Elegance Coral

[WWS]

I am thinking about putting an Elegance Coral in my tank but want to know from someone with experience if this is a good coral to get? Please give some advise. Thanks

 

[Bifferwine]

They sure are cool looking! I have never had one myself. But they always have them at my LFS. I asked my LFS about them, if they are hard to keep, and he said that most of them do not last very long in tanks. He said, "Let me put it this way: the elegance is one of the few corals in my store that I don't have a guarantee on."

Anyone here have one and kept one successfully???

 

[Doc]

I have never seen one in my LFS.

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[reeffreak]

There is a disease going around with elegance corals that are causing them to die.They were once classified as a hardy/easy coral but not anymore.From what I read its not a disease from the wild but one that spreads from supplier/distributor to LFS and then to our home aquaria.If you get one,look for the Aussie elegance,they fair much better and so far haven't heard of those getting that infection.

 

[ReefKeeper]

i have ome that is the size of a volleyball in my DT. i have not had any problems keeping it healthy, but i have heard from a lot of people about the same thing that freak stated above. Steven Pro showed me how to frag it, but i have not had the guts to try it yet. i was thinking about fragging it for the frag swap that we are having in November. i think it would be great if you could be patient on getting one and select a healthy coral. the healthy ones will have LONG tentacles and large polyps. the ones in most LFS's have short tentacles and large polyps ... they are diseased, so beware of them. most LFS's also think that they need DIRECT flow from a powerhead ... the reality is just the opposite. if they get to much flow aimed at them, the polyps will tear and you will lose the coral. in fact mine sits in the sand and GENTLY sways in the current. lastly, if you do find a healthy specimen ... acclimate it to the lighting VERY slowly. if you are running metal halides you should hide it in a cave for a few days and SLOWLY move it out to the lighting SLOWLY. these corals are also thought to get burned by intense lighting if not acclimated properly. the burn is suppose to be like you or me getting a pretty severe sunburn.

that is about all i have for now ... if i think of anything more i will post here.

 

[winyfrog]

I had one for over two years (the first I had been able to keep) and my purple tang one day decided that he liked elegance.. I haven't been able to keep one since.

alot of them are also deep water species so they require a lower tank area, somewhat shaded. Ask your LFS what kind it is. the aussies are the easiest.

 

[WWS]

So I found an enegance coral that is a blueish green with pink tips. I have it in my tank at the bottom in the substrate with power compact lighting. I do not have direct flow from a power head on the elegance, my tank has two hydor rotating devices (one on each top back side of the tank) mixing the water current between them.

How long will it take for the elegance to open completely? It is partially open (I can see the mouths)? How much flow is too much?

The LFS had the elegance in a tank with metal halide lighting so hopefully the sudden change will greatly effect the life of the coral.

 

[ReefKeeper]

i have mine under halides too. what lighting are you running ??

you will want the flow to GENTLY move the polyps, and not beat them around. the skeleton of an elegance in pretty sharp and the polyps are really delicate. you dont want enough current on the coral where the polyps are being beaten against the skeleton and poking holes or cutting them. a gentle flow is plenty. if you think it is to much then it probably is.

 

[WWS]

So I did a little more research, I found that an anquarist should try and keep the elegance coral more in a horizontal positon than verticle, and not too strong of light and current. The current and light was OK. I positioned the coral to a more horizontal positon (where the mouths are horizontal not vertical, and the tenticals are verical). Wow, within a minute the elegance opened up nicely.

 

[ReefKeeper]

i am gonna have to try that ... i wonder how big it will be if this works !! ??

 

[WWS]

I have had the elegance coral in my tank for 2 days now, and I have to say what a beautiful coral. The coral look like its doing better in my tank than at the LFS. It has opened very nicely.

So far this is what I have done (via research) and its doing well.

1. Keep it on the soft substrate with the mouths positioned horizontally
and tenticals veritacally.

2. Do not expose the coral to intense lighting. If a lot of lighting then
build a cave to put it in or under an overhang (what ever it takes not
to expose it to intense lighting. I have Power compact lighting so it is
not too intense.

3. I am keeping it away from rocks in the middle of the tank with nothing
close to it.

One thing thing it does not like is to be a host for anenome seeking creatures. I am greatful my clowns did not take to it, but one of my anenome crabs is, so I have to keep chasing it away (unfortunately today the crab lost one of its claws

). Hopefully it will not bother it anymore or I will have to find a new home for it. For those that have the elegance coral this is what I have researched and implemented; so far so good. Hope this helps.

 

[newbeetwo]

i have one I love it don't do anything to it. mine likes lots of light I had it on the end where my light was low did not do as well...keep mine in the sand.

 

[reeffreak]

Good to hear your elegance is doing well.
They are gorgeous corals,good luck with it.

 

[WWS]

My elegance coral is spitting brown stuff from its mouth. Is this waste? Should I be worried?

 

[hibye]

its just poop because they only have one hole on them so food come in food come out

 

[Bifferwine]

It's either poop or it's expelling it's symbiotic zooxanthellae. Which is bad.