To post here or not?

Elegance Coral · 06-09-2007, 10:47 AM

I had to get out of the hobby a while back and get rid of my Elegance corals.

At the time I didn't know there was a problem with Elegance corals coming into the hobby. About 2 years ago I decided to get back into it. This is when I found out there was a problem. I started to give up on setting up a new reef tank. If I can't keep these corals then why bother? Then I decided to do something about it. I searched the web and couldn't find any info on how to care for these new Elegance corals. So, I built a system to house them in and let it get settled in for about 6 months. Then started buying Elegance corals. I have placed my corals in many different environments and read everything I can get my hands on about these corals. It has been about a year and a half now. I am much better at caring for these corals today than I was when I started. I'm not saying I have a magic pill that cures all Elegance corals. Through trial and error I have learned what to look for in these corals and what to do in response to the different symptoms that they show.
I have posted threads on two different sights about this. On one sight things went very well and it turned into a very long thread with alot of positive feedback. I think everyone involved learned alot from that thread, including myself. On the other sight the thread flamed up and I ended up leaving the sight. I had no idea this could be such a heated topic.
My question is, should I start a thread about this here or am I in the wrong place? I am new to this sight. I have read that this is a flame free environment, and from reading through some of the threads here, yawl seem to be some of the nicest folks on the web. If this is to much of a controversial topic I will not post anything here.
Thanks for any input you may have.
Darrell

dobejazz · 06-09-2007, 10:56 AM

Feel free to post I myself would love to learn more about these beautiful animals.
TRT truly is a friendly flame free site I don't think you would have any trouble here.

JY13131 · 06-09-2007, 10:59 AM

I think the work you are doing to keep the elegance coral alive and well in our hobby is very interesting and I enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your photos. This hobby is not by any means an exact science when it comes down to the finer details. There is room for understanding and knowledge all around. I hope that you continue to post here and learn to weed through the posts even if they become heated. It is the passion we have for our hobby that gets us all worked up

motorslave · 06-09-2007, 11:29 AM

Sounds like a good thing! So what are the main problems with keeping this coral?
What, if any, are the problems with aquiring the coral?

Reef-Keeper · 06-09-2007, 11:41 AM

Darrell, if it is working OR not ... POST AWAY !! i am sure that it would be benificial to everyone (including myself) with an elegance coral to have some sort of an idea of what to do in any case. i dont see where this could be a bad thing.

though i am sure there could be disagreements (it happens), the info would still be invaluable.

Elegance Coral · 06-09-2007, 12:08 PM

I believe that by far the bigest problem is light. One of the reasons hobyists seem to be having such a problem with these corals is that they don't react to light in the same way other LPS's do. Most animals like anemones, and LPS's like open brains, will swell up when the light is not intense enough. With these new Elegance corals they swell up and retract their tentacles when the light is to strong. I have tested this several times with several different individuals. They can react like this within seconds of being placed under bright lights. When removed the swelling will begin to go down. Unfortunately, it seems that after such an exposure the coral is damaged. The extent of damage seems to relate to the duration and intensity of the exposure. In most cases they can recover from this damage if given the proper environment to do it in. I have 8 Elegance corals that I have put through the ringer. I am no longer testing these corals. Now I am just implementing what I have learned and trying to get 8 large beautiful corals out of this. I have killed 3 corals while doing tests on them. I don't feel I need to do this anymore. I would love to be able to share what I have learned over the past year and a half, and to show pics of my corals as they improve.
I do want to caution people though. These are not corals for the new person to the hobby. Even more experienced hobiests that don't have the time to dedicate to these corals in the first few months should avoid them. It can be alot of work bringing these corals through.

Doug1 · 06-09-2007, 12:12 PM

By all means please post what you have found. You might get the 3rd degree from some , but we are interested in sharing experiences
Welcome to TRT

jennmac415 · 06-09-2007, 12:13 PM

I say... WELCOME!!!!!!! (please bear wit me as I type my key between "g" and "J" is not working) I tink you will find tis to be a great place to bot sare and learn...We all are ere because we all sare a passion for reefs and want to know all we can...of course some may disagree wit eac oter once in a wile but tat is also beneficial te long run...so please join us and sare your information about tese beautiful corals!

Elegance Coral · 06-09-2007, 12:50 PM

Thanks everyone! I love this sight!
Okay, I should start a new thread. What do I call it?

Reef-Keeper · 06-09-2007, 01:06 PM

how about "elegance study info by Darrell"

thebutler4 · 06-09-2007, 01:53 PM

Sounds good to me .. there have been thousands of coral deaths do to trial and error .. this is how the human race learns .. by the errors .. so .. please by all means .. post away! I would love to understand and learn this coral .. and possibily keep one my self one day ...

I look forward to your posts!!!!

xtopher · 06-09-2007, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jennmac415

I say... WELCOME!!!!!!! (please bear wit me as I type my key between "g" and "J" is not working) I tink you will find tis to be a great place to bot sare and learn...We all are ere because we all sare a passion for reefs and want to know all we can...of course some may disagree wit eac oter once in a wile but tat is also beneficial te long run...so please join us and sare your information about tese beautiful corals!

Jenn it sounds like your missing a tooth hahaha

jenajet · 06-09-2007, 07:15 PM

I am glad you are posting. Most people here are pretty cool. Now that you mention it, I think my lighting may have been a issue. I have 500 watt total on my 90. Even in the shade at the bottom of the tank, the elegance would get rather large. Could this have caused the tissue to rip, allow the insides(tho they looked and acted like worms) to come thru, then slowly it just faded away. I have one small frag left, if it has survived the weekend while I am away I may move it to the sump to see how it does.

ChrisPrusha · 06-09-2007, 07:19 PM

Welcome aboard!! w00000000000000000000000000000000t!!!

whatevva · 06-09-2007, 07:32 PM

I'm all ears!! and Welcome!!