Look at my new addition - I think it is elegant!

IndyMatt · #1 09/23/2006, 10:38 PM

I went to one of my local fish stores, which Indy is very lucky because we have some really nice ones. Anyway, I have been looking for that one coral that everyone that comes over oogles over, a centerpiece. Today I think I got it. I walked in and they had two types of elegance corals in, pink tipped and purple tipped. I was in awe drooling and was considering a pink tipped but in was the size of a mini basketball and I definitely didn't have the room. So I got a purple tipped. These were from Bali and the owner said that the ones with all the problems are from Jakarta. These were definitely healthy.

Here is the eye candy.

No Flash Actinics

With Flash

So what do you guys think! I was so excited that I called my wife giggling like a little school girl. Once she saw why she quickly understood.

Large Polyp Dave · #2 09/24/2006, 01:28 PM

hmm puffy body, with the short tentacles...
I hate to be the party pooprt but those are symptoms of it's upcoming death.

the LFS owner was incorrect. The problem occurs with the elegance corals from all regions.

Keeping it in the shade may help it's chances for longer survival but it's almost guaranteed to die within a few months. If you can exchange it for another coral from the store I would do it.

whatcaneyedo · #3 09/25/2006, 03:15 AM

thats how mine looked before it died... I'll never buy one again.

IndyMatt · #4 09/25/2006, 06:26 AM

Well that pretty much sucks, I will be looking at what to do today including contacting the store.

IndyMatt · #5 09/25/2006, 07:02 AM

Going from really happy to really bummed, this kind of sucks.

damitchsta · #6 09/25/2006, 07:16 AM

that does suck you sounded so happy in the first post then got shut down

IndyMatt · #7 09/25/2006, 11:12 AM

So is it doomed, could this just be the reaction to the stress of just being introduced to the aquarium?

Update: I called the LFS. which is only open on Saturday, and they said that they would not give me 100% of my money back as store credit. Truthfully, they sell them cheaper than other LFS, but it still doesn't make me happy that they said these were fine since they were from Bali and not Jakarta. I even asked whether my lighting was an issue, nope it's fine. It has only been in my tank a total of two days. I will keep an eye on it. How long should the tentacles be?

IndyReefMan · #8 09/26/2006, 02:07 PM

That's very similar to what my elegance coral looked like when I first purchased it... almost two years ago. He's a lot bigger than that now with longer tentacles. I feed him once every two weeks or so. I don't know if that makes a big difference or not.

John75hex · #9 09/26/2006, 02:31 PM

I have now learned that LFS people will and do say ANYTHING to get you to buy what they sell.
I refeuse to listen to any of these people. I post here FIRST, then purchase.
If your looking for a center piece try finding a large Torch, Frogspawn or Hammer coral. These can be VERY pretty and are quite hardy.

John75hex · #10 09/26/2006, 02:59 PM

Also, for what its worth, I have an Elegance coral, its now 3 years in tank, but it was an aquaculture. I have it in the rocks, not on the gravel and I can tell you mine does not like iodine at all. I did have another Elegance for 4 months, I dose 1 drop of Lugals and it instantly freaked out and died within 24 hrs. I have not dosed iodine in the last 2 years and all corals are healthy. Just my expirence, as i know others that have elegance corals, (most from years ago) that do dose iodine.

sufunk · #11 09/26/2006, 03:27 PM

Good luck! There are beautiful pieces!
Mine did great for a few months. One day my cleaner shrimp stole its piece of silverside i fed it and for some reason it would never eat again. Went downhill for about 6 weeks and died. Very sad, it was a beautiful piece. Would love to try again when i get my 180g set up but not sure unless i hear some more successes from people.

blange3 · #12 09/27/2006, 09:24 AM

Matt, don't give up on this piece, It can turn around.

I would recommend target feeding mysis and cyclopeeze. Adding some Selcon would help.

Laura Senchuk · #13 09/27/2006, 10:07 AM

It is pretty, I hope you can get it to live. I do hate when LFS will tell you anything to make a buck.

John75hex · #14 09/27/2006, 10:41 AM

Update? How is it doing? Pics?

IndyMatt · #15 09/27/2006, 12:14 PM

Not good, I dipped it in Kent Tech D and it is still not doing well. It is shriveled and receding, this is not a water quality issue since all my SPS are fine and doing great. I am going to try to spot feed it tonight.

MorandiWine · #16 09/27/2006, 04:33 PM

John75Hex,

FYI Lugols is Iodine, just so you know.

tyler

John75hex · #17 09/27/2006, 07:30 PM

Yeah, I know, that was my point, After I added it the elegance died. I am POSITIVE it died due to the Lugals solution. This is how I came to the logical conclusion that some of the CURRENT Elegance corals that are available today seem to not like Iodine.
I also had a close call with Kent Microvert coral food, with my current Elegance. I dosed it once and My Elegance instantly freaked out. I looked on the ingerdients and it also contains Iodine. I wouldnt have dosed it if I would have known. It didnt come out from its body for a few days after that, and I thought for sure it was a goner. Then it started slowly coming out each day and now it is fine again. There are ALOT of foods/ chemicals etc. that contain iodine, so now I am very carefully. I also realize that there are trace amounts of iodine in all of our salt mixes, not sure what to make of that.

MorandiWine · #18 09/27/2006, 09:01 PM

......interesting. Who really knows when it comes to Elegance Corals, they have always been pretty fussy for us here on the west coast too. The only thing that seems to keep them going really strong and well is to feed the heck out of them and dont put them under too much light. Seems that many are put in tanks with way too much light and it bleaches them out. But I have had them "freak out" too and the only thing that seemed to help was food, food and more food. I have used raw shrimp and flounder fillets.

tyler

saltycreefer · #19 09/27/2006, 09:56 PM

We dip them @ work when they come in in lugols, 40 drops per 1 gallon, thats the only way I've ever gotten them to live. they actually live after that...