Got some new Coral! WARNING: Bright Colors in this thread!

[justin-branam]

I just picked up these this week. cant wait till they grow a little bigger.

http://www.justinunderwater.com/gallery/albums/myaquarium/pinkcarnation.jpg

http://www.justinunderwater.com/gallery/albums/myaquarium/orangecarnation.jpg

[FSU]

BEAUTIFUL pictures!!! :pics

[GaryP]

Are those carnation corals? I sure hope not.

[MikeDeL]

:shades Those things are bright. Look nice.

[newhomes4reef]

those are beautiful! These are non-photosynthetic right? Are there compatability issues when keeping these in a reef tank?

[DeletedAccount]

More feeding issues than compatibility. They need a constant phyto food source, if I am not mistaken. Also, pristine water. Hard to keep a constant phyto drip AND perfect water in an enclosed area.

Best of luck to you with these. I hope that you do well with them!

[CD]

Those are great looking corals.

As Gary asked, are those carnation corals?
I hope you don't have too much lighting for those as they are a low light coral.

[justin-branam]

Are those carnation corals? I sure hope not.

yes they are. im very closed minded so i figured id give it a shot. these were tank raised frags, so they have been doing well so far with target feeding. i figured id just try them myself and learn my lesson if i have too :D . they are just to pretty not to give a chance.

[GaryP]

What are you feeding them?

[GaryP]

I'd love to set up a species tank just for carnations, maybe with them hanging from some really cool arago-crete arches. They are definitely one of my favorite corals. I can imagine about 10 different colors in a tank with just a little bit of actinic and white NO lighting.

I just don't think I will ever have the time to dedicate to the care of such a demanding coral.

[justin-branam]

Justin, can you please share your care plans with us and maybe the care given by the farmer of these frags? I'm highly interested. :)

i am feeding them the same thing my "farmer" was. Zooplex and Chromaplex each day and this is supplemented with my fishes mix of diced brine, squid, phytoplankton, and a few other tidbits. my "farmer" kept them under some pretty intense T5 lighting, so i am going to see how they do under my 175 MH's. they are also in a pretty high flow area of my tank. i will keep you all posted if they live past a few months.

[smelleybrad]

Fin-Addict has both those in right now. Very nice! Good Luck.

[GaryP]

I would encourage anyone interested in carnations to do some serious research into their requirements before making a purchase. I bought one once, a long time ago, and watched it whither away. I mistakenly thought I could feed it every few days with DT's.

Most coral "experts" say they should be in a dedicated tank with a constant drip of live green water. In the wild they live in caves and feed on a constant supply of phytoplankton provided by ocean currents.

Justin, I wish you luck. Keep us informed.

[Tim Marvin]

Very cool, I wish I had enough experience to keep those.

[gjuarez]

Wow, those are awesome. THose are also knosn as fire corals right? I have a friend who is planning to get them thinking that they are very easy to keep. I better warn him.

[MikeP]

Even scientists in Israel who specialize in these corals have had no long term success with them in captivity. Good luck but they are likely doomed to die. First one may actually be dyed also.

[Thunderkat]

How can you tell if something is dyed? Does this harm the animals?

[MikeP]

How can you tell if something is dyed? Does this harm the animals?

I see dyed colts and capnellas that same ridiculous shade of red pink like the first coral. It may survive but usually it will eventually bleach out and expell zooxanthellae and then have to recover. Also beware of dyed condylactis anemones - used to see a lot of them dyed yellow.

[rocketeer]

I saw an article once where somebody was going to try to feed carnation corals bubbles. Yeah, bubbles. He thinks there may me a mechanism in which the coral can consume the bubble and use the protein from the wall of the bubble. Interesting. Try keeping them in your skimmer. :sick

Jack