Chili Coral?

[carnophage]

i have a 125g reef tank, i got what i was told was a chili coral from my lfs. below is a link to a site with a pict.

Chili coral

anyways, i have had it in the tank for about 2 weeks now, and i have seen no change, or movement of the coral. does anyone have anything like this, and what am i doing wrong. everything else in the tank is fine, the hammer, plate corals, yellow sun polyps. Thanks for the help!!

[davenia7]

Is it in the light? They like a dark cave.
I placed mine under a rock overhang in the dark corner of the tank, with a good flow

[carnophage]

it is in a cave, no direct lighting, and there is pretty good flow. i have never seen it stand up, the guy at the lfs said it would like fill up with water and stand up

[finsurgeon]

I put mine in a downward cascading or partial hanging position. It went a few months looking like nothing was happening, then took off, opening its polyps to feed and even propagating to include a part that "stands up". It likes to be target fed in the evenings, though I'm not sure which part of my rotation or mix of DT's phyto, Reef Nutrition Phytofeast, frozen rotifers, cyclops, "coral food mix", oyster eggs, and "Invertebrate Banquet" that it likes.

[rogergolf66]

well I have one also but it only seems to stand up when my final stage of lighting is on the super attinics. other then that it is limp all day.
Do you have attinic lighting on a timer to go off later then your day light lights?

Roger

[dendro982]

I have such chili coral and two similar, but slightly different chilis.

All of the for a few months after purchase opened only in the evening and night, and closed within minutes, when the light become a little brighter, than dim, even the early light or low PC light from the other tanks within 1 yrd/1m from it. Shading by the thick black screen between them helped.

This palm-shaped light-red kind with slightly pinkish polyps (white, just hint of pink) is sensitive in my tanks to the water quality, not so nitrates or phosphates, but opens more readily in the filtered and skimmed water, than in water, filled with food. Strange, huh?

Had to hung one up because of bristle worms - it become closed for a week or more, I removed 7 bristle worms from it, 2 big and 5 small. Counting, what allergic reaction they induce after contact with my skin, I understand that closure. Another time with being long closed, it appeared that a 2" bristle worm found it's way into the pump and was smashed by impeller blades, this water come to the tank. Removing the worm, partial water change and carbon helped.

They like water flow, but not blasting, just reflected from the glass. Better, if fine particulate matter is filtered/skimmed from the tank - less bacterial and microalgae film on the coral.

The food: eats many times more, than photosynthetic corals. Size of the food should fit in the polyps mouthes. Depends on coral - if the branches are pinkie-finger thick - it may be 500-700 micron (Golden Pearls, Cyclop Eeze or finely blended seafood), if the branches are around 1/4" (6mm) thick - 300-600 micron (by eyeballing, not precise), the same, Cyclops - grinded, smaller Pearls, and ZoPlan.

Feed after they open, of course, and if they open.
Try totally dark place, clean water, no bristle worms - may help. Anyway, they survived for a several months without opening during feeding, then, after moving to another tank - just opened, skinny and far from glorious, but alive.

Good luck!

[StickFish]

If your looking for it to open up during they day then dont quit your day job. They are primarily noctournal feeders. Ive had mine for 2 years i only ever see it open during the morning when i turn my lights on. Once or twice ive seen it open early towards the end of the night but its very rare to see them open during the day hours.

I Just like it because it adds a bit of red and i do like seeing it open when i turn on my lights.