Hi! Husband and I started our first tank a few months ago. I think it’s going well… but something we’re struggling with is understanding what our corals are “supposed” to look like, when, what indicators show you they aren’t thriving, etc. I get the basic anatomy, but am wondering if there are any resources that show clear pictures or videos of various states of common corals. I’ve been taking short videos periodically of each so we can track what they look like—attaching the most recent! Probably going overboard and don’t expect y’all to read the rest of this, but appreciate any comments on anything that stands out. :-)
What I wonder in order of corals shown on video:
- First hammer seems like it isn’t getting as much flow but is plump. Maybe droopier than the rest? Or is that a normal variation? How do you know if a hammer is getting the right flow?
- Second hammer is the one I’ve been watching the closest—it took a couple days to open up after acclimation and I can see that some of the tentacles are smaller / different shapes. Maybe it’s just where the smaller tentacles are creating more space to see, but what I think is the white underside of the tentacles (guess I’d describe it as the perineum lol) is often noticeable.
-Third hammer seems good
- Fourth, frogspawn, seeems good—but how can you tell when the mouth is “too” open?
- Fourth hammer seems good
- Fifth, toadstool, is leaning towards the middle of the tank where the light is. Does that mean it needs more? It’s about as high up as it can get but in a corner
- Sixth, duncan, is at least growing insanely fast
- Seventh, blasto, is also growing like crazy
- Eighth, xenia, doesn’t seem to be loving where it is but not sure
- Ninth, GSP, not much to see there I think
Hopefully you get the gist of my wonderings, and that we’ll gain more confidence as we go!
Edit:
Here is a YouTube link:
Tank: 30 gallon cube
Light: AI Prime 16HD
Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.1
Nitrate: 10
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
Phosphate: No test at home but last week at LFS was 0.3
Alkalinity: 8.0
Calcium: 440
Magnesium: 1200
View attachment 1788378302
What I wonder in order of corals shown on video:
- First hammer seems like it isn’t getting as much flow but is plump. Maybe droopier than the rest? Or is that a normal variation? How do you know if a hammer is getting the right flow?
- Second hammer is the one I’ve been watching the closest—it took a couple days to open up after acclimation and I can see that some of the tentacles are smaller / different shapes. Maybe it’s just where the smaller tentacles are creating more space to see, but what I think is the white underside of the tentacles (guess I’d describe it as the perineum lol) is often noticeable.
-Third hammer seems good
- Fourth, frogspawn, seeems good—but how can you tell when the mouth is “too” open?
- Fourth hammer seems good
- Fifth, toadstool, is leaning towards the middle of the tank where the light is. Does that mean it needs more? It’s about as high up as it can get but in a corner
- Sixth, duncan, is at least growing insanely fast
- Seventh, blasto, is also growing like crazy
- Eighth, xenia, doesn’t seem to be loving where it is but not sure
- Ninth, GSP, not much to see there I think
Hopefully you get the gist of my wonderings, and that we’ll gain more confidence as we go!
Edit:
Here is a YouTube link:
Tank: 30 gallon cube
Light: AI Prime 16HD
Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.1
Nitrate: 10
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
Phosphate: No test at home but last week at LFS was 0.3
Alkalinity: 8.0
Calcium: 440
Magnesium: 1200
View attachment 1788378302
Last edited:
