS tells you it's a beginner's coral is that they know it will more than likely die on you. Plus, they know you'll come back for another thinking it was something you did wrong.

They are VERY difficult to get to live past a couple of months even for novice coral keepers. Most will succomb to a type of disease these corals are known for. Do ALOT of reading before you decide to waste your money on one.

[PadresGirl]

LiveAquaria.com is one of sites touting it as being maintainable by beginners to advanced, and they're supposedly a respectable site. Believe me, I am trying to read up on them as I can't seem to find any consistent information. I'm looking for information from people who have or are caring for them.

[stuccodude]

mine died, i think i didnt have enough light(t5's). pretty corals but very hit and miss, good luck

[cristhiam]

For $30 that's a good price, I'll take it, I did and I still have it 9 months later, I paid for my first about 3+ years ago around $70 that one didn't make it, also I was a beginner then, and my tank was not very good stablished yet 6+months. There is a lot of info on the LPS forum some are having a great success with them.

[Reef'in Colorado]

they do have a poor survival rate...but if you can get one that has made it through shipping etc they can do well...

a LOW flow, high light spot is great. they're very aggressive however, so keep other corals away. feed them at least weekly with frozen food (thawed formula or mysis).

[churmak]

As far as I can tell from the reading I have done these were an easy to keep beginners coral, but at some point in the last few years because of one or maybe more of a slew of problems ( disease, collection areas, contamination take your pick) they have become difficult if not impossible to keep in many tanks. So the retailers you are looking at that say they are easy to keep and a beginners coral simply are not operating on the bleeding edge of information. This is nothing new and you should always get a consensus of information from several sources before making a purchase.

[Peter Eichler]

Not sure why people are saying the will do well if they make it past the shipping process... In my experience they ship just fine if not better than most Euphyllia which are somewhat closely related. In recent years since they've become quite difficult to keep they often seem to do well for a few weeks and then take a turn for the worse and end up dying within the next month or two. I(f you must try this coral I'd suggest giving it more subued lighting and place it in a spot with lower flow

[austinaqualung]

Here's an interesting ReefKeeping Mag article on Elegance Corals:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/eb/index.php

The disease that article describes is call ECS (elegance coral syndrome). Most of them exported from Indonesian will get it. Supposedly, ones exported from Australia are less likely to get it. Good luck.

[JENnKerry]

STAY AWAY! We tried one a few years back, yea, it lasted about 3 weeks before a quick decline.

Listen, I got bashed left and right because I started collecting and propagating Goniopora. Which went very well until my lights died and I started moving things around, I had to break the tanks down. But, long story short. If you think Goni's are hard, Elegance are double, triple that!
I will be starting up my Goni's again come Sept..IF my electric bill levels out.

The Elegance actually prefer a moderate waterflow to keep them moving easily, and a lower light. Even more so, they like a "lightly" skimmed tank. Not clean like SPS like it, they prefer higher nutrients. PC light is the best as well. But overall, they are very touchy and those who got them to thrive have basically won the coral lottery. Your odds ARE that bad when it comes to keeping one of these

[PadresGirl]

From all of the information I've gathered in this and the LPS forum, I think I'm going to pass on it. I know that the shipment it came in on is from Jakarta, and the Indo species don't do well.

[JENnKerry]

Trust me, the price may be right, but your doing the right thing. We all live and learn, and I KNOW that I will never try another one again. It figures that they are beautiful, but untouchable for the most part.

[BangkokMatt]

I have kept an Indonesian Elegance for3 years. It is kept in moderate flow and light. I have never target fed it. IME the one I have is very resilient. It has been in 4 different systems and survived a tank crash. It also has a pair of clownfish hosting in it.
I know several keepers have had limited success with Elegance but, IMO, once fully acclimated they grow in size and strength very rapidly.

[Playa-1]

I have an elegance coral and It's doing just fine. I've heard that they have a low survival rate but mine is doing well and it's a beautiful specimen to have in the tank.