dendronephthya (carnation coral) AM I WINING OR LOSING

sixty_reefer

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Quick question as am well aware that this coral can’t be kept alive in a tank (YET).

What would someone need to propose substantial evidence that this coral could do well in a reef tank?

1. just pictures showing that the coral is not dead yet?
2. How long would you consider for successful results? 6 months, 1 year, 4 years
3. pictures of growth? This coral is fairly slow grower
4. Releasing baby’s? Even though baby’s can be a signal of stress

mainly what I’m asking is what do I need to gather to have some sort of credibility if my method works.

This experiment has been ongoing for two months and I wouldn’t be putting the question if I didn’t had a new method that I think it may be working, the specimen in question is around two months now ( I know it’s early ) but it hasn’t deflated once, day or night since I’ve acquired it, which leads me to believe that the technique in use may well be positive results.
 

Nano sapiens

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How about this (pulling this out of my hat, so to speak) ;)

Success Level 1: 6 months of just maintaining the coral 'as is' as 'semi-success', one year as 'success'.

Success Level 2: Coral growth as measured not by inflated size, but by polyp additions, base creep/expansion, new colonies sprouting from the parent (typically from tendrils as many of these species have them).

Success Level 3: New colonies sprouting up all over the aquarium from either asexual or sexual reproduction.

Personally, I've seen too many "Look! I have a carnation coral" and then read that it died a few weeks later. I'd wait 6 months before providing any kind of detailed description of methods, etc. (hard to do, I know!).
 
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sixty_reefer

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How about this (pulling this out of my hat, so to speak) ;)

Success Level 1: 6 months of just maintaining the coral 'as is' as 'semi-success', one year as 'success'.

Success Level 2: Coral growth as measured not by inflated size, but by polyp additions, base creep/expansion, new colonies sprouting from the parent (typically from tendrils as many of these species have them).

Success Level 3: New colonies sprouting up all over the aquarium from either asexual or sexual reproduction.

Personally, I've seen too many "Look! I have a carnation coral" and then read that it died a few weeks later. I'd wait 6 months before providing any kind of detailed description of methods, etc. (hard to do, I know!).
Tank you for your response, I think level 3 would definitely be the true meaning of success with the formation of new colonies that would grow in mass also.
I know what you mean I’ve been there before, thinking that they were fine and all the sudden they lose energy, in my last trial they used to deflate every now and then during the light hours, this time I got a feeling that am getting close although I’m not intending to start shouting from roof tops at this stage. Hence the question and I did got a really constructive answer from you that. (Probably the best I’ve seen so far over the years regarding success)
 
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sixty_reefer

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It is a reef success if Jason Fox can source it from his Indonesian friends and make a $300 per coral profit
I believe this species is not in the crazy named corals yet.
 

homer1475

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How about this (pulling this out of my hat, so to speak) ;)

Success Level 1: 6 months of just maintaining the coral 'as is' as 'semi-success', one year as 'success'.

Success Level 2: Coral growth as measured not by inflated size, but by polyp additions, base creep/expansion, new colonies sprouting from the parent (typically from tendrils as many of these species have them).

Success Level 3: New colonies sprouting up all over the aquarium from either asexual or sexual reproduction.

Personally, I've seen too many "Look! I have a carnation coral" and then read that it died a few weeks later. I'd wait 6 months before providing any kind of detailed description of methods, etc. (hard to do, I know!).
I would have to agree with this 100%. And that goes for anything to be considered a success in reefing.

If it's growing, colored up, and shooting off babies, and you have had it for a year or more, I would call it a success
 
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I would have to agree with this 100%. And that goes for anything to be considered a success in reefing.

If it's growing, colored up, and shooting off babies, and you have had it for a year or more, I would call it a success
I also agree, this coral has been so notoriously hard to keep that success has been confusing, I know that Matt Wandell from the California Academy of Sciences, made some efforts to keep them alive using vast amounts of phytoplankton back in 2016, I haven’t heard further from the experience which makes believe that wasn’t successful either.
 

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Someone on here(forget their nick now), always posts pics of their carnations. They seem to have a good grasp on keeping them alive.

If I remember the nick, I'll post it here. Might get a response from that user.
 
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sixty_reefer

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Someone on here(forget their nick now), always posts pics of their carnations. They seem to have a good grasp on keeping them alive.

If I remember the nick, I'll post it here. Might get a response from that user.
Yeah I know, he’s nick name is dr.dendrostein. It’s hard to follow his thread to conclude success as pointed out before, there’s many pictures from google mixed with pics that he takes from fresh imports. There’s no follow up on a specimen in particular. If I remember correctly he is using the same method as wandell. Which is a lot of import and export using a mix of phytoplankton and zooplankton.

 

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I've got carnations, I've never had issues with them, I run hot with nutrients though maybe that's why. I can post pics laterdo you have nighttime pics?

Daytime with these corals is very hit or miss, I've moved them a ton to find where one likes it another will hate it.

How is the feeding response if you feed the tank?
 
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I've got carnations, I've never had issues with them, I run hot with nutrients though maybe that's why. I can post pics laterdo you have nighttime pics?

Daytime with these corals is very hit or miss, I've moved them a ton to find where one likes it another will hate it.

How is the feeding response if you feed the tank?
Loved to see some pics, how long you got yours now? the one I got seems to be all the time open (for now), which gives me the impression that might work, I had different results in the past were they used to deflate during the day and den just go.
I don’t feed mine per say, am just trying something different to see if it works, tried several approaches in the past but it didn’t pass the 8 months mark.

6E9F664A-B1C9-4A58-9A5E-263E238CB886.jpeg

that’s the one I got, may look for one in bad shape to check out a couple things.
 

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Yours is slightly different mine are a deep orange and yellow. I've had them for a couple years. However I got an offer for the large piece and I took it. I did keep a nice chunk that I'll upload later or tomorrow.

I don't feed them either, I just feed the tank my usual routine.
 
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Yours is slightly different mine are a deep orange and yellow. I've had them for a couple years. However I got an offer for the large piece and I took it. I did keep a nice chunk that I'll upload later or tomorrow.

I don't feed them either, I just feed the tank my usual routine.
Now you got me really curious if you had them for two years, would it be a stereonephthya the one you got with the larger polyps?
 

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Mine is butt puckered right now since I just flipped the lights on a couple hours ago, however this photo I snagged off Google is pretty close to it.

Under led and t5 it's a brilliant deep orange and yellow. SPS small polyps.
orange-soft-coral-dendronephthya-sp-with-sun-in-background-yellow-wall-of-texas-dive-site-hors...jpg
 

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Mine is butt puckered right now since I just flipped the lights on a couple hours ago, however this photo I snagged off Google is pretty close to it.

Under led and t5 it's a brilliant deep orange and yellow. SPS small polyps.
orange-soft-coral-dendronephthya-sp-with-sun-in-background-yellow-wall-of-texas-dive-site-hors...jpg
What do you feed in general to the tank, any additives? two years seem some kind of a record to keep them going, have they grown in since or grew new baby’s during that time?would like to know more if possible.
 

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Quick question as am well aware that this coral can’t be kept alive in a tank (YET).

What would someone need to propose substantial evidence that this coral could do well in a reef tank?

Examples:

1. Photographic evidence in your build thread is great (gives a time stamp reference):

Scleronephthya1_111221.jpg


2. A photo of the coral 'in situ' in the aquarium:

12g FTS_091921.jpg


3. The receipt/shipper from the vendor with the date (in case anyone asks for proof of purchase).

I suppose that there may be a few attention seeking charlatans out there that might attempt to fake something like this, but it'd imagine that it would be very rare.

* Before anyone asks, I'm only about 4 months in with this Scleronephthya sp., so certainly nothing to say yet about success or failure.
 
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sixty_reefer

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Examples:

1. Photographic evidence in your build thread is great (gives a time stamp reference):

Scleronephthya1_111221.jpg


2. A photo of the coral 'in situ' in the aquarium:

12g FTS_091921.jpg


3. The receipt/shipper from the vendor with the date (in case anyone asks for proof of purchase).

I suppose that there may be a few attention seeking charlatans out there that might attempt to fake something like this, but it'd imagine that it would be very rare.

* Before anyone asks, I'm only about 4 months in with this Scleronephthya sp., so certainly nothing to say yet about success or failure.
Thank you, that’s a good way to track development, wonderful colouration coral, is this the first go at keeping one?
 

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Thank you, that’s a good way to track development, wonderful colouration coral, is this the first go at keeping one?

No, I attempted a similar Scleronephthya species around 35 years ago in a very basic 55g. Feeding and knowledge were rather limited in those days and the occasional feeding of just baby brine shrimp wasn't enough to sustain it as it perished in a few weeks time.
 

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