Firework Clove Polyps Refusing to Open

[AshenEmberose]

I just bought 3 corals at my local fish store after my water test came back perfect and they said I should definitely try corals again. I got green star polyps, firework clove polyps, and a ricordea yuma mushroom coral. The mushroom is doing great and opened up almost immediately upon going into my tank. The gsp has stuck a few out but the snail kept pestering it. And then the firework cloves had a few half stuck out but not fully and then my hermit crab crawled on them and i had to bump him off so they retracted. Right now they look like they have white tips and I dont know why.
pH: 8.3
Salinity: 1.023
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0-5
Tank setup: 10 gallon barebottom nano with coraline algae on rocks and a small patch of chaeto algae on a bubble filter. 2 10gal filters and 2 bubble filters for oxygenating the water and adding flow.
Stock: 2 clownfish, 1 blue leg hermit crab, 1 trochus snail

Photos included of all 3 corals in case that’s an indication of anything. Lights out currently but not too big of a change except the mushroom opens up more with the lights on and the gsp tries to stick 4 or so polyps out unless touched.

In the past I rushed in when my tank was newer and had 1 xenia frag melt but my waving hand coral thrived for a long time until I lost the battle with constantly adding kalkwasser since when I didn’t, the waving hand would shrink and my mushroom coral did good except it never found a rock it liked and then decided to stick itself in the dark and die.

 

[Scorpius]

Barebottom tanks take off at the 18-24 month time period. You don't mention lights or flow. Not to be mean, but it sounds like you're lacking in proper equipment. Whats 2-10 gal filters?

 

[AshenEmberose]

Barebottom tanks take off at the 18-24 month time period. You don't mention lights or flow. Not to be mean, but it sounds like you're lacking in proper equipment. Whats 2-10 gal filters?

I’ve had this tank going for 2 years. Hygger LED light on red and blue setting. I have two 10 gallon sized filters with charcoal bags inside, one on either side and 2 bubble filters. All of these filters agitate the water and add flow. Its a small tank so most things for flow are too big to add. My waving hand coral loved my light and flow and mushrooms have always done well. As i stated before, the waving hand just needed the kalkwasser added on a routine because my tank wasn’t set up fully enough to have pH balanced but now it does. This firework clove just got here and hasnt opened up since acclimating. It hasnt even given my lighting a chance so I can’t see how its that. If it doesnt open today I’m taking it back to the store and swapping for corals that do better in my tank.

 

[Uzidaisies]

I’m not convinced your setup in conducive to keeping corals alive. I’m sorry to put it so bluntly, but you describe barely keeping a waving hand alive until it died, and then say it loved the light and flow. If you show us a full tank shot we might be able to lead you in the right direction. As of right now, I’d have to agree that you lack the proper equipment and cannot provide conditions suitable for corals.

 

[AshenEmberose]

Barebottom tanks take off at the 18-24 month time period. You don't mention lights or flow. Not to be mean, but it sounds like you're lacking in proper equipment. Whats 2-10 gal

I’m not convinced your setup in conducive to keeping corals alive. I’m sorry to put it so bluntly, but you describe barely keeping a waving hand alive until it died, and then say it loved the light and flow. If you show us a full tank shot we might be able to lead you in the right direction. As of right now, I’d have to agree that you lack the proper equipment and cannot provide conditions suitable for corals.

Can I get any constructive feedback here?? I already stated that my waving hand was added to the tank when it was too new. My mistake. But based on my experience, it just needed kalkwasser added once a week so the levels were maintained. I missed a week and then it got small. But that’s besides the point. Plenty of reefers have to add things to their tanks weekly or their corals have issues. I want to know whats wrong with the firework clove. My gsp is opening nicely this morning and the yuma mushroom is good still. Here are photos of my setup when i had the waving hand and the blue green mushroom. The waving hand ended up spreading out and taking over most of my tank. If you want to help me, give me suggestions. I’m all ears.

 

[Scorpius]

The way your system is currently setup it would only work for a fish only system. You don't have enough live rock for bacteria to colonize to be successful with coral.

 

[Uzidaisies]

If I didn’t want to help I wouldn’t have said anything at all. I think your light is insufficient. What are your alkalinity and calcium levels? I’m not sure what you mean when you say the waving hand was doing good until you lost the battle, but then also the waving hand took over the tank.

 

[Scorpius]

Op if you want to be successful in this hobby I advise you to go watch bulkreefsupply's YouTube channel. They have a whole series on how to successfully setup a reef tank.

 

[SDK]

Among other things, your first move should be to upgrade your light. Mushrooms can survive on ambient light from the room, and GSP is pretty forgiving. Missing one week of Kalk is not going to kill off a Devils Hand. It most likely faded away from lack of light. PO4 could also be an issue as you did not provide a reading. That Hygger light is not suitable for coral...

Even though Clove Polps can get invasive in the right tanks, they do have higher light needs in my experience. I also have Fireworks Cloves, and they seem to be slower growing and have higher care requirements than the standard ones...

 

[Uzidaisies]

Does the light have a white and blue setting instead of red and blue?

 

[AshenEmberose]

Does the light have a white and blue setting instead of red and blue?

It has white, red+white+blue, and red+blue. Which would be best?

 

[AshenEmberose]

Among other things, your first move should be to upgrade your light. Mushrooms can survive on ambient light from the room, and GSP is pretty forgiving. Missing one week of Kalk is not going to kill off a Devils Hand. It most likely faded away from lack of light. PO4 could also be an issue as you did not provide a reading. That Hygger light is not suitable for coral...

Even though Clove Polps can get invasive in the right tanks, they do have higher light needs in my experience. I also have Fireworks Cloves, and they seem to be slower growing and have higher care requirements than the standard ones...

I will be returning the clove polyps today so they have a better chance and having the store do a full test on my water again and see what comes up. I will ask them for the test with PO4, alk, calcium, and magnesium to see if any of those are off.

 

[Uzidaisies]

It has white, red+white+blue, and red+blue. Which would be best?

Hmm, red white and blue maybe? I’m not sure. Odd that they would have a red and blue and no white and blue. I have a Hygger on my freshwater tank, but the settings are totally different.

 

[AshenEmberose]

If I didn’t want to help I wouldn’t have said anything at all. I think your light is insufficient. What are your alkalinity and calcium levels? I’m not sure what you mean when you say the waving hand was doing good until you lost the battle, but then also the waving hand took over the tank.

I had the waving hand alive for 4 months so I got to see how it behaved over a good amount of time.

 

[AshenEmberose]

Hmm, red white and blue maybe? I’m not sure. Odd that they would have a red and blue and no white and blue. I have a Hygger on my freshwater tank, but the settings are totally different.

I’ll try it for a bit and see how my green star polyps react. Theyve opened up really nicely this morning and the mushroom is still good.

 

[AshenEmberose]

The way your system is currently setup it would only work for a fish only system. You don't have enough live rock for bacteria to colonize to be successful with coral.

Old photo doesnt show that i have coraline algae on my rock now.

 

[AshenEmberose]

Old photo doesnt show that i have coraline algae on my rock now.

 

[Uzidaisies]

It would be a good idea to invest in a more suitable light. If money is tight, there are some cheap “black box” lights that would get you closer to the correct spectrum at least. Maybe something like this;

 

[AshenEmberose]

It would be a good idea to invest in a more suitable light. If money is tight, there are some cheap “black box” lights that would get you closer to the correct spectrum at least. Maybe something like this;

I’ll check into that and see what the reviews are. The gsp is really happy under the red white and blue light it seems. Do you think they are fully open without stretching or should i make the light a little brighter? I dont want to kill the firework clove so I’m trying to be careful. I think it'll bounce back once its in the LFS water. I read a forum that said as long as its not fully melted with no polyp heads then it can still come back. I got it October 31st so there’s no way its instantly died i dont think. Do you know what those little white dandelion puff looking things on the firework clove are? Some of them came on the mushroom rock too but i only noticed them after adding to the tank. Could that be damaging the cloves?

 

[Uzidaisies]

Maybe just see how it goes for a bit before turning the intensity up. The little things on the cloves are hydroids. The other ones next to the mushroom, I’m assuming are some type of polychaete worm, but it doesn’t quite look like a fan worm so I’m not sure.