Hey guys

henndogg · 02/27/2012, 08:07 PM

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Hey Guys,

My name is Henry and i just stared this Hobby. I would like you guys to tell me any Tips about keeping my Corals and fishes Healthy, i also need to know if im using the right lighting for my tank, i have a 35 gallon wit 4 T5s, 2 blue and 2 white .

I have a ? , one of my corals looks like is not opening up, as you can see in the pic , i do not know what im doing wrong , i need some help. thanks.

i have 2 clown fish and a couple of hermit crab

greech · 02/27/2012, 08:15 PM

Tank looks like it has been running for a while so you must be doing something right

. How old is the tank? Is the coral that isn't opening one the sandbed? Is it a sun coral? can we get a closer pic? The lighting you have is fine for the corals I can see in the photo.

henndogg · 02/27/2012, 08:20 PM

thank...
the tank is almost 3 weeks and my g/f just got me the coral 2 weeks ago in the picture on top. i dont know wat kind of coral it is , but is not opening up idk whats going on.

greech · 02/27/2012, 08:30 PM

Not sure why I missed the big picture on top of the full tank shot

but yes that looks like a sun coral (or similar coral). They are notorious for staying closed while the lights are on so viewing after the lights go out is your best chance to see them. Some say they can be trained to open while the lights are on by feeding then routinely during the day. You will need to feed them at night though if that is the only time you see them open.

Because they need to be fed they are not the easiest coral to keep but not impossible either. These corals are non-photosynthetic so they need to be fed fairly often by target feeding each polyp. Some food in the water may get them to start opening. You may also use a new turkey baster or medicine dropper to target feed each polyp with a meaty food like mysis shrimp.

Here is a general description of the coral but you may want to do some more research.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...517&pcatid=517

henndogg · 02/27/2012, 08:41 PM

thank your soo much for your help , i only got one more ?

whats the best stuff to feet your corals ?

greech · 02/27/2012, 09:00 PM

I feed mine frozen mysis shrimp (hikari brand). Lots of other options though. I meant to add earlier though that feeding can cause problem in your tank if you're not careful. Small "broadcast" foods like phytoplankton can foul your water real quick if you don't have proper filtration. It's best to feed those is very small amounts if you go that route. Target feeding your sun corals (and many other corals like your hairy mushroom and frogspawn) with foods like mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp and commercial foods like rod's and roger's frozen mixes or even coral pellets, will allow you to feed your coarls and know the corals are getting the food and it's not just fouling up the water. You may need to reduce or shut off your pumps to allow time for the coral to catch the food (again, sometimes you can chum the water and they'll send out their feeders).

henndogg · 02/27/2012, 09:12 PM

thanks for your help Graham . looking forward to learn more about the reef

henndogg · 02/27/2012, 09:56 PM

any suggestions if i should run my filter on all day ? it kinda bothers me at nigth ? is it ok to shut if off over nigth ?thanks

SushiGirl · 02/27/2012, 10:00 PM

Adding the coral in a week old tank may be affecting the coral, as well. How did you cycle the tank?

greech · 02/27/2012, 10:02 PM

I probably wouldn't recommend it. It may be ok if you have sufficient flow besides the filter (I see a powerhead in there but not sure if that is enough). Gas exchange is important especially at night when pH is already changing, and it looks like the filter is giving the most surface agitation. Other issue is that the water temp of the water in the filter is going to drop and also stagnate. Might not be best thing to reintroduce that water to the tank every morning. The penguin filters (looks like what you have) can be loud. When I ran a HOB filter, I really like my Aquaclear. Very durable and quiet.

+1 to SushiGirl. I also meant to mention that you may want to slow down on the additions for a while. Thought i saw the tank was 3+ weeks?

henndogg · 02/27/2012, 10:32 PM

thanks for your help guys,

my tank is been running for 3 weeks , BUT everything came from my brothers tank, (water,filter,skimmer,corals,) i just set it up my 35 gallon 3 weeks ago . wit the old stuff , he had to get rid of his tank so i took most of the stuff.

02/27/2012, 08:07 PM	#1
henndogg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 13	Hey guys [IMG][/IMG][/IMG] Hey Guys, My name is Henry and i just stared this Hobby. I would like you guys to tell me any Tips about keeping my Corals and fishes Healthy, i also need to know if im using the right lighting for my tank, i have a 35 gallon wit 4 T5s, 2 blue and 2 white . I have a ? , one of my corals looks like is not opening up, as you can see in the pic , i do not know what im doing wrong , i need some help. thanks. i have 2 clown fish and a couple of hermit crab Last edited by henndogg; 02/27/2012 at 08:16 PM.

02/27/2012, 08:15 PM	#2
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	Tank looks like it has been running for a while so you must be doing something right . How old is the tank? Is the coral that isn't opening one the sandbed? Is it a sun coral? can we get a closer pic? The lighting you have is fine for the corals I can see in the photo. __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

02/27/2012, 08:30 PM	#4
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	Not sure why I missed the big picture on top of the full tank shot but yes that looks like a sun coral (or similar coral). They are notorious for staying closed while the lights are on so viewing after the lights go out is your best chance to see them. Some say they can be trained to open while the lights are on by feeding then routinely during the day. You will need to feed them at night though if that is the only time you see them open. Because they need to be fed they are not the easiest coral to keep but not impossible either. These corals are non-photosynthetic so they need to be fed fairly often by target feeding each polyp. Some food in the water may get them to start opening. You may also use a new turkey baster or medicine dropper to target feed each polyp with a meaty food like mysis shrimp. Here is a general description of the coral but you may want to do some more research. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...517&pcatid=517 __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

02/27/2012, 09:00 PM	#6
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	I feed mine frozen mysis shrimp (hikari brand). Lots of other options though. I meant to add earlier though that feeding can cause problem in your tank if you're not careful. Small "broadcast" foods like phytoplankton can foul your water real quick if you don't have proper filtration. It's best to feed those is very small amounts if you go that route. Target feeding your sun corals (and many other corals like your hairy mushroom and frogspawn) with foods like mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp and commercial foods like rod's and roger's frozen mixes or even coral pellets, will allow you to feed your coarls and know the corals are getting the food and it's not just fouling up the water. You may need to reduce or shut off your pumps to allow time for the coral to catch the food (again, sometimes you can chum the water and they'll send out their feeders). __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

02/27/2012, 10:00 PM	#9
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Adding the coral in a week old tank may be affecting the coral, as well. How did you cycle the tank? __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

02/27/2012, 08:20 PM	#3
henndogg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 13	thank... the tank is almost 3 weeks and my g/f just got me the coral 2 weeks ago in the picture on top. i dont know wat kind of coral it is , but is not opening up idk whats going on.

02/27/2012, 08:41 PM	#5
henndogg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 13	thank your soo much for your help , i only got one more ? whats the best stuff to feet your corals ?

02/27/2012, 09:12 PM	#7
henndogg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 13	thanks for your help Graham . looking forward to learn more about the reef

02/27/2012, 09:56 PM	#8
henndogg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 13	any suggestions if i should run my filter on all day ? it kinda bothers me at nigth ? is it ok to shut if off over nigth ?thanks

02/27/2012, 10:02 PM	#10
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	I probably wouldn't recommend it. It may be ok if you have sufficient flow besides the filter (I see a powerhead in there but not sure if that is enough). Gas exchange is important especially at night when pH is already changing, and it looks like the filter is giving the most surface agitation. Other issue is that the water temp of the water in the filter is going to drop and also stagnate. Might not be best thing to reintroduce that water to the tank every morning. The penguin filters (looks like what you have) can be loud. When I ran a HOB filter, I really like my Aquaclear. Very durable and quiet. +1 to SushiGirl. I also meant to mention that you may want to slow down on the additions for a while. Thought i saw the tank was 3+ weeks? __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

02/27/2012, 10:32 PM	#11
henndogg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 13	thanks for your help guys, my tank is been running for 3 weeks , BUT everything came from my brothers tank, (water,filter,skimmer,corals,) i just set it up my 35 gallon 3 weeks ago . wit the old stuff , he had to get rid of his tank so i took most of the stuff.