New additions - Suggestions

[Lofus]

As work on my new MH canopy continues, I am starting to think of new additions to the tank. Currently, I have a 72 bow with a 20 gal sump.

Livestock are:

White cheek Tang (A. nigricans)
4 Green Chromis
2 percula clopwnfish

Some green star polyps (nee Kari)
Unidentified leather (nee Kari)
some green zoanthids
and some brown button polyps

When the lights are finally set up I'll be adding a BTA.

I was thinking of a bubble or hammer coral, a candycane and maybe a carnation. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jim

[Quinn]

Carnation corals, ie. Dendronepthya, Scleronephthya, other nephthyas, are notoriously difficult to keep. Even Eric Borneman states he has only kept them alive for a maximum of four months (although he is familiar with a number of aquarists who have had better success).

It is unfortunate that LFSs continue to offer these to the public, without due warning. I'm no expert but I feel that these are almost the most difficult animals imported into this country for the hobby.

The problem seems to have two major dimensions: the corals feed on a specific size of meaty particulate matter (and not phytoplankton as is sometimes thought; remember as non-photosynthesizing, these animals are primarily carnivorous), and the food must pass through the feeding appendages (mouth, tentacle, what-have-you) at a specific velocity. I have seen (but cannot relocate the website) a species tank set up at a public aquarium or institution that was circular and had rather complex current systems set up. This was apparently leading to a moderate amount of success with the corals.

Here's a fantastic discussion on the topic: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=290242&highlight=Dendronepthya

[Lofus]

OK then. Carnation is out. Any other suggestions?

[Quinn]

Well with halides you can keep a wide variety of SPS (hey I just remembered I've got some M. digitata frags to get rid of!). As for fish, you could look into a variety of wrasses, including lined wrasses and fairy wrasses. There are also lots of nice gobies out there. A dwarf angelfish might also be worth considering.

Remember too that those LPS you've listed sometimes don't fare so well under bright lights, so you may want to shelter them.

[AJ_77]

I'm partial to a nice Montipora capricornis or two myself. A nice piece jutting shelf-like out into the water column off of a rock face...

Sweeeet...

:biggrin:

[Lofus]

Thanks for the ideas. I'm not planning any new fish, just corals.

Time to read up on m. digitata and montiproa capricornis.

The leather and zoos are out in the open right now. I figure on a very slow aclimatization to the MH. starting with 6 hrs/d and slowly increasing to 10. I'm planning to supplement with an actinic T5 the length of the tank.

Jim