[Neal359]

I am thinking of adding this to my tank but i want to know how dificalt they are to keep and if vho lighting is ok for them

[Biomanjcs72]

They are pretty hardy, VHO's are fine, they like the sand.

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

It seems that lately people have not been having very good luck with them. I didnt have any with mine. Died about a month after I had mine. You can feed it mysis, brine and frozen popcorn shrimp(meaty foods). Good luck with yours! [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
SHOG[img]/ubb/eyemouth.gif[/img]

[This message has been edited by SomeHairyOldGuy (edited 05-15-2001).]

[SPasse]

Neal359,

Elegance is as you have read, kink of a hit or miss proposition these days.

Problems seem to be related to the depth of collection and/or handling issues.

I picked up a green - purple tipped specimen in January that appears to be doing well and has started to grow. I have also been feeding mine with small pieces of cocktail shrimp. FEED IT.

In my tank, it is placed in the sand bed, with lots of light. (3x400-watt, 10,000K MH) and moderate current.

As per some conversations with Dr. Ron, Elegance is actually a mud/sand bed creature. So make sure your water current is not beating the tissues of the coral against adjacent rocks.

Regards,

Scott

------------------
The definition of an expert is a washed-up drip under pressure.
You can see my reeftank at http://www.homestead.com/spasse/

[clown-t]

i was thinking of adding on too but i don't have a cal reactor so i was staying away in till i get one. so if i feed it i don't need a cal reactor? plus i have 44ow vho.

[reptilicus]

G'day,
where I live, elegence are regarded as very hardy, whereas in the US not so much so. This is due to factor x, possibly collection techniques, and I believe systems they are kept in may have something do do with it. The only place I have ever encountered Catalaphyllia jardeini in the wild is in very turbid water, often around mangroves and not actually on the reef itself. I think many systems kept these days are just too nutrient-poor for the liking, the sort of high-light super-clean SPS-type systems just do not suit them, they are not from the same habitat as SPS and consequently should not be kept in the same aquarium, at least not in the same part of the aquarium.
I have kept two in the past, both went very well, never had a problem from the day I bought them till the day I sold them. As I keep mainly SPS reefs now, I no longder keep Catalaphyllia jardeini in my systems.
Regards,
Tom

[SPasse]

clown-t,

Adequate levels of CA and alkalinity are always necessary for stony corals. Or were you alluding to a CA reactors potential addition of other trace elements? But most LPS corals also require “meaty” foods to be “target fed” to them.

Some examples of LPS corals that need to be fed include Open Brains, Buttons, Bubble, Fungia & Heliofungia, and elegance.

Heliofungia (Long tentacle plate coral) is a good example of a supposedly “difficult” coral that is actually quite hardy in kept a natural temperatures and fed

Again the rule of thumb, is “If it has a mouth, feed it”.

Evolution usually gets rid of unneeded appendages.

Regards,

Scott

------------------
The definition of an expert is a washed-up drip under pressure.
You can see my reeftank at http://www.homestead.com/spasse/

[VIC]

Elegance corals are very difficult to keep in the U.S.
If you are going to feed it then take a chance. I would not suggest it for beginners due to the fact that they look healthy when you buy them but they require exact perameters.
No one has figured out what the parameters are yet. I have been in the hobby for 9 years and I have only gotten 2 of 12 elegances to live.
Good luck..
Vic

[SPasse]

Hi all,

The differing experiences of reptilicus and VIC show why this subject is so frustrating. I hear both examples again and again.

My current system is a no-skimmer, algae filtered reef with a DSB.

Regards,

Scott

------------------
The definition of an expert is a washed-up drip under pressure.
You can see my reeftank at http://www.homestead.com/spasse/