elegance help...

[beauphus]

i was at the LFS the other day and they had this "AUSSIE ELEGANCE" coral. this particular store is well repected in the area as being the best and most knowledgable store around and if i named it on here most would probably agree. it seems to be rather puffy in appearance unlike many elegance corals i have seen before. i have done alot of reading and i am hoping this is normal but perhaps not. my questions is should this be kept in lower lighting? i had him half way up the tank under the MH and after reading i decided to put him lower down under a ledge as to not over expose himS told me the aussies dont seem to have the same problems as the others because they are harvested in shallower water. is this true? its a beautiful coral and i am hoping to try and keep it alive. it measures approx 6-7 inches across with a big healthy stalk. any advice would be nice. thanks!

[Dentoid]

I am no expert with respect to Elegance coral but my understanding is that they are substrate dwellers and their stoney base should be pushed down into the substrate.

A swollen oral disc and retracted tentacles is not a normal look for them.

It may take a few moves to find the right location. They are found in nature on the sea floor in grassy areas and prefer diffuse light is my understanding. Also moderate to lower flow. All the best!

[sasquatch]

If the forum walls could talk lol, My LFS has them on a steady basis and they are there for months and look great, she keeps them under 20k mh other than that all I can say is best of luck, they aint easy

[lcstorc]

Not easy at all. Mine perished pretty quickly. I would take Dentoid's advice. His is one of the few I have seen look good over a decent amount of time.

[Dentoid]

I believe this is what Steve is referring to. Not to drum up a touchy situation, but it's worth taking a look at to get an idea of the difficulty and controversy surrounding this species of coral.

Elegance Coral theory

[AQTCJAK]

This is straight scoop from the Wholesalers on elegance corals they are being harvested form deeper colder darker nastier waters. the best plac ein your tank for them is where the least flow is. or evern in your refuge. they love the excess nutriants & low level of light

[framerguy]

Jack and Scott are right. Substrate, diffused lighting, nutrient rich water, low/med flow, feed them on a regular basis with crustacean based foods (Krill, deli shrimp, gut packed brine). I had to move mine around several times to find where he was most happy. I have has mine for nearly a year now so I'm not out of the woods yet. He seems to be thriving, and it does puff up like a balloon from time to time. I feed mine about once a week now with Krill. I was feeding more often at first and it was getting to the point he would drop the food, now he holds it almost every time. HTH-Greg