Sunday, April 19, 2009

What is the normal acclimation time for a new soft coral in an aquarium?

Today I purchased my first piece of live coral; a medium sized leather toadstool coral. After floating the bag for about 30mins. I introduced it to the the tank. It%26#039;s still mounted to the piece of anchor-rock it%26#039;s attached to. I buried it in the sand near a few pieces of Fiji rock. I%26#039;m noticing that the flower head portion is closing up now that it%26#039;s been in there for about 4 hours. Is this normal? What are some signs that a new piece of soft coral isn%26#039;t doing well in a new tank?





One other thing, do you normally leave the coral mounted to the rock it came on or do you cut it and tether it to a large existing rock in the tank? If so, how? Thanks.

What is the normal acclimation time for a new soft coral in an aquarium?
Use the drip method take a bucket and put the coral and water it came in in the bucket then take a piece of tubeing and put one end in your tank tie a not in the middle and get the water flowing through the tube tighten or loosen the not in the middle of the tube to control the drip speed put the end dripping in the bucket and wait like 1 hour and it should be acclimated properly. This way is better not only for the temp but to slowly get it accustomed to your salt content which is never the same as the stores.
Reply:For Fish:





1. Float the bag with the new fish in the aquarium for 15-20 minutes to equalize the water temperature in the bag with the water temperature in the aquarium.


2. After 15-20 minutes cut open the top of the plastic bag with the new fish and roll down the top of the bag about an inch to create an air pocket within the lip of the bag.


3. Continue to float the bag in the aquarium.


4. Pour one-half cup of aquarium water into the bag every 5 minutes until the bag is nearly full.


5. Remove the bag from the aquarium and discard half of the water from the bag. (Be careful that you do not discard your fish!) Do not pour the water from the bag into the aquarium.


6. Again float the bag in the aquarium and add one-half cup of aquarium water every 5 minutes until the bag is nearly full again.


7. Net the fish carefully from the bag and release it into the aquarium.





For fish with spines such as Lionfish, Squirrelfish, etc: You may discard nearly all of the water from the shipping bag into a bucket and then empty the fish directly from the bag into the aquarium. A small amount of water will escape into the aquarium this way. This method is much safer for fish with spines that can become tangled in a net.








For Coral %26amp; Invertebrates





1. Float the bag in the aquarium for 15-20 minutes to equalize the water temperature.


2. For sponges, clams, scallops, and gorgonians: These items should never be exposed to air. Open the shipping bag underwater and remove the specimen from the bag underwater. After you remove the item twist the shipping bag closed underwater and discard the shipping bag and all of the water in it. A small amount of water will escape into the aquarium this way. This method will help to insure the success of these specimens in your aquarium. Then follow steps 8 through 10.








For all other corals and invertebrates: Remove the bag from the aquarium and cut open the top of the bag. Then follow steps 3 through 10.








3. Pour one-half cup of aquarium water into the bag every 5 minutes until the bag is nearly full.


4. Discard half of the water from the bag. Do not pour the water from the bag into the aquarium.


5. Add one-half cup of aquarium water every 5 minutes until the bag is nearly full again.


6. Remove the coral or invertebrate from the shipping bag and place it into the aquarium.


7. When placing corals in the aquarium think about the lighting conditions and the water flow in the area you plan to place them. You might want to refer to the page from our website for that particular coral to find out about its lighting and flow requirements.


8. After you have placed the coral into position wave your hand at it to create a strong current. If the coral stays put you are done. If the coral falls or moves try to wedge it in more securely. If the coral is secure then you don’t have to worry so much about fish knocking it over.


9. When placing stony corals make sure that only the dead portion of the skeleton is touching the live rock. The portion of the coral where it attaches to its skeleton is very delicate and can be damaged if it is leaning against the live rock. This can cause the coral to recede.


10. Please note that many species of coral may take up to five days to fully open and acclimate to your aquarium. If they remain closed for more than a week try moving them to a different position with different lighting and flow conditions.





hope this help you a bit, works for me! but like i said above just them them upto 5days to fully open again!
Reply:It looks like OCD gave you enough info so I am going to make a short n simple one. The polyps that you see closing up is normal. They are getting to used to things. And they will usually close up at night, or vica versa in day. enjoy



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