What is it and is it healthy?

[starypotter]

Hi everyone,
I got some live rock and sand from a local reefer a week ago since he was cleaning out his small tank and upgrading to a 150+ gallon. He wanted to help me get started and in the small tank he had some GSP growing on the back wall which he scraped off and tossed in a bag for me, and he also had a frag plug with some stuff on it. I think there's some dead old coral on it and also something living. At first when all of the polyps were retracted I thought it was just a massive GSP (I'm new to this). I don't know much about coral care yet as my tank is still just cycling, and the person who gave it to me promised that I wouldn't kill these things and if I did manage to he'd be proud because he's been passively trying to get rid of it for years.
The GSP seems to be pretty happy, it opened up after a few days in my tank and has stayed that way. The other thing... well I'm not sure if it's happy or not, I'm thinking it's not since some places look a bit pale? Is it being bleached? Some parts are a green which fades into dark gray/purple, and other parts just sort of look dead pale gray.
Parameters as of last check are PH-8 Alk- 10 Ammonia- .5 Nitrite- 0 Nitrate- 20 Calcium- 360 Phosphate-.5 Temp 79-80

 

[cristata.reef]

1st and 2nd pic are a very unhealthy zoa/paly. IMO I wouldn't put any corals in a tank until 6 months after it has cycled. There's gonna be really high nitrate levels and altough the guy is right in the way that they probably won't die, they'll end up with some defects like polyps that never open fully, muted color, etc

 

[starypotter]

1st and 2nd pic are a very unhealthy zoa/paly. IMO I wouldn't put any corals in a tank until 6 months after it has cycled. There's gonna be really high nitrate levels and altough the guy is right in the way that they probably won't die, they'll end up with some defects like polyps that never open fully, muted color, etc

Alright well since waiting is off the table since they're in there already and I don't have any other options other than QT, how do I help it along? It looked pretty sad when I got it, it's actually gained a bit of the green color since, when I got it it was all gray, might've just been transport stress I don't remember what it looked like in the tank before he disturbed the rock and sand.

 

[tdileo]

Get a light on that tank and they will open up much more.

 

[starypotter]

Get a light on that tank and they will open up much more.

I've got a light on it and it's in the middle of the tank, I wasn't sure if it liked high light, low light, or whatever.
Also I just went in with a turkey baster getting some sand off the rock and a couple of the polyps broke off ;Wideyed

 

[lewisriverfisherman]

1st and 2nd pic are a very unhealthy zoa/paly. IMO I wouldn't put any corals in a tank until 6 months after it has cycled. There's gonna be really high nitrate levels and altough the guy is right in the way that they probably won't die, they'll end up with some defects like polyps that never open fully, muted color, etc

I was wondering where you found data that supports waiting 6 months after a tank has cycled to add coral? There is nothing wrong with putting softy's in a tank after it has cycled. Mushrooms, palys, zoas, green star polyps, toadstools are all fine for a new tank providing water parameters are in check. Go slow adding things check to see how they do. If they thrive and are healthy add more. I wouldn't add sps to a new tank as there is not enough fauna in the system for it to thrive(but this all depends on how you start your tank in the beginning. My tank cycled in 13 days and I had sps in on day 30.)

 

[lewisriverfisherman]

I've got a light on it and it's in the middle of the tank, I wasn't sure if it liked high light, low light, or whatever.
Also I just went in with a turkey baster getting some sand off the rock and a couple of the polyps broke off ;Wideyed

Theses polyps look like they have been starved of light as they are all elongated and stretched out. I would start them off in the bottom of the tank to let them get acclimated to a new system. Then move them up a bit closer to the light and see how they doKeep and eye on them if they start closing up move them down.

 

[starypotter]

Theses polyps look like they have been starved of light as they are all elongated and stretched out. I would start them off in the bottom of the tank to let them get acclimated to a new system. Then move them up a bit closer to the light and see how they doKeep and eye on them if they start closing up move them down.

Okay, I've had the light up a couple days now so hopefully that'll help. They went without light from Saturday till Tuesday but have had light since then.

 

[starypotter]

Off topic from the original thread, but seeing as there's people now and I don't want to clog up the emergency forum from true emergencies and I don't know if this is one, but I got some halloween hermit crabs the other day, in QT I didn't have any extra shells, my mistake, I did have some sifting snails. Hermit left his shell, started attacking snail. Snail produced slime, naked hermit crab stuck in slime. Added empty shells, removed snails but how do I help the naked gooey hermit crab?

 

[cristata.reef]

I was wondering where you found data that supports waiting 6 months after a tank has cycled to add coral? There is nothing wrong with putting softy's in a tank after it has cycled. Mushrooms, palys, zoas, green star polyps, toadstools are all fine for a new tank providing water parameters are in check. Go slow adding things check to see how they do. If they thrive and are healthy add more. I wouldn't add sps to a new tank as there is not enough fauna in the system for it to thrive(but this all depends on how you start your tank in the beginning. My tank cycled in 13 days and I had sps in on day 30.)

Just personal experience. One time I had a couple softies in a tank during a cycle. Cycle ended but one of the corals (a sarcophyton) died an nuked the tank. I also found that for newer tanks it takes a while to get parameters in check and to remain to constant. I agree 6 months may be overkill but I usually give that kind of advide to people who might be completely new to the hobby (the whole fish before corals idea). But yeah speaking of such, mushrooms like discosoma can live in anything (mine lived through the tank crash)

 

[DSC reef]

I was wondering where you found data that supports waiting 6 months after a tank has cycled to add coral? There is nothing wrong with putting softy's in a tank after it has cycled. Mushrooms, palys, zoas, green star polyps, toadstools are all fine for a new tank providing water parameters are in check. Go slow adding things check to see how they do. If they thrive and are healthy add more. I wouldn't add sps to a new tank as there is not enough fauna in the system for it to thrive(but this all depends on how you start your tank in the beginning. My tank cycled in 13 days and I had sps in on day 30.)

I don't think data has anything to do with it. Many experienced reefers may get away with adding coral quickly but sound advice is waiting until you know your tank, stability, etc. We all just try to help. I agree with @Sonofives in waiting to add coral for at least a few months and seeing that there's ammonia present in the tank waiting might have been good advice.

 

[Joshky]

@starypotter First coral could be Isaurus tuberculatus, common name is Snake Polyps, if so that's normal for them. Hard to really ID on my phone, they very well may be elongated palys though.

edit:
Just looked on the computer, those definitely look more like palys stretching for light unfortunately.

 

[starypotter]

@starypotter First coral could be Isaurus tuberculatus, common name is Snake Polyps, if so that's normal for them. Hard to really ID on my phone, they very well may be elongated palys though.

edit:
Just looked on the computer, those definitely look more like palys stretching for light unfortunately.

They seem to be doing better now, more or less at least, they're all open now at least. I moved it higher up in the tank and it opens and closes with the light. I've been considering increasing the lighting, I'm only a 5% I believe, but I'm in the middle of a diatom bloom where I've seen that it's good to reduce the lighting so I'm a bit conflicted with that.