my first corale

[natan]

Hi all,

I bought an 'experimental' soft polyp.

They are about 12 in number and 3 mm radius across the "mouth". Small. The polyps haven't opened yet (except for two). They are green/gray and suppose to have a high reproduction rate.

I don't deceive myself that they will make it in a long run but:

I am suppling calcium, iodine, phytoplankton, and there is a strong current plus strong light in the area, and of course dissolved organic matter.

Any chances there?

 

[Bifferwine]

Sounds like you got some zoanthids, which are one of the easiest corals. Good choice to start off with.

If I were you, I would not dose the iodine, calcium or phytoplankton. None of these are necessary for zoanthids to do well and spread. In fact, adding phytoplankton may increase the nutrients in your water and can lead to poor water quality and algae problems. You'd only need to dose phytoplankton if you have a lot of corals that need to eat it, or animals that feed exclusively on it, like clams.

As for the calcium and iodine, these aren't necessary for zoanthids either, and unless you're testing your water first and deem it necessary to add these, there's a chance that you could overdose your tank (since there really isn't anything using them).

Depending on the type of light you have, the chances are very good that these will do well in your tank, as zoanthids don't require high light, high current or high water quality.

Post some pics!

 

[reeffreak]

You shouldn't be dosing calcium and iodine unless you tested prior.Over dosing is much more dangerous then low amounts.

''Polyp'' is pretty general....many polyp soft corals fit the description you are giving.Zoanthus,palythoa,clove polyps,gsp etc.Most do not need high light or supplemental feeding.

 

[natan]

Here is a very unfocused pic. (BTW: this may be a wrong forum, but how do you take pictures of aquarium if you have an automatic focus? My camera never focuses on objects that are not the walls.)

 

[Bifferwine]

Blurry, but definitely look like zoanthids!

Sorry I can't help with your question, I am definitely not qualified to give any sort of photography advice. I can't take a clear pic to save my life.

 

[natan]

I placed the coral on top of the live rock. It is still attacked to the T-shaped base. What is the best way of planting new corals so that they would spread over the LR?

 

[Bifferwine]

Leave it on the base, zoanthids are too hard to remove. Those frag plugs are nice because you can easily wedge them between rocks. Just shove it in somewhere that it fits snug and won't get knocked over or blown around.

 

[reeffreak]

Blurry but looks like zoas to me too.You can epoxy or use super glue gel to hold the frag disk in place.If it's staying in place then leave it be.Eventually they will spread and you won't even see the plug anymore.

I can't answer the picture taking question.Maybe try the macro setting for close-up pics of corals.

 

[daugherty]

i changed the speed of my camera and turn on the macro setting.

 

[mng777777]

Here is a very unfocused pic. (BTW: this may be a wrong forum, but how do you take pictures of aquarium if you have an automatic focus? My camera never focuses on objects that are not the walls.)

I was wondering the same thing and after some experimenting have come up with the solution to two common photography problems with DIY reef shots. 1) even with clean glass, the auto focus seems to adjust to the depth of the glass, leaving the animal in the aquarium you are trying to photograph blurry. Solution: pull the camera back about 12 inches from the glass and zoom in further. The autofocus will not see the glass and will focus properly on the animal you are trying to get. Additionally, my camera doesn't have mechanical zoom to get close enough so I must rely on digital zoom which is tough becuase even the slightest movement leaves the entire shot blurry. I used a tripod to solve this problem. 2) trying to shoot low-light (ie lunars or night shots with a flashlight but in either case no camera flash) results in a blacked out shot. Solution: this one is a bit tougher in that not all cameras have shutter control but if you want to sucessfully shoot low light shots without the use of a flash you must use a camera that allows you to open the shutter longer than the standard nano second it takes to get a lighted shot. I use a Panasonic digital that allows me to leave the shutter open anywhere from 1/8 second to 1 second. Usually a setting somewhere around 1/4 is perfect.

I hope this helps.