Elegance coral Questions for Elegance coral :)

[gsellers1245]

I have 2 elegance corals in my 90 (ill be attaching pics shortly) And i feel i am malnourishing them. The small one dont open up like it used to and started to show skeleton and same with the other one. They are now both showing signs of bouncing back and the tissue is regrowing. They are on the far left and right of the tank in the sand under 2 250w 20k xm's with medium flow randomly and i dont spot feed. I would like to have these guys open up alot more and get them bright and shiny again, do you have any tricks to help me get these guys from craoking. They have been in the tank well the big one 4 months and the small one 2 months or so.They are housed in a 90 aga with 38 sump and fuge full of chaeto otopus 150 skimmer 2 tunze 6025's and 2 mj1200's alk 3.3dkh ph 8.3 sg 1.024 temp 79 calcium 420-440 ammonia 0 nitrates undetectable phosphates undetectable. dosing daily oceans blend 2 part (calcium reactor coming soon) Any help would be apperciated

before pic of the small one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/MARCH30TANKPICS003.jpg
before pic of the big one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/newpics017.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/newpics016.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/newpics011.jpg

the after pics are uploading on photobucket just a sec

[gsellers1245]

any clue on the species of these also?

[gsellers1245]

after pics on the big one
forgot to say it was hard for this thing to bounce back with this damn clown hosting it
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance005.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance003.jpg
after pics of the small one, you will see a huge difference in color and shape. I guess a loss of zooanthelle?
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance002.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance001.jpg

[gsellers1245]

sorry alk is 3.3 meq/l not dkh

[gsellers1245]

can anyone chime in?........................

[sherm71tank]

Get that clown out of there! I also noticed a big difference in mine when I fed it. Small pieces of shrimp and fish every 3 days or so.

[gsellers1245]

what kind of shrimp did you feed? would prawn be ok? little pieces of silversides?

[elegance coral]

The color looks great. The Elegance corals colored like yours often change to the color it is now. In fact it has more algae in it today than it had when you got it. You should feel good about that. Sherm71tank is correct. You have got to do something with the clown. Its a shame because that is a beautiful clown, but someone must go. After the clown is gone, you should try to feed them. If you tried this now the clown would probably just steal the food and throw it away. This would just cause the coral to spend valuable energy trying to feed and not getting to. They may not start feeding right away. Take a small, about 1/4 inch, piece of shrimp or fish and gently wiggle it in the corals tentacles. Like a fish struggling to get away. This is your best shot at getting a feeding response out of the coral. After a second or two the coral should grab the food and slowly begin moving it to its mouth. If it does feed the first time you try, you should pop open your favorite beverage and celebrate! If you want the coral to begin opening up you will need to feed it often. At first, small pieces about twice a week. Ater it has grown you can start feeding larger pieces less often. In about a year from now, after the coral has grown and is totaly adjusted to tank life, you can start moving them up the rocks closer to the lights if you want them to begin showing more of the bright green color. This color will most likely continue to fade a little more where they are. Thats okay for now though. Food is the most important thing these corals need right now, other than the clown off of them. One more thing. Don't feed them food from the grocery store. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10085491#post10085491 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gsellers1245
what kind of shrimp did you feed? would prawn be ok? little pieces of silversides?

This would be fine.

[gsellers1245]

good news i snuck a piece of silverside in and the big one closed up like a clam and the little one did the same. I guess i should celebrate?
So twice weekly huh? ill do that and kick the clown, hopefully i can get my 40 breeader up and running this weekend so i can throw them in there.
Thankyou so much for the help guys ill sure to post pics of the pregress weekly and make sure it is the same time of the day so we get a shot of full expansion

[elegance coral]

I wouldn't move these guys any time soon. You have had them for several months and they are still adjusting to life where you have them. If you move them now you will start this process all over again. I would allow them to build up some strength and become very healthy before I started thinking of moving them. I know feeding them in the bottom of a 90gl tank can be a pain, but if you can keep it up for at least a couple of months, you will be much happier in the long run.
I don't want to sound negative, but are you sure the corals consumed the food? Closing up like a clam is a defensive response. They normally open up later and the food floats off with the current. The key to keeping this from happening is to lightly, very lightly, touch the tentacles with the food and allow the coral to sting it and move the food to its mouth. If the contact is to rough the coral will close up like a clam and not feed. The only portion of the coral that should react to feeding is that portion very near the food. The rest of the coral should remain open.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[gsellers1245]

sorry i didnt elaborate...im moving the clowns to the 40 breeder. The small one didnt get the food...the big one i am not sure as the lights went out for the night. But i will keep offering them a piece daily until i get a better reaction in feeding

[gsellers1245]

here's a bit of an update
We've got some progress :)
both elegance took food in yesterday 6/6/07
here is the little one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance010.jpg
a little closer with the piece of silverside
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance012.jpg
and here is the big one accepting the same...
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance013.jpg

[gsellers1245]

as you can see the new growth on the left side of the big one ^^ and the skeleton showing on the right side
here is pics of them on 6/7/07 looking good after their little meal yesterday
little one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance019.jpg
big one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance020.jpg

[gsellers1245]

and also this evening of 6/7 i removed both clowns and it took me about 1/2 hour and i snagged my net on my blue tipps milli and i was furious. i wanted to pop their heads off. but i just stuck the frag in a little hole and see of it takes without falling out
heres the little clowns in their new home....now i need to get my light and canopy built so i can get them a carpet
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/rcelegance022.jpg

FINALLY NO MORE HOSTING IN THE ELEGANCE

[shutiny]

From the pictures above, I think the food pieces are too big. Smaller portions are easier for it to consume and digest.
Feed smaller portions and more frequently is better in mine personal experiences.

[sherm71tank]

I agree. They will take smaller pieces much easier.

[elegance coral]

They're right. The food shouldn't be more than about 1/4 of an inch for now. They have allot of growing to do before you should try feeding large pieces like that. Good luck, and keep the updates coming.

[gsellers1245]

ok will do... i gotta go and get some more silversides they tend to stick better

[DrDNA]

Looks like you got a lot of good info above. :)
FWIW, I have two elegance corals in my tank, both on the sand under 10K 250w halides. I feed them little pieces of silversides, like no larger than a pencil eraser at most, about once a week.
Elegance corals are still my favorite coral! :)

[gsellers1245]

ok it is time for an update....ill post pics when i have a bit more time into the photoperiod and they are all out and about

[gsellers1245]

ok here is the big guy, but i didnt get any pics of the lil one ill do it tomorrow
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elitereef005.jpg

[sherm71tank]

Very Nice!

[elegance coral]

He looks good. How's the feeding going?

[gsellers1245]

feeding is going great, they respond so quick to silversides and the prawn doesnt seem to spark any interest, i think its because of the shell that they dont like here's the little one at day 7
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/tank-1.jpg
the tentacles have a tad bit more extension and the crown opens up 1/3 of the size more

[sherm71tank]

I'm jealous! I had an elegance several years ago that grew so large I had to get rid of it as it was touching the front and back of my tank. I picked one up about 2 months ago and it didn't make it. I'll try again but not unless I can get a really good look at it. The one I got last time had a small amount of tissue damage and it went from there in a hurry. Keep up the good work!

[gsellers1245]

go to www.elitereef.com and click on australian corals, you will find 2 beautiful specimens there if you have the cash

[gsellers1245]

sorry slacking on the updates....ill have some soon. BUT with one addition.....I changed out my 250w 20k xm bulb for a 250w 20k radium. so there will be some changes in growth and coloration, i tried to shade the little coral which is where the radium is now. Updates later i promise

[sherm71tank]

Sounds good! I picked one up about a week ago. I got a very good look at it and bagged it myself - no tissue damage anywhere that I could tell and I looked really good at it for about 5 minutes. It took some small pieces of shrimp two days ago so I am very hopeful. I'll post some pics in a few days if it looks like it'll make it. So far so good!

[gsellers1245]

good luck sherm, got any pics? post em up i dont mind

[gsellers1245]

Ok finally got my camera back and took some pics today, The little one showed no signs of stress from the spectrum change from a 20k xm to a 20k radium. The little one is readily taking shrimp now and eats it within a minute or so too.The other one will undergo the test this friday when the other bulb comes in. here are the pics
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-2-07034.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-2-07032.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-2-07028.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-2-07027.jpg

[gsellers1245]

Ive noticed the tentacles slowly getting longer and longer on the little one, the big one not much of a change visually i think but i will keep everyone updated

[sherm71tank]

Still looking good! Yours have a better chance of success being on the sand than mine do on the rocks. I noticed a very small area of distress on one side of mine two days ago at night with a flashlight. It is continuing to eat though so I hope it is healing.......

[elegance coral]

Sweet! I'm glad to see things are looking up. There is a new thread in this forum where someone else is having sucess keeping his coral under low light levels. I am so stoked! Looks like its working to me.

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10261946#post10261946 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sherm71tank
Still looking good! Yours have a better chance of success being on the sand than mine do on the rocks. I noticed a very small area of distress on one side of mine two days ago at night with a flashlight. It is continuing to eat though so I hope it is healing.......

I keep all my Elegance corals on the rocks. In fact they are in a BB tank. The flesh around the top edge of the skeleton on your coral isn't touching the rocks is it? As long as that part of the flesh doesn't touch the rocks it's safe.

[sherm71tank]

No it's not touching any rocks. If yours do really well do you plan on fragging them? Thats what I plan on doing with mine. I should have done it with the last one but was too scared to try it. Then the guy I gave it to killed it. :blown:

[elegance coral]

That sucks! No I'm not going to frag my Elegance corals. I will be working on breading them though. I'm through with my research into whats been killing them and now I'll be moving on to breading. I have had them spawn, and I tried to raise the larvae, but a divorce cut that project short. Hopefully I will be able to pick up where I left off.

[rcypert]

How did you get them to spawn?? Thats fricking amazing.

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10276702#post10276702 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rcypert
How did you get them to spawn?? Thats fricking amazing.

Unfortunately there is no trick to it that I know of. All we can do is what we do with Clown fish and all the other animals we bread. Give them a good environment, lots and lots of food, and patients. When they get big and healthy enough mother nature will take her course. (I hope)

[gsellers1245]

ok today some awkward results......since the addition of tropic marin's pro K elements and A ( ammino acids) the big elegance has been huge the past 4 days. Now this IS obviously in direct relation to the supplement being dosed. Ive been dosing daily 4 ml of the K elements and 2ml of the A elements or ammino acids whaever ya wanna call it. But the small one hasnt blown up like the big one. It kinda flattened out and is glowing nuclear green now and i think we might see some flourescent pink/purple tips in the near future. Ill post some pics tonight :)

[elegance coral]

You may be on to something. I believe that Elegance corals do have the ability to absorb nutrients directly from the water. This may help out a lot with corals that are hard to feed. My LFS just talked me into picking up 3 more very ill Elegance corals. I'll pick up some of this stuff and see if it improves their recovery. Thanks for the tip.

[gsellers1245]

ill post up the pics in a few minutes, im uploading to photobucket now

[gsellers1245]

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegance003.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegance002.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegance001.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegance006.jpg

[gsellers1245]

I just looked at the progress so far and there has been alot of progress here with the feeding habits and addition of the radium bulb over the small one and with the addition of tropic marin PRO A & K elements. I hope this thread will help someone understand that feeding an elegance WILL help growth and stability. I know i have learned that :) i will keep posting my results and findings so we all can hopefully keep these bad boys alive.

[elegance coral]

The tentacles of the small one are about twice as long as they were. Good job! I have two like your small one. I have had them for a while. Now I'm slowly increasing the light for them and so far so good. Thanks for taking the time to post updates. This thread shows that it can be done.

[gsellers1245]

I hope to get some aussie elegance in the near future so stay tuned!!! :) :)

[gsellers1245]

ok this weeks update...........Got the second radium on its way and it will go on the right side of the tank where the big elegance is. Hopefully he will take to the change in color and wont stress too much. Here are pics today of both elegance...........
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-16-07008.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-16-07007.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-16-07001.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-16-07006.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-16-07005.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-16-07003.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-16-07002.jpg

[elegance coral]

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/5774/neweleganceao1.jpg
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/9825/newelegance1sx8.jpg

I think the flow may be just a little strong for the large one. It would open up more if the flow was reduced. You can see how much of the oral disk is visible in these pics. If you reduced the flow so that just the tentacles sway in the flow and not the polyp, it will open up more. You would probably see a large difference in the first day.
How's the feeding going?

[gsellers1245]

feeding is going great. Im trying to feed every 3 days. It is really hard to get the perfect flow. the small one is getting perfect flow but it is a really hard task with all the corals i have in the tank. I wish i had the time and money for an elegance only tank :) I guess thats where this hobby is amazing. Having lots of flow for my sps and tiny flow for the elegance and just the challenge alone is worth the time. Hey if you wanna donate an elegance to me or sell one to me i'm game. Maybe if i can help take in part of different studies for these corals.. let me know
here's march 30th tank pic
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/MARCH30TANKPICS002.jpg
Tomorrow ill post a full current tank shot

[gsellers1245]

7-2-07 tank shot
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-2-07050.jpg

[gsellers1245]

you also can see the difference with the radium on the left in the second pic

[elegance coral]

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/43/elegance031aa1.jpg
This is a pic of one of my corals from a while back. It looked much like your small one did when you got it. Now it looks like yours does now. I have seen these corals swell up like the rest so I have been keeping them in dimmer lighting to keep them from swelling. I'm not sure if this is the best long term environment for them though. I believe that my coral and yours has had time to adjust to the light they are in, but I believe they can handle more light. I have slowly, very slowly, been increasing the light on my coral and it seems to be doing well. If I increase the lights to fast the tentacle expansion is greatly decreased. Both of these corals have darkened up from when we first got them. This tells me that they have adapted to an environment with less light than what they came from. I believe the best possible environment for these corals is to be in lighting that is plenty strong enough to fuel their biological needs without burning them. This is the hard part. As dark as these corals are you would think they should have some room to adapt to brighter lights. If you wanted to help me out with this little experiment you could slowly begin increasing the light on the small coral. You have a much better camera than I do, so if you documented its reaction it would be a great help. You would have to do this very slowly. Moving it a few inches closer to the light and watching its reactions. A week or so later if all is well, it could be moved a few more inches closer to the light. Eventually the tentacles should start to fade and the green color on the oral disk should start getting brighter. I'm not sure though because I haven't completed this little experiment. You would have to be very careful. If the jump in light is to drastic the coral will swell up and the tissues will be damaged.

The large coral looks great, other than the flow issue. I have the same problem. It is hard even in my tank to get the flow just right. Flow causes the tentacles to get real long and beautiful, but if it is to strong the polyp wont expand. If the flow is to low the polyp will expand but the tentacles won't get near as long. Trying to get the flow just right in the middle is the hard part. As the coral grows this becomes even more of a problem. One part of the coral will be receiving stronger flow that other parts.

I am still buying Elegance corals myself. I plan on trying to bread these corals. Don't laugh :D . The more corals I have the greater the odds become of one of them spawning.
I see you live in Florida. What area? I live in Lakeland.

[gsellers1245]

im in brandon, like 30 mins away from you....if i take the bike 15 minutes :)

[Trigeek]

This thread is very impressive and my hat is off to you guys for having what appears to be thriving elegance. I've always loved these corals but have shyed away from them because they are known to be difficult. How long have you had these and what do you attribute your successes to?

[gsellers1245]

well, i would say superior water quality, placement, flow, feeding time every 3 days and the most important ACCLIMATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT
also have found out some ammino acids and trace elements have boosted size

[gsellers1245]

Today's update. I came home late lats night and the big one was swelled up and tentacles were drawn in. 15 minutes later it was back to normal. could it be when i adjusted the flow down and p***ed it off???? or it could have been one of my tangs. Was/ did it expell waste? But the flow is adjusted now and progress the very next day, it is as big as it has ever been
pics? of course i have pics
here it is when it was mad kinda in the middle but it was worse than that
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-19-07001.jpg
today
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-19-07003.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-19-07002.jpg

[gsellers1245]

here is an example of the flow i have it under
big one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/th_d46d4924.jpg (http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/?action=view&current=d46d4924.flv)
little one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/th_da7b7cc5.jpg (http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/?action=view&current=da7b7cc5.flv)

[Serioussnaps]

great vids...i think it was a response to flow personally if the tentacles went funny on you....leave it alone!!!!!!

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10372976#post10372976 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gsellers1245
Today's update. I came home late lats night and the big one was swelled up and tentacles were drawn in. 15 minutes later it was back to normal. could it be when i adjusted the flow down and p***ed it off???? or it could have been one of my tangs. Was/ did it expell waste? But the flow is adjusted now and progress the very next day, it is as big as it has ever been
pics? of course i have pics
here it is when it was mad kinda in the middle but it was worse than that


You said you came home late. Were the lights on a little longer than normal? If so this would make sense.

[gsellers1245]

no they are on timers and they do fine with 10 hours of halides but im gonna cut back to 8 hours here in about the next 2 weeks and observe the reaction. And i will document any change in size or color

[elegance coral]

Do you bump the thermostat on your ac up when you leave the house? The pic you posted looks like the reaction you get if the lights are to bright, the photo period is to long, or the temp climbs a few degrees above normal.

[gsellers1245]

i have a chiller, the temp never goes above 81 or below 78. The thing that gets me is that it was only that way for about 15 minutes

[elegance coral]

If it was only like that for 15 minutes then it had to just be from a fish pecking at it or something. Mine will do that briefly if a snail starts cleaning their skeleton and gets to close to the polyp. Sorry if I over reacted. I get a little nervous when I see a healthy Elegance withdraw like that. The only fish I have is a mandarin and he doesn't cause any problems. The only reason I got him is because the pods got so big and so over populated that they were stealing food from my sick Elegance corals.

[gsellers1245]

i figured it was something like that.

[gsellers1245]

updates to come later in the week

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10407827#post10407827 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gsellers1245
updates to come later in the week

Where did you go? The week is almost over:D .

[gsellers1245]

ok maybe the beginning of the next week :)

Few things happened this week.....first off i was adding fresh ro to the tank because i have an aqualifter on an adjustable ball valve for my topoff. Well the sump was getting low so i opened it up to almost a steady stream and well i forgot about it and the sump the next day was almost overflowing but didnt, it dumped in 10 gallons of fresh and maybe a little bit more. I removed 10 gallons and tested my salinity...it was 1.020-1.021. That was on tuesday. Saturday i did a 20 gallon w/c and both elegance seem to be having a hard time since the salinity drop. I elevated the salinity very very slowly as to not stress the fish. .002 a day. and now i'm baxk to 1.026 here's the pics
the little one now loks like its bleaching/losing zoox. and the big one is p.o'ed today.
You can notice the splotchyness on the little one. Its like the tentacles are changing colors.
here are yesterday's pics
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-30-07001.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-30-07006.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-30-07004.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-30-07005.jpg
here are today's pics...i think something fell into the big one maybe a snail....
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-30-07007.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/7-30-07008.jpg

[elegance coral]

On the small one, the tentacles that are fading, are they the ones that are more exposed to the light? Like the ones at the very top of the coral, or is it totally random? Is the polyp expansion and tentacle length the same as it was? The large one will most likely recover if an infection doesn't set in.
Don't feel bad man. I killed 4 of my corals when I let the temp get to high. At least your corals will most likely survive.

[gsellers1245]

the whole coral on the small one is exposed to the same amount of light. The tentacles are a bit smaller and skinnier. Tonight when i got home the lights were off and the big one had opened up the part that was closed so thats a good sign. We'll see how it goes this week.

[gsellers1245]

ok an update....i found out why the elegance was p.o'ed I dont think that it was the salinity drop that caused the stress....I had a newly added seabae anemone and it melted in the back of the tank....big mistake!!! i removed all the rotting anemone and siphoned out all the slime.....did a 20 gallon w/c again and put fresh carbon in. Today he's starting to open up in the recovering side....the funny thing is that the little one has shown no effect from this incodent except the brown tentacles turning green...maybe this is a cause of the changed light....going from 20k xm to 20k radium.....maybe it is just changing now .......

more picture updates tomorrow (friday) :)

[gsellers1245]

also....photoperiod is now back to 8 hours.

[gsellers1245]

ok i'm back just been very busy...the big one pulled through it and the little one has gotten bigger and has started to change color due to the lighting increase.
little one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/8-13-07003.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/8-13-07002.jpg
big one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/8-13-07001.jpg

[gsellers1245]

i counted 8 mouths on the little one also

[elegance coral]

Nice job! I told you they were going to survive.:D They both look like they have improved quite a bit.

[gsellers1245]

i was worried there for a couple of days

[gsellers1245]

ok here's the big one today...
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/8-27-07012.jpg
didnt get a shot of the little one, the lights went out just as i was goin to take the pic, and i didnt want to wait for the halides to cool off

[gsellers1245]

i decreased the flow and kinda getting some disc to show. It couldnt be happier. The tropic marin pro A and K IMO is helping out a bunch, i dont know why but i seems like since the addition of the elements the coral is more stable except for the salinity drop...but it pulled through it fast...only like 3 days. He is looking healthy.
until next time...
I might move the little elegance 3/4 of the way up the rockwork to acclimate to brighter light, and i will be documenting color change polyp expansion and any other effects. so stay tuned.

[elegance coral]

Looks like the big one pulled through with no problems. Did you ever try moving the little one?

[gsellers1245]

not yet i havent had any time at al for anything except cleaning the skimmer :) I looked around the tank and theres no spots where it can sit without getting blasted with flow...i guess thats the downfall of a mixed species tank huh?

[dadonoflaw]

i hope you guys dont mind if i talk about my elegance. i have a 180 and it has its own valley like structure i created to protect it from currents. depending on the week it will eat everyday or every other day. i believe it benefits a little from nitrates in the water. the lfs that i got it from had it for four mths when i got it and it was pretty big. but i get better polyp extension and i have had it for five months. there nitrates are about 5ppm. mine are 25ppm. i am hopeful that it will thrive. also i noticed that alot of people have shortr stubbier tentacles than mine. is that a good thing or a bad thing. is it a function of flow light or food?

[gsellers1245]

here's an update
big one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/9-24-07011.jpg
little one
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/9-24-07012.jpg

[GoTakuF1]

gsellers1245, elegance coral - Brilliant job with this thread! Good luck with your elegance projects/experiments. I recently aquired an "Aussie" elegance based on the positive feedback from their owners so I will be closely following this thread. Cheers to the success of our elegances!

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10756114#post10756114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dadonoflaw
i hope you guys dont mind if i talk about my elegance. i have a 180 and it has its own valley like structure i created to protect it from currents. depending on the week it will eat everyday or every other day. i believe it benefits a little from nitrates in the water. the lfs that i got it from had it for four mths when i got it and it was pretty big. but i get better polyp extension and i have had it for five months. there nitrates are about 5ppm. mine are 25ppm. i am hopeful that it will thrive. also i noticed that alot of people have shortr stubbier tentacles than mine. is that a good thing or a bad thing. is it a function of flow light or food?

I don't think gsellers1245 minds if you talk about your coral. While healthy Elegance corals may be able to tolerate higher nitrates than some other animals, it's not good for them. As nitrates climb their expansion decreases. The size and shape of their tentacles depends on their health and environment. A very healthy Elegance in the proper environment will have long cylindrical tentacles that taper to a point. If they are ill, recovering from being ill, or in the wrong environment their tentacles can be shorter or abnormally shaped. If an Elegance becomes very ill, it may take a year or more for its tentacles to become long and cylindrical.

[elegance coral]

Glenn,
Nice job! They still look great. I just went back and looked at page one of the thread. Your corals look sooooo much healthier than they did when you first got them.

[gsellers1245]

i added a 40 gallon refugium and its helping alot here's the new addition
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/9-24-07002.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/9-24-07003.jpg
ALSO UPGRADED THE REFLECTORS DIY LUMENARCS :)
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/9-24-07010.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/9-24-07006.jpg

[elegance coral]

Awesome tank! I had no idea your tank was kickin like that! You made those reflectors?

[gsellers1245]

SRE DID...and i have the materials to make one more. If you want it its yours. I will show you how to build it, or i can build it for you. LMK

[gsellers1245]

it would be for free of course...i got them really cheap

[elegance coral]

Sure, I'll take it.:) Thanks Glenn. I'm setting up another system for my next project, and that reflector would be perfect. Maybe if you have time you could stop by and take some pictures while you're here. If not, I'll drive to you.

[gsellers1245]

i dont mind driving, and i wold love to take pics of your tanks for you. I'll go ahead and build the reflector for you and i'll get in touch with you sometime to meet up, i got a couple of busy weeks ahead so i'll se what i can do

[lbaskball45]

looks good. I used to have my clown host in my elegance and the elegance would get so big that I coudlnt find the clownfish in my tank. Then out of no where, the clownfish came from the inside the elegance. he was hiding inside and was covered by the tentacles. Those were the good old days

[gsellers1245]

ok long time no post.....both elegance still alive but some problems. Both elegance are responding by not opening up. Its been this way for weeks now. The little one has no tissue loss but the big one has the tissue receeding on one side.They will both still accept food but not open all the way. The big one honestly i think is the reaction to the lighting. I went from 20k xm to a 20k radium.
Alkalinity has remained the same at 11
calcium ranges from 440-480
phos-0
nitrate-<5
amm-0
I just dont understand. The water parameters have been consistent for the duration of captivity. The only things that catch my eye...both react the same...maybe a lack of or possibly build up of a certain element. So i'm thinking a big water change...50%

I also thought possibly a nitrate spike....removed a cup of sand for a fellow reefer.

Better yet what about chemical warfare....i have removed sinularia and added a big toadstool leather. The leather is upstream from the elegance. Soooo ****ible culprit.
Darren i will post pics tomorrow and i have not forgot about you i still have your reflector. What do you think man?

[gsellers1245]

bump

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11276045#post11276045 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gsellers1245
ok long time no post.....both elegance still alive but some problems. Both elegance are responding by not opening up. Its been this way for weeks now. The little one has no tissue loss but the big one has the tissue receeding on one side.They will both still accept food but not open all the way. The big one honestly i think is the reaction to the lighting. I went from 20k xm to a 20k radium.
Alkalinity has remained the same at 11
calcium ranges from 440-480
phos-0
nitrate-<5
amm-0
I just dont understand. The water parameters have been consistent for the duration of captivity. The only things that catch my eye...both react the same...maybe a lack of or possibly build up of a certain element. So i'm thinking a big water change...50%

I also thought possibly a nitrate spike....removed a cup of sand for a fellow reefer.

Better yet what about chemical warfare....i have removed sinularia and added a big toadstool leather. The leather is upstream from the elegance. Soooo ****ible culprit.
Darren i will post pics tomorrow and i have not forgot about you i still have your reflector. What do you think man?

Good to see you back:)

I like the 50% water change idea. I would also add or change out your carbon. If I had to guess, I would say there is some type of toxin in the water. It may be from the leather or other tank inhabitants, or it could be from an outside source. Air fresheners and chemicals used to clean the house can easily make their way into an aquarium. When there is something wrong with the water, Elegance corals are usually one of the first to show their disapproval.
I have kept Elegance corals with Leathers without having any problems. Never a large leather though. Maybe 4". If there is a problem with the water, it may cause the leather to produce more toxins than normal which would compound the problem. I know that when GSP is upset, it will produce more toxins, and Elegance corals really do not like GSP toxins. I think things will turn around if you do a large water change and add activated carbon.
Let us know how things turn out.

Darrell

[gsellers1245]

i added a whole mesh bag of carbon yesteray forgot to post it. I moved todastool to the 12 gallon nano. I have water mixing right now....No air fresheners, Today it is opened up a tiny bit but not like it used to...Pics to come

[gsellers1245]

here's pics as promised
LITTLE ONE
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegancedownhill005.jpg
BIG ONE
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegancedownhill004.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegancedownhill003.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegancedownhill002.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/GSELLERS1245/elegancedownhill001.jpg

[gsellers1245]

ok did a 40 gallon water change today...everything looks happy...added another bag of carbon too...updates to come this week

[capn_hylinur]

this could be a reaction to too much care. You might with honerable intentions caused a little bit of instability for the elegance and its reacting that way.