Avian's Question

[waterfaller1]

Hi Avian,you asked about corals with limited lifespan.Now this is due to several factors....mostly because our systems do not have the proper nutrients or elements to keep them long term...so they simply starve.I thought it best to start a seperate thread.
Difficult corals to keep;
Goniopora
Alveopora
Chili Coral
Carnation
Elegance
Long Tentacle Plates


High maintenance corals;
Sun coral
Gorgonians{non-photosynthetic ones}
Dendrophyllia


That's all I can think of right now;)

[Versus]

dunno if its listed but flower pots? i think they are called have always been diffacult for me to keep . they stay alive but their extension is very poor.

[scottywags]

I never new that carnation corals were "hard to keep", I always thought they reproduced like kenya tree.

[floridajhawk]

ya flowerpots are the gonipora, if you want to prolong their health as long as possible pm JENNnKERRY great people and they work almost entirely with goni's

[Avian]

ahh, thanks for enlightenment. Can these corals thrive in higher light nutrient rich enviroments?

[stellablu]

So it's safe to say that my plate coral is probably not going to make it. This was the first or second day after purchase. Now I find it with its skeleton exposed and one tiny sliver of it tore off. It is eating, but it doesn't appear happy. It still reacts to lighting.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/stellablu/Fish/DSCN4247.jpg
I'll get a new photo of it in a bit. My perimeters are all fine, I have a bit of nitrates (I usually always have around 30ppm) but otherwise everything is clear.

I bought it presuming it was the same thing as a torch, which my boyfriend has and has success keeping, so it is my error I suppose. I would like to keep it healthy, of course, so any tips or links would be very much appreciated. I don't know how to tell if its splitting or not, or if it's sick.

[Navymedic]

my LTPs do real well on the sandbed where they can sweep there tentacles with the current and "catch" stuff, I also have a Tounge coral and it is thriving as well. try changing the position of the plate. LMK

[Avian]

They don't do well in nutrient poor SPS dominated tanks because the majority of them are stipped of nutrients, basically there isn't alot of food floating around for them. Since your sand bed is intact, have real good lighting, keep it fed, and have proper trace elements pesent in water, it should be fine.

[stellablu]

I had to move it to the sandbed after it was stinging a nearby leather coral. I noticed the first time I moved him he bloated up real good for a while. I guess I'm probably oversensitive to its responses...too much like an anemone with its crazy habits.

[kenny77]

yes carantion are hard to keep. mines sadly dies afetr i change to VHO. well i i put him in a shallow and now the babys are growing were the light is inderect and has flow. but yes it is hard to keep. gorgonian are hard since you need to keep them in high flow so no algae grows on them. other wise you have to keen the alage it pays back all teh hard work feeding it and i love it

[stellablu]

Here are a few shots that I just took of the coral...notice the skeleton showing and slice missing.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/stellablu/Fish/DSCN4479.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/stellablu/Fish/DSCN4469.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/stellablu/Fish/DSCN4468.jpg

Kenny,
Is this a carnation frag on the left?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/stellablu/Fish/Picture004.jpg

[weefishman]

That doesn't look too bad, I've seen em bounce back from much worse. Just my opinion but looks like it may have been burned or stung, you had mentioned that you had to move it because of aggression.

And it's kind of hard to tell by the pic but that does look like a carnation frag on the left.

Good luck with your plate coral and just remember to be patient with it, LPS corals are usually pretty tough and chances are it will be fine once the problem is corrected. Like I said, I've seen them make come backs from MUCH worse than that.

-Jonny