What's the latest on elegance?
 

Hey guys,

I know in recent years the elegance coral has gotten a reputation as a poor survivor in our tanks, and that there were numerous theories being floated around as to the reasons. Everything from poor collection procedures, different species or variant than those previously collected which were considered hardy, poor placement/conditions in our tanks, to a strange bacterial infection picked up during collection/transport.

Have there been any breakthroughs on this coral, or is it still considered a poor choice? My lfs has one on hold for me right now, but I'm starting to get cold feet. :D

San Diego Corals is offering tank-raised elegance. I'd get on the waiting list. I have an offspring from one of theirs, and it's doing fantastically.

[IMG]http://www.chipcataldo.com/reef/061806/elegance.jpg[/IMG]

Peace,

Chip

Have had mine for about 5 months now.
First 4 months everything was great, eating, fully open , looked awesome. It even grew to nearly double the size.
3 weeks ago , started to look wilty, stopped eating. Since then he hasnt eaten and has shrunk more and more. I keep trying to feed but he wont eat anything. The last 3 days, it has looked so bad ive had to stop myself from taking it out and tossing it. The end seems to be any day now:(
Nothing in the tank changed, same parameters, feeding everything???? I was just starting to think elegance is easy, whats everyone talking about?
Put me on the list of no more elegance til they figure out the problem:confused:

That's exactly what I am afraid of. Can you describe your setup and the placement of the elegance (flow, lighting, sand or rock, orientation, etc.)?

Do you have any pics, showing it's growth and then decline?

FWIW, if your tank is big enough to survive the cycle if it dies, leave it in there, even if it appears dead for months. From what I hear, LPS corals have been known to grow spore-like "babies" from seemingly dead skeletons that can spawn a whole new colony.

I have a 36g reef, mostly lps. Good flow(2 mj-900's, 1 mj400, aqua c skimmer amd penguin filter). I had it on the bottom in the sandagainst a large piece of live rock. I had read it liked dirty water and this section is where alot of "crap" floats by before going to the skimmer. My lighting is only 130 pc(a little low).

I have some pics posted on swf.com of it at its peak (about 5-6 weeeks ago)but cant get them small enough to post here(when i size them that small, they become VERY blurry). I'll take a pic of it now also. You can either check out the pics there or pm me your email and i can email them to you if you really want to see them.
p.s.- 36g isnt big enough to leave it in and survive the cycle is it?

I guess it depends if it RTNs or just keeps slowly fading away. Of course, it'll be too late if you wait for it to start RTNing though, right. :)
No sump right? I'd be hesitant of just letting it die, too. Perhaps you know a brave reefer with a larger tank who might give it a try?

I'd love to see the pics, and would gladly go to that site, but I can't find that site, and if I did, I'd have to search for your pics. Got a link?

Do you have it oriented facing straight up? I've heard that one of the common mistakes people make is leaning it so the top is facing towards them for better viewing. The top (mouth side) should be parallel to the sand and lights.

Mine wasnt straight up so i dont think that was the problem, but who knows.
The pics are in different threads, pm me your email and ill send them to you. Otherwise, i'll round up the threads and try to link them later on.
p.s.- whats RTN's?

My wife uses hp image zone to edit and size all our photos but it wont size them down small enough for here without completely blurring them. Am i doing something wrong? any advice or help to get viewable pics sized that small?

[url=http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic31241-9-1.aspx?]Then very latest.[/URL]

definately unpredictable corals. will thrive for months, then demise for no apparent reason

For pics:

Turn down the resolution of the camera.

Crop them so that only the subject is left in the picture.

Compress, rather than resize. I use Microsoft Office Picture Manager.


Thanks for the thoughts on the coral. I picked it up last night. It looks awesome right now! I'll take pics tonight. :D

Thanks for the link Baja. Unfortunately, I'm not a marine biologist, so those pictures he has posted don't do anything for me, and he hasn't posted his article on the findings yet. I did reply to that thread in the hopes he can give me a hint, or something that I can do now, before it's too late.

to post pics just sign up for a site such as photobucket. once you sign in upload your photo to photobucket (don't have to resize) and under your photo there is three links. highlight the last and copy it and paste it along with your thread. hope that help

Most I see come in at the lfs are still not doing well.

This one came in just about 1 year ago, and looked good so I got it. It has at least doubled in size in the time I have had it.

[IMG]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b370/clownj1988/IMG_0310.jpg[/IMG]

It lives in the sand bed, 3ft below a 1000 watt bulb.

Wow, that's a lot "bushier" than mine, at least as of last night. It looks like it's doing really well. I can't wait to see mine when I get home! :D

IMO, keeping it in the sandbed with plenty of room makes a big difference.

Mine was held for six weeks and has been with me for six more, looks good but far too soon to tell.

Pics of my new addition...

[IMG]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/epolacek/125_sw_tank/elegance_3_071106.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/epolacek/125_sw_tank/elegance_2_071106.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/epolacek/125_sw_tank/elegance_1_071106.jpg[/IMG]

Show Elegance
 

I believe I have one of the largest living in the world as far as captive elegance goes. It is 13 in. across and has been in my tank for over a year now. It gets bigger every month and has always eaten when i offer food. I have a zooplancton stock large enough to feed it otherwise. The funny thing is everyone talks about how they are misshandled during shipping.... When i recieved mine, it was in a bag with no water at all. The bag had a leak and completely drained into the box. I thought it would for sure not make it but its grown about 6 times its size since i have had it. Another thing, I don't have mine in the sand bed. It is placed in a rock creves right above the sand bed and seems to love it there.

Here is a pic

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/?action=view&current=DSC00377.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/?action=view&current=DSC00376.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/?action=view&current=DSC00374.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/?action=view&current=DSC00372.jpg[/IMG]

Let me know what you guys and gals think

Re: Show Elegance
 

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7730815#post7730815 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by David_agg05 [/i]
[B]

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/DSC00377.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/DSC00376.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/DSC00374.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/DSC00372.jpg[/IMG] [/B][/QUOTE]

Fixed those pics for you. :D

That's awesome. I can only hope to have mine grow like that. I do plan on feeding it often, with brine, mysis, krill, cyclopeeze, whatever it'll eat. :)

pic
 

trying to get pic on here

[IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/Dave_05/Elegance/DSC00377.jpg[/IMG]

:lol: Beat you to it! :D

thanks, I normally don't post pics on here so i appriciate it

Also if you don't have any scetchy anemones, I would dose your tank with some Maracyn(saltwater) at half strength until that cyano bacteria goes away. It can be deadly of not delt with quickly.