Help with plate coral

[caybrook]

I am new to the saltwater world and this is my first post so I will give you some quick background info.

50 gallon tank, eheim pro3 canister, two Hydor power heads hooked up to the wave controller... Machine? HookedOn skimmer, eheim surface skimmer and two marineland LED (3340 lumens each if that makes a difference?)

I cycled my tank using something called colony, 35 pounds of live rock and 3.5 inches of aragonite.

Within the first 24 hours my nitrates spiked and within 24 hours they went down to zero. All of my parameters have stayed where they should be the whole time. Is it suppose to be this easy? I have the API reef test kit and deepsix hydrometer.

I use only water run through my RO/DI filters.

I think that's all the back up info needed. Keep in mind I walked into my LFS and said " I want a saltwater tank. Not concerned on the price I just want the best available to make this easier on a beginner". So thus far I have been following their lead like a blind sheep.


I have purchased two ocellaris clown fish, six blue legged hermits, six turbo snails, plate coral and a zoa frag. All at different times. New Year's Eve a friend decided to get me three convict blennies which had been in the bag for six hours before arriving to me. ( great. Thanks. ) Eventually by day four all three blennies vanished( no bodies found and they don't come out at feedings etc. lfs said they are great at hiding and are probably burrowed under a rock. There is also an urchin that came as a hitch hiker on the live rock and the lfs can't identify it.

The plate has been in my tank for almost two weeks now and looks the same as the day I bought it. No tentacles and it's very hard and has not moved or blown up. I have put shrimp and pellets on its mouth area which it has sucked up and eaten but I am kind of concerned because everything I have read says their tentacles come out when they are hungry and they puff up often.

Here is my plate coral ( an ID would be great as well!)

 

[caybrook]

My zoas just for good measure

 

[rworegon]

Not all plate forals are the dame. Some will never "blow up" or show tentacles. There are short tentacled plates, long tentacled plates, and there are those, like yours that don't show any tentacles at all. As long as it's eating and not losing flesh, your probably fine.

 

[caybrook]

Wow really? I had no idea that there were some without tentacles. So I should continue to feed it directly? I have been doing a feeding every three days, should that be enough?

 

[rworegon]

I would thing two to three times a week should be fine. I have trouble feeding mine because my cleaner shrimp constantly steals the food.

 

[tyler1503]

You'll get 100 different opinions on how, when, what and even if it's beneficial or not to feed coral. Just do what you think is best, although over feeding is dangerous to the corals digestive system as the food can rot before being fully digested. I feed my corals mysis once or twice a week and get great growth. Every 3 days shouldn't be an issue.
To keep your shrimp away you could give him a bigger chunk of food first so he has to work on that before stealing others food (works for me!) or use feeding tongs to chase him off

 

[Tab28]

Plates have tentacles just some are longer like an anemone and others are short like tiny hairs. I would not be concerned if it does not have its tentacles out all the time. In some tanks they are always out others not. They do not like high light and will shy from it. As long as it is eating. Se day you may see it send out its tentacles it uses then to carry food to its mouth. If yours has a peak at its mouth it is actually a cycloseris plate. If completely flat it is a fungia

 

[typicaltony]

Try looking at the plate after lights out in the dark, usually at night is when they puff up and look their best...

 

[caybrook]

Thanks guys.

I have gone down to look at it at 2am after the lights have been off for several hours and I thought it looked a little thicker, but I don't know if I was seeing that only because I wanted to see that lol. It has " vacuumed" food into its mouth ( which is raised) that I have placed onto the edge of the coral. Super neat. I have been feeding it with a large livestock syringe with a long plastic tip ( I have horses so these are abundant in my household) with tank water mixed with shrimp.

 

[caybrook]

At the moment it is on the bottom of the tank with no shade, should I move it to a shadyish area?

 

[tyler1503]

He will move into a more suitable spot himself if he is getting too much light or flow
If he starts to bleach before he moves, it may be an idea to give him a head start on the move, but he should be ok.They puff up really big and will drift slowly in the current to the spot they like best. I had several at one stage that would spread out during the day and have a few inches of space between them, but at night they'd huddle up together virtually on top of one another.
They're definitely an awesome coral! One of the most entertaining and underrated in my opinion

 

[caybrook]

I just fed him and the mouth gladly took in some food. I decided to move him to a bit shadier spot and notice the underside of him doesn't look right. Any ideas?

 

[caybrook]

Anyone have any idea?

 

[Eienna]

No idea, but if it dies, don't throw it away; after a period of bare skeleton, plates will often grow little baby plates.

 

[tyler1503]

+1 don't remove him if he dies.
It's a bit hard to see as I'm looking at this on my phone and I can't really see much detail, but it looks like slime and sand? But I'm guessing it's not that lol.
I wouldn't worry unless it's some kind of burrowing calcareous worm. If he looks happy on top and is readily taking food he should be ok, or at the very least, recover well.
Have you dipped him before?

 

[caybrook]

Sorry what do you mean by dipped? I'm new to all of this.

He's doing well and eats all the time although have still never seen any tentacles. He just vacuums food into his mouth. The strange spot on the bottom seems to be shrinking.... I think.

 

[Tab28]

Dipped is a coral dip. Which kills most parasites. It is sold at most all coral stores. If it is still eating and looking better. I would not dip it. It may cause undo stress. I would not worry about the tentacles. Corals use tentacles to capture food. It just may not need them. Read up on coral dips. It will help stop any unwanted pests from corals you introduce into your tank from another tank.

 

[Rob&Gab]

to sum up what he meant by dipped is a coral dip.

please search up Coral RX is a very good dip as well as brightwell's Lugols Iodine dip. but i prefer coral Rx for everything.

please use it with every SPS LPS ZOA you buy. anemones dont dip them nor inverts or any snails. inless stated on back of the bottle that its safe for inverts.

this will help prevent any pests from entering your tank that is not wanted.

 

[caybrook]

Ok I had no idea. I saw the iodine dip at the store but wasn't sure what it was for. Will buy some the next time I am there.

Thanks