Plate coral care

[HydroJ]

I recently got this plate coral from POTO. It looks very nice, but I worry I will kill it…

I had an orange plate before, and it died while other corals seem happy.

I know they like low light (50-100 par) and lower flow. Is there anything else I can do to make them happy?

My tank tends to run on lower nutrients, but I do dose both Neo Nitro and Phos.
Is feeding necessary? If so, are reef rods work well enough?

 

[slingfox]

I find plate corals very easy to keep. They seem to thrive in lower light and flow. The plates with the feeding tentacles can be fed small frozen food or particulate coral food like Benepets. I prefer Benepets since that doesn’t result in my fish swarming the feeding area. One of my damsels still comes around to eat some of the Benepets-infused slime that the plates use to capture food.

I direct feed once a week but I am not sure it does anything major. The plates definitely react and pull the food into their mouths. They look a little bit puffier and vibrant but maybe I am just seeing things (the difference is fairly subtle). For frags like in your picture, I assume the plates round out more quickly with direct feeding. If the plate is large, round and mature the value add of feeding is less clear.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

#reef squad