[ja5per]

hi all,

as mentioned i need some serious advice. all corals i add i loss them?
it happened to my toadstools and now my plate coral can one help with suggestions, cause i only got it last week. Water paremeters are spot on!! Here are some images.

Before


After


Ja5per

P.S. come one folks! I dont want to have to give in to wife because of the price for these corals!(and losing them)

[Biomanjcs72]

Tell us more about your setup..Lighting, size tank, filtration, other livestock, etc. THe fine folks here will be able to tell you more then.

[Ltspd]

Plate corals are not very hardy. I have lost both a STP and a LTP but nothing else.

[ja5per]

Right guys here goes!

ammonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
ph 8.2
temp 27 f
cal and alk tests will be carried out tomorrow need new ones
lighting: metal halides D/ended blv 250w (no cover glass) may go back to tubes for the time being as i think its th lighting thats the problem?
filteration: 50kg of live rock 1" sand bed and turboflotor multi 1000
35gal sump
aclimatization procedure: 1hour
there are also shrooms in the tank that i have had for over 3 months and they are ok. But I had a sarc and the same thing happened to that over a period of 2 months it fell apart.

if i forgot something let me know guys! thanks for the help!!

[golfish]

I agree 100% with Paul, plate corals are not the best choice......I'm sure some people will step in a tell us how long they have had their plate coral and how well its doing but that doesn't make them the best choice for a reef tank.

[mrok12]

I ahve read in Eric borenmans new book that they are not incredibly hardy but also not impossible to keep. I think I remember that they do not tolerate direct intense light and need calmer flow conditions. I would consult www.Tropicorium.com. I go there all the time and he has some fungia that are huge. I recall that they are not in high flow or under direct light. Dick Perrin is his name and he has been proping corals for more than 10 years. He has over 30000 gallons of salt water. Hope this helps.

MROK12

[bongobrian]

ugh I'd have to say that coral is on it's way to coral heaven, but I have a hunch why it's dying on you. Are you adding iodine to the water? if not, then you might want to start. Yes your water perams are optimum, BUT iodine is a natural antibiotic and it is critical for reeftank. It's very hard to kill a toadstool leather, but with lack of iodine, it is fairly easy. When the coral gets an infection, it has no help in fighting it. Here is a little trick someone taught me that usually works if the coral isn't too far gone. Get a big tupperware container or bowl and fill it with 1/2 gallon of your tank water. Add some iodine (I use lugols iodine and I add 3 drops) to the water in the container. Let your coral sit in this for 1 hour each day for a week or two. I have done this with leathers, wellsophyllias, tubastreas, etc. and it works like a charm and it's easy. Throw this water out after you're done... don't put it back in the tank! HTH good luck.

[bongobrian]

Oh and I forget to say that you can do this with your plate coral, I just used the toadstool as an example because they are usually such hardy corals.

[VIC]

I agree. Plate corals are very hard to keep. Your water parameters are good but you need to keep a high level of Iodine in your water to support these types of corals. The water flow and lighting must be indirect and constant food must be available. I have attempted plate corals for 3 years and I finally have figured out what keeps them alive.
light water motion-constant food source-indirect lighting and plenty of cruising room at the bottom. Lastly, they like cool temps! I have 2 that are huge in a 75 gallon tank with not much else as they like to sting fish and corals as they "puff up" and move around. The secret to keeping Heliofunga is to keep temps between 75-77 degrees. Unfortunatly, this is a bit too low for other corals.
My advise....They are not worth the trouble..
Good luck.
Vic