carnation doesn't bloom

[kashi410]

I bought a pink carnation 2 days ago from the local fish store. It is hanging upside down by a cave, is recieving moderate water flow, and I am trying to feed it when the lights are out but it never opens up its branchs. do u guys have any idea what i can do?

[coralite]

Carnation corals, dendronepthea sp. are notoriously difficult to keep. I don't know anyone who's kept them for any period of time. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. They do require alot of water flow and so must be firmly attached. What are you trying to feed it?

[Jimbo]

All I can tell you is, please do NOT purchase another dendronepthea. They almost never live in captivity for any length of time. Their needs are not completely understood. They are, in my opinion, the heartbreak family of corals. Beautiful, but out of reach!

Best of luck
Jim

[kashi410]

definetly, a beautiful tease i like to call them. What can I say, a total impulse buy, the damn things are sp gppd looking! :eek1:

[Will]

Try some phyto. I think Borneman's book says that they consume something like 60% phyto and 40% "other stuff", including zoplankton, bacterioplankton, detritus, etc. How large is the tank? That could play a huge role in the overall success of the coral simply based on the fact that you can get away with feeding a heck of a lot more in a larger tank...
-Will

[rvitko]

Brigette Tunze has maintained them for long periods of time. She sets up an IV drip of phyto and keeps only dendros. The flow is provided by broad flow pumps with lower flow rates. Lighting is just two 55w PC blue and filtration is a Tunze 3130/2 skimmer. It can be done but further research is required and dedication to just this species. In general I agree but I think in a few years dendros will be as feasible as acros- the equipment and food is their someone just needs to do it.

[goodfe11aa3]

I have a dendronepthea,

I got it about 2 weeks ago from a lfs. I knew what I was getting
into, but I was up for the challenge, because I new if I did not
purchase it some who knew nothing about it would and the
dendro. would die in a day. So far it is open and bloomed about
90% of the time. I switch up what I feed it between phytoplankton, zoplankton, and marine snow for now. I feed it
with a small turkey baster and take my time giving it a little at a time in hopes it absorbes more. Fingers crossed hopefully it will
be around for a while?

I have a 92 gal bow front
25 gal wet\dry
excalabier skimmer
lifeguard mechanical & chemical filter (run some of the time)
lighting is 250watt metal hallide 10,000k
and 2 vho super atanics

[MarinaP]

I think in a few years dendros will be as feasible as acros- the equipment and food is there, someone just needs to do it

I agree. My dendro (that has been with me for about one year) reproduced both by dropping branchlets and by extending "rootlike growth more outward from the base attachment" (E. Borneman), and then breaking free from these clear growths. This coral can walk like anemones, I swear.

I feed DT, PhytoPlex, ZooPlex, ground cyclopeeze and whole frozen cyclopeeze daily. This coral enjoys direct feedings from a pipette with powerheads off. My tank is 90G seahorse/softies reef. I have medium current/medium PC light in the tank.

It is time to get over "this coral is impossible to keep", and use our collective knowledge to sustain this coral in captivity.