My first coral is in trouble.....HELP

[S14_Silvia]

I picked up a couple corals from tico mike at the last meet in hopes of learning more about keeping them. These are my very first corals ever and everything was going fine with them for about a week, but I noticed something wrong today. I picked up a capnella, yellow polyps and green star polyps. Everything is doing fine except the star polyps. I notice when I got home from work that they were not open and some appear to be changing to a dullish brown color. As for lighting I have a PC 4x65 watt and placed them very high in the tank, about 6 inches from the top. I can get a pic, but I don't think it will help that much since I don't have a macro function on my camera.


I just checked all of my water parameters and since my tank is still cycling a couple things are a little high. My ph, kh, SG and temp are all fine, but my ammonia and nitrates are starting to build. This is probably what is causing the problem....? Are corals pretty resilient and will they bounce back once my cycle is over? I know it wasn't the best idea to add corals to a cycling tank, but all together the 3 corals cost me around $15. So is there anything I can do, or do I just sit back, wait for my cycle to finish and hope for the best?

[clownfishcrazy]

You could do a water change.

[otolith]

and a lot of them...we've all had our own coral mortalities, but knowingly adding something to a tank when you know it's still cycling is poor form, IMO.

[Irenicus]

I agree with Derek.

It would have been best to wait until your cycle was complete.

Patience is the key.

[S14_Silvia]

I know, I know, I know.....it was a bad idea to add it while it's still cycling. I figured for the $ it was worth a shot. I will never do it again :slapshand: I will do a 20% water change tomorrow and see if that helps.

[otolith]

Do it tonight, or else give them to someone else for safekeeping. There are plenty of very generous people in the club who sell things for cheap or give them away...and there are always deals to be had. Might as well try to save them, and learn to be more patient...only bad things happen fast in a reef tank.....

[tico mike]

I didn't know your tank was cycling or I would have told you to hold off. I could have held them for you as well. Lesson learned, sounds like you got it now. Where are you located? Someone should chime in. The star polyps should come back, they're pretty tough. I added some after they sat out for a day. I forgot I had them and they are coming back.

[S14_Silvia]

I'm located in chaska. I could put them in my 55 gallon, but I have a feeling my picasso trigger, niger trigger and snowflake eel will have their way with them. Do you think that would be such a bad idea?

[tico mike]

Snowflake will leave them alone. I thought you were going to put it in there to beging with. Frogbone had a trigger for a while, maybe he can chime in.

[S14_Silvia]

I was planning on transferring the triggers to the new tank, but I thought the polyps would be fine throughout the cycle......bad idea Well it's either a late night doing a water change or putting them in with the triggers, what's it gonna be?

[otolith]

the triggers should leave them alone

[Frogbone]

Never had any problems with my picasso and corals. He only ate my condylactis but she had it coming anyways... (at least that's what I tell myself )

Put your star polys in with the bad boys and keep them fed. That keeps them happy and from getting into things they shouldn't

Btw: I don't think GSP needs to be as close to the light as you had them. Mine are on the substrate about 26 inches away from my 4x96 PC lights and they are doing fine.

[clownfishcrazy]

Most fish won't eat corals, unless they are specialty feeders like some butterfly fish.

[S14_Silvia]

Well I'm in the process of doing a 20% water change, now comes a big decision. Do I leave the polyp in the current tank and hope the water change helps, or put him in the tank with the triggers and hope that they don't make a snack out of him.

[otolith]

Originally Posted by otolith

the triggers should leave them alone