Reef Discussion

[Susan Bates]

Here i go again with the questions....I have a very large gold tip elegance, where about in the tank should he sit,some people say on the bottom some say up high,I have 60 cm deep tank, also should i dose iron supplement ?

 

[MagicJ]

They will adapt pretty well to either location, or anywhere in between. I always thought that they naturally occurred on muddy bottoms but I think it was @Oceanarium who indicated that he has seen them on rocky areas as well.

A large one will spread out quite a bit so you will need to give it plenty of room - that normally means that they are placed on the sand bed.

I have no experience with iron supplements.

 

[Agent M]

Either sand bed or placed on the rock is fine. If you have anything kicking up sand onto it then go for rock placement.

Just be aware too that they can on occasion eat fish and are often the winners when it comes to competition with other corals, so make sure it can't reach your other corals when it expands to full capacity and give it room to grow - they can get quite big within 6 months to a year.

 

[Susan Bates]

Either sand bed or placed on the rock is fine. If you have anything kicking up sand onto it then go for rock placement.

Just be aware too that they can on occasion eat fish and are often the winners when it comes to competition with other corals, so make sure it can't reach your other corals when it expands to full capacity and give it room to grow - they can get quite big within 6 months to a year.

oh no, it will eat fish?? mine is quite large

 

[ReeferRob]

They don't need any supplemental iron, they get what they need from the seawater. Whether or not you place them in the gravel or in the rocks is your choice, but they should be tilted on a slight angle, not straight up and down. It's too big for your tank, you can send it to me. :D That coral would fetch $400-$500 here. Anything Australian and gold fetches a bloody fortune.

 

[Agent M]

oh no, it will eat fish?? mine is quite largeView attachment 51557

Very rarely, but yes, they can fatally sting and/or eat fish as large as tangs. I've had it happen to me and read the odd report of it. I think it is more a case of mistaken identity or defence than the coral being deliberately predatory, as Elegance prefer to eat prey the size of brine and mysis shrimp. There is a higher chance of it happening if the tank is overcrowded and fish are forced to pass close by to it.

I would move the Elegance well away from your hammers, give them 20-30cm of space apart minimum. The hammers may harm the elegance as they have extra long stinging tentacles they can extend out to reach other corals.

 

[Susan Bates]

They don't need any supplemental iron, they get what they need from the seawater. Whether or not you place them in the gravel or in the rocks is your choice, but they should be tilted on a slight angle, not straight up and down. It's too big for your tank, you can send it to me. :D That coral would fetch $400-$500 here. Anything Australian and gold fetches a bloody fortune.

your kidding??, when i got it it didn't look that big until a couple of days after i put it in the tank, it was $80, he is not fully extended in that photo, mostly double that size

 

[ReeferRob]

your kidding??, when i got it it didn't look that big until a couple of days after i put it in the tank, it was $80, he is not fully extended in that photo, mostly double that size

If it's gold and from Australia it brings a premium here. If I had a few boxes of those it would finance a trip there, lol.

 

[slin1977]

Dosing iron is for those wishing for green algea, I would not dose more than 3 drops / fortnight.

 

[slin1977]

Iodine dosing would benifit and a touch of strontium as well. But then again strontium is not required if using a decent salt mix.

 

[Susan Bates]

If it's gold and from Australia it brings a premium here. If I had a few boxes of those it would finance a trip there, lol.

that sounds like a good plan, see you when you come over

 

[Susan Bates]

Iodine dosing would benifit and a touch of strontium as well. But then again strontium is not required if using a decent salt mix.

I use red sea pro coral is that a good one?

 

[Lesley]

I have 1 elegance on sand 1 on rock. Both do well so room for it to spread is more important. My elegance captured my abalone ( large ) and was trying to eat it. We rescued it and poor Abby had stings all over her underside that took weeks to heal. My rule with dosing - if you can't / don't test for it - then don't dose it ever. Lol

 

[ReeferRob]

I use red sea pro coral is that a good one?

Red Sea salt is a great salt and what I was using. I changed purely from a cost standpoint.

 

[slin1977]

I found Red Sea coral pro to be excellent.