Candy Cane coral--

Fly Guy · 01-25-2006, 12:27 AM

Anyone else have any issues keeping these things alive or maybe just acclimating them? I have been on a buying spree in the last month largely successful with the exception of the candy cane corals. My record is ZERO out of two in the last 2 weeks. I have purchased them from Marine Depot and to their credit they have issued credit for both of them no pictures or explanation required. They replaced the second one i think just due to the fact that I have been sending them large amounts of money in both live and dry goods but just the same, thats good business.

Just curious if anyone else has had any issues with these guys and/or if anyone has any suggestions. I like the way they look(in pictures I have seen, obviously not the way they look in MY tank) but without some kind of insight or advice I am going to hold off killing another.

Thanks in advance for any insight

Twitterbait · 01-25-2006, 12:38 AM

Some others may have had a different experience but i have found that my candy cane prefer MH lighting and good flow. I have kept them with my SPS for a while now and they just keep growing. plus it doesn't hurt to spray some goodies at night when their tentacles are out.

Fly Guy · 01-25-2006, 12:54 AM

Thanks for the reply Twitterbait. I havent had the fortune of even seeing tentacles. Both specimens seemed to be in bad shape when i got them and never even considered improving. Possibly it was just bad luck to get two unhealthy ones in a row. I dont have MH lighting, just 4x96 PC. 03 actinic and 10k, but i dont think the lighting has been so much of an issue for the length of time it has taken me to kill them. : )

lurch · 01-25-2006, 01:25 AM

I'm very new with a 5.5g with 64watts pc I do nothing special with my candy canes and they look happy and healthy maybe its just water quality or feeding in tank.Mine are close to the top though.

Swanwillow · 01-25-2006, 01:44 AM

try getting a frag decently local... even if you have to ship it, it MAY be MD's fault... you never know.

(and wasn't that two questions a day? j/k)

Fly Guy · 01-25-2006, 01:47 AM

3 if U look closer, even if the other one is getting ignored. : )

Loverotties · 01-25-2006, 03:45 AM

My two are under PC and been fraged from growing.

tdwyatt · 01-25-2006, 07:12 AM

Caulastrea spp. (the Candy Cane corals) are pretty plastic, in MH setups I usually make them understudies, as the Acropora & Pocillipora spp are my primaries for the topspots in the tank. They will need to be reeftop specimens in tanks with fluorescents.

Just curious, how are you acclimitizing these specimens as you place them in the tank? They are really pretty hardy, and are rugged to transport... I will even keep dead skeletons from specimens that show up in other's tanks, as the skeletons will often sprout new polyps after a month or two of placement in good water. You might want to put your skeletons in a back corner and see what happens. Place them so they do not have direct lighting (which would spur algal growth on the skeleton, not good for recovering polyps).

HTH

Fly Guy · 01-25-2006, 01:02 PM

Thanks Tom. Maybe the direct lighting is the thing. They did come to me in pretty rough shape and i put them at the top of the tank. Algae did immediately grow around the polyps that should have been recovering and my crabs were all over them in between me bouncing the little b*****ds off of the back wall of the tank. My water quality is excellent right now even though i still havent received my MR-2 and am just using the airlift. I just moved them to a more protected area to see if anything will rejuvenate. I needed to make space for the large frogspawn that came in the mail this morning anyway. : )

Twitterbait · 01-25-2006, 01:12 PM

If your up protland way sometime drop by and i'll give you some of mine. I have a big fatty crop of pink candy cane with huge polyps.

Fly Guy · 01-25-2006, 01:19 PM

Thanks Twitterbait. I might take you up on that. I do get over the the W valley on a monthly basis anyway. Where do you buy corals/supplies over there? About a year ago when i was even greener than i am now, i went to a place that was recommended off of division, i forget the name. I got way overcharged for some not so healthly specimens. It wasnt until recently when ive really been putting in some time did i realize just how much i was ripped off. : )

drsyme · 01-25-2006, 01:43 PM

You might want to try Dr Mac's

http://www.drmaccorals.com/

It is on the other side of the country. But their web site is new!

Twitterbait · 01-25-2006, 02:12 PM

I'll drop you a pm with a list to look at