My Very First Corals!

EmilyXLC · Sep 23, 2012

Thanks to Tomoko, my tank is no longer a barren wasteland!

I had an amazing time with her today. I learned so much & also got to pet a soft kitty. Good day. : )

I got every acclimated just like she taught me & now everything is hanging out in the tank. How long does it take for everything to perk back up?

pickupman66 · Sep 23, 2012

Emily. Give them a day or two to perk up. What did ya get? I got sps. Goodies from Dave yesterday and they are all polyped out today.

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EmilyXLC · Sep 23, 2012

I got some pretty Zoanthids, some Xenia & a leather (I think...)! I am so super excited! I can't wait to see my tank come to life.

JSB · Sep 23, 2012

Tomoko's is a great place to shop.

revsgirl · Sep 23, 2012

:clap2: Yay!! Congrats!

10silver6 · Sep 24, 2012

Ha plus one to Tomoko!!!!!!:clap2:

Tomoko Schum · Sep 24, 2012

Thank you for the compliment, y'all.

Emily - I had a great time, too. I hope your corals have opened up some.

markkazdad · Sep 24, 2012

please?

EmilyXLC · Sep 25, 2012

I'm having doubts about my reefkeeping abilities...

Here's one Zoa that still isn't opening up that much...

Here's another Zoa that got knocked off by my dumb crabs yesterday. It had sort of been opening up yesterday but now it's been closed. He's mad.

On the little disc are some tiny Zoas, on the right is a Pulsing Xenia rubberbanded to a rock & then the little guy down at the bottom is fine. The tiny Zoas almost look like there are some... cobwebs on them? The Xenia is freaking me out. It's all bulgy.

& what did I do to this poor guy? Yesterday he was kinda perky but now he looks a little frumpy & looks like theres some cobwebby looking things on him...

Am I killing these guys already?

Tomoko Schum · Sep 25, 2012

Give them a few more days. I am sure that they will perk up.

If xenia is bulgy, it might be trying to inflate. It may surprise you by pulsing soon.

Leather sloughs off their outer skin, aka algae tunic, periodically. When it is trying to do that, it looks shriveled. The leather looks good to me, though. It will perk up for sure.

I am sure that zoa will adjust to your tank sooner or later. A new tank is a tough environment for corals, but the tough ones will usually pull through. Watch your alkalinity and salinity to make sure they are in acceptable ranges.

JSB · Sep 25, 2012

...and throw in a little superglue so the dumb crabs don't keep knocking your stuff over. If the crabs don't get them, the snails will. Just take some Dollar Store Super Glue gel (3 tubes for a buck), put a blob on the bottom of the frag plug or rock rubble) you are securing, swish it in the water for a second or two, press the piece into position and hold it for a minute. If later you don't like where it is, just pop it off and do it over. You are stronger than the snails and crabs, so they should stay in place.

pickupman66 · Sep 25, 2012

make sure it is the GEL not the liquid. what I do is test fit it to see where it will sit good and not rock around. take the grag out of hte water, dry it off wher eyou are putting ht eglue and then put a good glob on that area. then stick it in the water directly to the place you want. the glue will form a film on it so I usually wiggle it around to break this film and then hold for 20-30 seconds you will feel it starting to set.

fsu1dolfan · Sep 25, 2012

+1 on the previous good advice. Good luck with the new corals...i am sure they will be fine.

markkazdad · Sep 26, 2012

Thanks for the pics! That last one will make a good "before" for a before and after update.

WesW · Sep 26, 2012

Make sure you get the super glue brand gel. I've tried other brands and they got very stringy in the tank and made a mess. The packaging should look like this -

Tomoko Schum · Sep 26, 2012

I have been using Loctite super glue gel for many years without any problem. The reason I like Loctite gel super glue is the fact that the tip stays open and I can use it for a long time as a result.

pickupman66 · Sep 26, 2012

I also use the loctite brand

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JSB · Sep 26, 2012

I have used SuperGlue Gel, LocTite Gel, and Ecotech Elements, and they all have their benefits. SuperGlue Gel is cheap at the Dollar store, but is almost a once and done due to clogging. LocTite is a little more expensive at HomeDepot, but the top allows you to reuse it more often. Ecotech Elements is great for building structure when you are attaching to rough textures, but lord it is expensive.

JSB · Sep 26, 2012

I am sorry Emily. I believe that I have derailed your thread.

:focus:

H@rry · Sep 26, 2012

Loctite all the way. Get the tube, not the bottle. The green and yellow stuff is cheap but it does not hold as well as Loctite, and as pointed out it will clog after the first use.

For irregular surfaces, I use this