FAQs about Caryophyllid Corals 2 Related Articles: Caryophyllid Corals, Elegance Coral Related FAQs: Caryophylliids 1,  Caryophylliids 3, Caryophylliids 4, Caryophyllid ID, Caryophyllid Compatibility, Caryophyllid Systems, Caryophyllid Selection, Caryophyllid Behavior, Caryophyllid Feeding, Caryophyllid Disease, Caryophyllid Propagation/Reproduction, Stony/True Coral, Coral System Set-Up, Coral System Lighting, Stony Coral Identification, Stony Coral Selection, Coral Placement,  Foods/Feeding/Nutrition, Disease/Health, Propagation, Growing Reef Corals,  Stony Coral Behavior, Euphyllia ancora, N. Sulawesi.

Re: More on coral meltdown Hi there, a good friend of mine has a nasty problem.  In about 24 hours a huge frogspawn melted down to the skeleton, forming this brown goo that smells like death (brown jelly disease?).  All hammers and frogspawn in the tank seem to be affected to some degree (there are about 5-6 of them), the brains and Blastomussa as well as a couple of softies seem ok for now.  Corals were dipped in Tech-D last night and will be freshwater dipped today.  He put in additional skimming, carbon and a PolyFilter.  We're looking for advice on how to avoid a total meltdown. >Thanks Stephen ><Besides what you've done....water changes, water changes, water changes.  Like 10-25% a day.  I wouldn't do anymore stressful treatments.  Test water parameters and make sure they are within the norm. Also watch temp...this is most likely environmental. QT all new corals.  Best of luck!  Craig> <Hi Steven, I looked into this further (in Anthony Calfo's great book!) and he advises removing all infected corals from the display in a plastic container, then removing any infected, dead and necrotic tissue with a stream of water and then with a toothbrush down to healthy tissue, then placement in a QT tank, perhaps with iodine/Lugol's in known doses.  As a last resort fragging/separation of healthy tissue from infected. Discard all operation/rinse/cleaning water and lift corals from display in container to prevent stress and contamination. Iodine may be used as a dip and in the working containers. Time is of the essence. Good luck, Craig>

Pearl bubble health question Finally, not a lighting question from me! :) <I'm not betting on it until I finish reading the whole message <G>> I recently installed a large pearl bubble coral into my 75 gallon reef tank. I went through what I thought was a good acclimation process, and I expected him to take a while to acclimate to the tank. He seems somewhat OK (it's only been 3 or 4 days, so as well as can be expected after the move),  <agreed> but last night I thought he was dying - he started emitting streams of a gooey-looking substance through slits in his body. <two things it could be... simply excrement (usually dark in color), or zooxanthellae packets (symbiotic algae) from stress... often luminary shock (lights too bright). Acclimation to bright lights takes weeks.. a drawn out process with shade screens atop the coral, etc. Do you recall the synopsis for doing that from my lighting article, bud? NO worries anyway... it still may be excrement. Was there a recent large feeding? Bubble corals need to be fed finely minced meaty foods 4-5 times weekly minimum. Daily would be better> I was about to remove him from the tank entirely, into quarantine, but I noticed that he didn't actually look like he was on his last legs, but the emissions disturbed me. They went on for about an hour, not continuously but every once in a while. This morning, he looks like he always has. I'm keeping a close eye on him, but would like to get your input. <excellent... as per above> My lighting is a pair of 250W MH (as if you guys haven't heard enough about *that* recently) and 4 55W actinic PCs. I'm acclimating him by lowering the MHs to 3 hours a day and working back up to 9 hours over a 10 day period, but I'm wondering if he's just having a bad reaction to the change in light (although he'd been under lower-intensity MHs prior to entry in the tank). <this is a bad habit and an inappropriate acclimation technique. Even if it is the only coral in the tank. And when there are other corals... this means every established coral in the tank will be deprived of light every time a new coral is added? Yikes. Do read my acclimation technique using screens at the bottom of this article (excerpted from my coral book): http://www.wetwebmedia.com/acclimcoralslight.htm > Thanks... Arthur <best regards, Anthony>

Re: Pearl bubble health question "And when there are other corals... this means every established coral in the tank will be deprived of light every time a new coral is added?" Yikes! You know, I wondered about this recently. I have read about other methods, but always stopped after reading about placing it low and moving it up - he's large, so that wouldn't work. The screen idea never occurred to me, but it's an elegant and simple solution. <awesome, my friend! It does seem to work well for most folks> The reason I thought it would work out to place him and lower the MH duration was because I'm simultaneously replacing the MH bulbs, going from 10KK to 20KK  (I got the 20KK Radiums - *love* the effect). Even though the 10KK bulbs I'm replacing are only 3 months old, I was concerned about the new bulbs' being too strong, and having asked a million light-oriented questions recently, I didn't want to ask another and thought I had a good solution (bad assumption).  <not necessarily a bad assumption... just a bit risky without concurrent use of a PAR or Luxmeter. And in the future when a bulb change was not a convenient segue, it would quite possibly compromise the other corals> I'm about 4 days into lowered levels, and have worked back up to 5 hours (out of 9, up from the lowered starting point of 3) - should I simply put the hours back to 9 and place the screens, or continue the path because of the new bulbs, or do something else entirely? <having reduce the photoperiod, I'd be content to see you carry on as planned. Slow acclimation of all to increasing photoperiod. Do be sure to feed well... food can compensate for lower/inadequate light with corals> Dang it, I knew *somehow* this would get back to a question from me about lights...:) Arthur <Ha! no worries at all... never hesitate to ask or wonder. Keep learning, sharing and growing. Kindly, Anthony>

Euphyllia glabrescens behavior Dear WWM Crew, I have a torch coral (Euphyllia glabrescens) that has produced a largish bubble on the mouth opening on one of the heads. It seems to be in good health and opens its polyps during the day. <hmmm... is the bubble clear? As if filled with air or water and lacks full pigmentation? If so... not reproduction. Possibly photoinhibition (excess photoperiod as from metal halides commonly or a recent change in light (coral moved upwards or bulbs changed fresh without acclimating the tank to the "new" brighter light)> One explanation I have been given is that it may be one of the heads splitting due to coral growth. <fission is common with this animal... but is simply an equal split... two mouths formed first then a growth/pinching in two. No bubble. If the bubble is reproduction, it would be a Polyp Ball strategy... an incused nodule of calcium carbonate is formed inside a fully pigmented bubble, becomes weighted and droops away from parent. This strategy is also commonly stress induced (damage, stinging neighbor coral, etc)> Have either of you experienced this before??  <yes... such bubbles are common but can be caused by several factors. If you can send us a picture I may be able to be more specific for you. Some history about the tank and coral too (hardware, age of coral, feeding schedule, etc)> Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance, Brent. <best regards, Anthony>

Re: Euphyllia glabrescens hello again and thanks for the reply. <our pleasure> you were right in that the bubble is clear (as if filled with air/water). <OK> the coral has not been moved nor has the metal halide(150W/10K)bulb been changed. <but has there been a sudden change in water clarity just the same? A recent large water change or sudden addition of carbon after some weeks without?> the tank is 36"x12"x18" holding approx. 120 l including the sump which houses the heater stat, skimmer (turbo flotor 1000) and phosphate remover and some small pieces of live rock. the tanks filtration is Berlin style with approx. 20kg of Fiji rock and 10kg of live sand, also I have an Eheim 2227 wet/dry external filter, which is used mainly for its surging effect as it empties and refills (exceptional filter for small marine tanks). the lighting is a metal halide(150w/10k) and actinic03(18w fluorescent), with a total photoperiod of 12hrs. my tank stock is as follows: FISH- 1 yellow stripe maroon clown,1 Kole tang and 6 green Chromis. INVERTS-24 Astrea snails,2blue legs and 12 red legs,2 cleaner shrimp and 2 peppermint shrimp (that cleared up an outbreak of Aiptasia), also a sand sifting starfish. CORALS-finger coral, toadstool coral, torch coral and pulsing xenia. plus some button polyps and star polyps from the rock. <still many possibilities here> also while on the subject of stock, I have noticed a crab in the rock work that came in on some rock, possibly a Mithrax. are these going to do more harm than good?? and do you recommend removing them if at all possible?? I hope this helps Brent. <indeed , most crabs including so-called "reef-safe" Mithrax are fundamentally opportunistic predators. They will eat fish or coral possibly in time as microalgae wanes. I would not recommend any crabs for most reef aquariums. Best regards, Anthony>

Coral ID Could you please tell me the name of this coral, along with what type of lighting you would recommend for keeping it, and what source of food it needs if any? Thanks <The coral pictures is commonly referred to as a Torch coral, Euphyllia glabrescens. These corals show up best under moderate lighting and current. Some type of fluorescent (VHO or PC) makes their colors really come out. Somewhere about 12" from the surface under fluorescent lighting or closer to 20" under 175 watt MH's. This, like many LPS corals, needs fed with small, meaty zooplankton substitutes. Plankton, Mysis shrimp, and Sweetwater Zooplankton are all good choices. Let me suggest to you Eric Borneman's "Aquarium Corals". It is an excellent reference. -Steven Pro>

Bubble coral Hi Anthony: <cheers, mate> First of all, I wanted to say how sorry I am that I couldn't make it to the Cleveland Zoo last night to hear you speak. I wanted to finally meet with you to personally thank you for all of the help you've given me and others, but had a conflict with work. <no worries... there was a last minute change. Your founder came in from out of town for a 30yr anniversary presentation. I will be presenting in November now on the 21rst (Thurs.) in Cleveland. The next day in Michigan I think> I wanted to bother you once again to ask you your opinion, this time about my bubble coral. It has been fine for years. Water quality is good, although calcium is a little low at 380 ppm. KH= 12, <your calcium is not low at all. With ALK on the high end of the 8-12 dKH recommended range, it is chemically very difficult to push Calcium on its higher range end concurrently. Your Ca/ALK looks perfectly balanced to me. If Ca goes up, then you must bring ALK down or risk precipitation> PO4=0, NO3=0. I feed it shredded meaty foods a couple of times each week. <all excellent> About a week ago, it looked like it started spitting out of its mouth what I'll call substrate, but it's not my substrate. (No way for substrate to get in because of the coral's location, for one.) The grains look like some type of calcareous compound with a grain size much smaller than my substrate. Looking at the coral very closely, the grains appear to be imbedded in a small stream of slime or gel that has oozed out of its mouth. The bubbles on the coral were deflated, especially closer to the "wound". <interesting... sounds like the product of trying to digest something larger. Did it eat a fish recently (or has a fish gone missing <G>. Or was there a recent attempt at feeding a larger chunk of food (silversides, krill, etc)? Such can be stressful if not damaging. Somewhat unnatural at least... large chunks of flesh/fish never fall through the water column of a reef unnoticed to reach a waiting sessile invertebrate. Too many sighted animals waiting. Bubble corals simply eat large zooplankton (amphipod size and the like).> The coral looks much better now. Bubbles are inflated, and it feeds readily. But the wound is still there (see photos, esp. close up). What is it or happening? Anything to be concerned about? What should I do? <A recent change of current to a more linear or laminar flow could cause some duress. Other than that, I'm not sure what else could be the matter just yet. I'm not too worried either. Bubbles are hardy and will heal fast when fed well.> Your friend, Jim <with kind regards, Anthony>

LFS concerns Hello, I am concerned for my town and probably a lot of other towns in this country. I strolled into my local LFS today with the sole purpose in mind to get some crickets for our lizard. I noticed an anchor coral (Euphyllia), that had been in the shop for quite a while, that was not doing so well. I told the person that was waiting on me, that I would buy that coral because it didn't look like it was in real good shape. I was gonna try and make a better situation for the coral to exist in. I was told that they probably wouldn't sell anything out of that tank, but she'd check with the owner anyways. When she came back, she told me that " no it's not for sale and we all die sometime referring to the coral." Needless to say, I left a little ticked off. I still haven't figured out if I even want to buy crickets in there anymore!!! Any help or advice? thanks, ce <My head aches... and heart breaks when I encounter such anecdotes... perhaps this is indicative of why the folks in Western Europe have had this genus banned from import... Please do engage this person, store... in dialogue... what is important to people? It's a beautiful world... to appreciate, use positively... the loss of a moment, a gesture, a chance for acknowledging what is... I can only imagine such a slight as being a part of a tired, disassociated person's response. Bob F>

Torch Coral (Euphyllia glabrescens) placement I have a question about lighting requirements for the torch coral. Since placement on a sandy bottom is preferred,  <placement on the sand bottom is neither preferred or recommended. This Euphylliid occurs only on hard substrates in the wild and will suffer if forced to purge sand deposited by sifters. The confusion may stem from the fact that such coral care best often in the bottom 1/3 of the tank under metal halide lights. Indeed... they do not like or require extremely bright light. They do however need weekly feedings with fine minced meaty foods> would it get enough light in an 20" tall tank even though I am only using 2 96 watt 10K power compacts? Thanks <it may not get enough light here, but you can compensate for the lack of light to some extent with extra feedings (weekly instead of a few times weekly). Best regards, Anthony>

Re: Torch Coral (Euphyllia glabrescens) Elegant Coral Anthony, <cheers, mate> I think I may have been confusing Euphyllia with Catalaphyllia (elegance), this is actually what I wanted to know about.  <ahhh, yes! You are correct my friend. Indeed they fare best on the sand bottom. The exception in the Euphylliid family> Can they thrive in low light conditions on the sandy bottom of the tank? My bad. <no worries... and yes, indeed they can thrive at the bottom of the aquarium. Especially if you have the purple tipped variety which is often indicative of a specimen collected in rather deep waters (60-80 feet down). The key to keeping elegant corals successfully is frequent feeding with very fine foods. They are one of the hungriest coral. If fed almost daily with small bits (never offer larger than 1/4-1/2 inch although they will take it), they will thrive and grow nicely. Your lights will be fine for this coral on the bottom of a 20" deep tank. Help all along with weekly water changes, good skimming and weekly changes of small amounts of carbon to maintain great water clarity. If you haven't read it yet... see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fdreefinverts.htm and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marlgtganthony.htm> Thanks Angelo <best regards, Anthony>

Coral Identity I was hoping that you could help me identify the coral in the attached pictures. The form is similar to that of a xenia,  <not so, my friend... Xenia is a soft coral (octocoral) and this is a scleractinian: Euphyllia divisa... AKA Frogspawn/Grape coral. A stony coral (hard coral)> but the polyps, which glow green under actinic, are more like the tentacles of an anemone, also there appears to be a central feeding tube in the middle.  <the mouth of each polyp> The trunk feels hard and calcareous, off of which there are three branches on which the heads sit.  <the skeleton/corallum> I appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you. Ed Ingold <this is regarded as a large polyped stony coral and requires small weekly if not daily feedings of finely minced foods. See here for feeding guidelines: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fdreefinverts.htm Best regards, Anthony>

Bleached hammer coral Hi I have a 29 gallon mini reef that has a branched hammer coral that turned white a few months ago.  <likely from a attrition (starvation from lack of light and/or lack of target feeding) or salinity/temperature shock. The latter can occur and not effect all coral... different tolerances with each. Do you recall a sudden increase in heat or a lapse in evap top off followed by the dumping of a sudden large amount of freshwater in to compensate? If not... the coral was simply starving... very common. Many poorly lit or underfed coral can go 6-12 months before finally waning noticeably> It doesn't open as large as before but otherwise it seems fine. It has been like this at least 6 months.  <Yikes> The mushrooms and other corals seem fine. Water quality is fine. I have one power compact SmartLight and one 20 watt triton regular fluorescent about 4 inches above the glass top.  <that's your first problem, my friend. All fluorescents need to be 3" or closer to the water to be remotely useful. Your lights are already modest and the glass canopy filters even more light... especially if it has had salt creep or dust on it prolonged. Not enough useable light has been getting to this animals to help it feed itself photosynthetically. See this article here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marlgtganthony.htm Furthermore these Euphyllia species need more food than most coral to support symbiosis. Feeding 3-5 times weekly with fine meaty food is necessary... see this article here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fdreefinverts.htm> Any idea what might be wrong or what I can do to get some color back in it? Thanks . <the main thing is to use fresh bulbs (6-10 months old, keep clear water (carbon changed monthly is not small amounts weekly) and feed daily in small amounts until color returns and then you can back off just a little. Best regards, Anthony>

Livestock ID question Redux Hi, crew... <cheers, good sir> You've helped with these types of questions in the past, so I thought I'd give it another try. <that makes two of us> - I have a large hammer coral that I purchased a few months back. It's a nice piece, but it was a little retracted after I first got it, which is I suppose normal for a specimen in a LFS.  <agreed> It has since bloomed nicely. It took me about a week to notice, though, a growth. In amongst the hammer-shaped polyps is a small, oval shell; the reason it took so long to notice was that, as it was situated, it almost looks like just another hammer-shaped head, almost the same size. Inside this is some sort of crustacean; very small, with almost an eye-lash looking set of antennae that extend about 1/8 of an inch above the surface of the shell.  <yep... most likely a barnacle... very common nestled in Euphylliids> It's not a featherduster, since I can see it retracting the antennae constantly, cleaning them, then whipping them back out again.  <excellent observation... the filter-feeding strategy> As the hammer coral has thrived, and the hammers come out quite bit more than at first, it's almost lost among them, but it's still there. <no harm at all> I'm assuming this is some sort of shrimp (I don't think it's a crab), but would like to know for sure. Any ideas? <likely this harmless barnacle... enjoy> - The LFS has an Acropora, a cup coral, nice looking piece, a bright yellow. It looks healthy, but in 3 or 4 spots, on the face of the coral but separate from any polyps, are a few of what look like either tiny feather dusters or possibly a crustacean similar to what I mentioned above (I didn't get a good look). Would this be an indicator of potential health problems?  <very unlikely... various hitchhikers and commensals are common and usually no trouble> It's an attractive piece... <knock yourself out... spend the kids college fund on corals <G>> Thanks... Arthur <Best regards, Anthony>

Hammer Coral with spots! Hi Bob, <WWM crew member Anthony Calfo in his stead, mate> I have a real nice hammer coral iv had for 6 mo. now. He has been growing great for me.  <large polyped scleractinians do not grow so fast in 6 months under the best circumstances (actual calcification). What most people see is expansion of polyps under lights that were not adequate from go or were, but have waned with age. If you have fluorescent lights over this coral, this is assuredly a contributing factor. The best of them from new only last 6-10 months and that assumes you have been wiping the bulbs down a few times monthly to keep salt creep, dust etc off of them. It also assumes that the bulbs were no farther than 3" from the water surface. Fluorescents kept above 3" off surface are weakly effective (a lux or PAR meter will confirm this for you). If any such is the case with you, my friend, then your coral is suffering from a condition that many do in new aquaria or with newer aquarists: polyp extension panning for inadequate light is mistaken for growth. The very pale color of your specimen (with consideration for the actinic light) is proof positive that this animal has been lacking in light or feeding or both. Euphylliids like your need to be fed finely minced food weekly if not tiny amounts daily for long term success. Else they will hang in from 6-18 months typically before bleaching and starving to death> Until now he is pulling in to his shell more and more each day.  <could be attrition if this coral hasn't been target fed to support photosynthesis> I've found some small brown spots on the end of his arms. Any idea what it could be?  <not crystal clear from the photo but sure does look like zooxanthellae clusters now evident through the shed iridescent pigments (shed because the lack of bright light/UV)< The guy at the store said that Kent Marine Expert series Tech.D (coral dip) would be good for it. <I disagree with the suggestion... I see nothing pathogenic in the photo or from your description> Tried it and did not see a dif. yet. Water is in great shape. everybody in the tank looks great too. Any help on this Bob would be great!!! here is a pic. of hammer. Thanks so much for your time. Chris <Chris... do consider if any of the above commonalities are applicable to you. All of this run by you at high speed :) has been covered in my Book of Coral Propagation if you care to check it out. Best regards, Anthony Calfo>

Hi Bob, Hammer, Firefish... > Hey Bob, > How are you? > <Fine my friend> > Are you in SD right now? > <Yes> > Are you going to go to MACNA in TX > next month? > <I hope to> Fun! I lived in Dallas before moving out here. <Texas is my fave country in the U.S.> > What's up? > <Same ole pet-fish madness> > I have been going threw my stuff. I am sorting fishy stuff now and it has > made me dream of my rubble zone tank. Ah :) > <Well done... have revisited your stmt.s stmt.s? <Statements> > re such information... and produced > a series of biotopic presentation articles Cool, cool, cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <Yes: please find some examples here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/MarInd3of6.htm> > (unfortunately not to be run in > FAMA, maybe the whole U.S. print mag.s due to non-payment troubles... Ouch! I hope they pay, that sucks! <You bet... am owed back to early 02... and am not the only one> > but > posted on WWM> Are they on WWM now? I couldn't find anything. <Yes... see the area above> > I was wondering, do you have any pictures you have taken in rubble zones, > and > if so, can you send them to me? > <I think so... will get to in a few weeks... big trip coming up, and much to > finish before leaving (9/2-17 to Indo.> What are you going to do over there? You get to travel so much! (Envious) <Dive, make photographs, video under and above water... chat with people, make outlines for writing projects> > I would love to see more than a close up of a > fish with live rock in the back ground to get a feel for the topography. > <Can you dive? Come with us and see for yourself> I wish I could. I can't. :( <Rats!> > Next, from all the reading I have done, I don't think Hammer Corral > (Euphyllia > ancora) is found in rubble zones. Is it? > <Some... more often found on lower reef slopes> > What other types of corals and fish > are found in the same area as hammers? > <Yikes... will have to study, write up the regions where Euphylliids, > formerly included in the family Caryophylliidae, occur> > In the ocean, are Hammer corals found > on top of live rock, or are they found on sand? > <On rock, but not too far up from the sand of the reef slope> > Also, what kind of lighting > would suffice for them? > <More is generally better... MH or VHO for aquarists> > In a tank that is not very tall could VHO lighting > work, or are Power Compacts or MH needed? > <The latter are better if you want your colonies to fluoresce, grow quickly> Ooof! I think that just kicked the tank out my price range. Lets see... To get 6 - 8 Firefish would need 100g or more tank. Tanks don't seem to get made with a bigger width than 18" until jumping up to 180g range. Are tanks made that are 48" x 24", (48" x 30" even better) or would they be really expensive special order deals? <Or do it yourself...> Would a group of Firefish live peacefully in a 100+g tank, or would they eventually kill each other off? I would be an unhappy camper if I set up a tank and ended up with only one or two after a few months. <Each needs a good two feet square of bottom... so maybe three could live in such a size, shape system> Okay, back to lighting... MH lights, would need fan, cooler. Eeh gads! My electrical bill would be out of site. People around here have electrical bills averaging $450 a month. :0 I couldn't afford that. <Maybe a roommate? Or two to split expenses?> > As I think you know, the next salt tank I do, I want to make a biotope. > Hammer is my favorite coral and if Firefish and mandarins are found with it > in > the wild, I would like to make Hammers the centerpiece of the tank. I know > they can be together in aquariums, but I want to try to replicate a piece of > the ocean. > <Good for you> > Also are clown fish (Percs or pink skunks) really found living in the same > area as Firefish? > <Mmm, yes> > I am off to look at more Fish Magazines and finish watching Lawrence of > Arabia > tonight. (I love my DVD!) > <The original version? A long film, but very worthwhile. Hail Peter > O'Toole!> I met him once. He autographed a book which I gave to my mom for Christmas. (She was soooo happy) MM <Great> > Hope all is going well, > Madison
> <Yes. Chat with you soon. Bob Fenner>

Anthocauli? Simply Budding Hey Anthony - just wanted to send you a shot of the anthocauli on my frogspawn. There are 2, but one is more visible (top left). This shot is obviously at night, but during the day they reach about the size of a quarter now. Ed Marshall, Austin, Texas <absolutely awesome my friend. Thank you so much for sharing. It reminds us to never give up too on injured or damaged animals :) A little schooling too: anthocauli most only refers to Fungiid satellites. In some other scleractinians (Lobophyllia and Trachyphyllia, e.g.), clones seem to form similarly between the septa (the "ridges" of a large corallite) via decalcification of the parent. In your coral, the fissionary bud is not forming from between the septa and perhaps not even from de-calcification. It seems to simply (and wonderfully) be an event of budding. Ughhh.... sorry for the scholastic/academic bone picking :) But I'd to let it pass my without sharing the information. By any definition... it is great to see! I bet if you wait some months and beak it off, more will follow. Do separate with a Dremel if you do. Best regards and be seeing Texas soon (September), Anthony>

Re: Bubble Coral Steve, I fed my Bubble Coral Mysis shrimp using a turkey basin,  <and please make sure that you thaw the shrimp in seawater and slurp up in seawater. Too often, frozen food thawed in freshwater will shock coral polyps with the sudden affront of less saline water> however it still has not bloom fully. I turned off my protein skimmer to see if I am over skimming and that didn't change anything either.  <how long are you waiting to see if a change is effected... days to a week or just a day or two? Patience is so important with new/stressed coral> I moved it into a shaded spot in the tank and that didn't change anything either. This Bubble Coral seems to be so temperamental, it is the only invertebrate that is giving me a hard time. I am about to put it in my quarantine tank. Is there something else I can do?  <my friend... please leave this and all coral in a good place...the FIRST time they enter a tank. Moving a coral several times in the first month can kill them... ever more stressed if you do it within the first week. New and stressed coral have little "energy" to keep exporting or cultivating zooxanthellae (among other things) with every whimsical move into a region of new light or water flow. Bubble coral in particular is VERY adaptable to a wide range of light. They do not like very strong or even moderate current. If that is not the case here... then simply have patience, With the recent stress this animals has been subjected too, it may take longer than usual for polyps expansion to occur. A week or more most likely... perhaps several weeks. Also, know that only vesicles (bubbles) extend by day... and only tentacles (feeding) extend naturally by night> I know this coral is hardy. Thanks <agreed... have patience and accept my best regards. Anthony>

Re: Bubble Coral Steven, I took your advice to improve my water quality. I have raised my Alk to 4.2 meq/l, pH 8.4, and S.G.1.025 slowly. I made a mistake with the nitrate, it is 0 ppm. <All good.> The only problem I am having is bringing up the Calcium. Right now it is 350 ppm. I use a Kalk drip. Do I make the solution mix a little stronger to bring up the Calcium or is it my Alkalinity bringing my Calcium down? <I would not worry too much about your calcium level now. Do not let it get any lower, but peak levels of alkalinity and calcium cannot be safely maintained. You seem to be on track now. -Steven Pro>

Frogspawn Hi guys. Question about frog spawn. I have one with four branches, one branch is dead. Can I trim this off or should I leave it alone. <Either, but I would leave it. It is possible that the dead branch could become live again. We just had a similar question and report the other day. You can read about it here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/caryfCorlsaqs.htm> Are they long lived creatures? <Can be very long lived as long as they do not fall to predation or infection.> Thanks! -Becky <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Frogspawn & Another Possible Anthocauli You answered a frogspawn question on 6/23 and indicated that a "dead" branch on a frogspawn would never grow again. This was my understanding as well, but one of the "dead" branches on mine has spouted two new animals! Was this branch asexually recolonized by another living branch? <Probably not. If there was an asexual spawn, much greater likelihood of landing on the rock.> Or was there some remnant of the previous animal that returned? <Perhaps another coral that produces Anthocauli.> There may not be an answer to this, just wanted to get your hunch on it and report a small success! By the way, the new frogspawns appeared about 4 months after the branch died originally. They are growing like weeds! For reference purposes, the coral sits at a depth of 14" in a 72g with 85 lb LR and DSB. Lighting is 2 175w MHs and 130w actinic PC. I have a 20g sump with an AquaC EV-120 and no other filtration except GAC in sump. Temperature is 80, salinity is 1.025, pH is 8.4, alkalinity is 3.5 meq/l, calcium is 450 ppm, no detectable phosphate, nitrate, ammonium, or nitrite. I also use a wavemaker. Thanks -Ed. <Do look up the article by Anthony and I concerning Anthocauli production. I think there are probably many "dead" LPS corals that can come back to life if given time and proper conditions. -Steven Pro>

Re: Frogspawn & Another Possible Anthocauli II Thanks for the response, Steven. I did look up your article and learned something new! The two baby Euphylliids are about dime-sized at this point. I actually have a friend with a declining brain coral (partially denuded skeleton), so I will let him know that he shouldn't give up on it. <Yes and take pictures of both corals, too.> Also, you can tell Anthony that I ordered his book. I'm looking forward to it because I think I've read through Borneman's book about 3 times by now! <Anthony's book is excellent! You will be very happy with your purchase.> Thanks again - Ed <Talk to you later. -Steven Pro>

Frog Spawn & Plate Corals Hi. I have a question about a frog spawn I bought. It has four "branches" to it. Three are beautiful, one is just a dead skeleton. Will the branch grow in again? <No> One more thing. I have a plate coral that you guys have been yelling at me for the way I was treating it. Just wanted to let you know that it is on the sand now and I bought a 175 watt MH to make sure it's receiving enough light. I'm not a coral killer, I swear! Does the sand have to be the real soft kind or can it be aragonite sand? <I do not know what you mean by soft sand, but aragonite is best.> I have aragonite. Thanks! -Becky <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>