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Dendrophyllia that won`t open

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by AJ, Nov 18, 2008.

  1. Nov 18, 2008 #1
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    I bought a frag of Dendrophyllia at the Frag Fest and it's the only thing that I brought back that's not doing fantastic.  I've tried high light, low light, target "feeding" (which ended up being more like squirting food in it's general direction only to see it stay taken away by the current and eaten by everything else) and I just can't seem to get it to come out.  Any ideas?
    --AJ
     
  2. Nov 18, 2008 #2
    Gered

    Gered Experienced Reefkeeper

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    I say maybe give it time. Hopefully they open up because they are great looking corals. I wanted to get some but funds were tight.
     
  3. Nov 18, 2008 #3
    RobynT

    RobynT Inactive User

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    Dendro's are not light dependent so lighting just doesn't matter much to them. In the wild I think they are often found by caves and places where they might naturally catch more food.
    I put my dendro's where I can easily reach them with a turkey baster to feed them. They usually don't put out their tentacles until after lights out so check them on them an hour after lights out. If they are not extending for food at all then you need to get them in a place where you can baby them awhile and get them on the right track before they decline further. They will need for you to feed them at least 2 or 3 times a week to be happy corals. (All of this also applies to sun corals)
    I had a spell where mine went without extra feedings for a few weeks and weren't extending at all. I took them out and put them in the sump where there was very light flow and feed them well for a week or two. When they get on to the feeding thing, they will eat fairly large chunks of mysis, etc but are glad for small particles that cling to their tenticles too. I wish you luck, they are wonderful corals!
     
  4. Nov 21, 2008 #4
    -=kevin=-

    -=kevin=- Inactive User

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    I bought some at the fest too. They are just now fully extending. They "woke-up" when I dosed some phyto and cyclopese. I was worried but, now I'm very glad for this buy. I guess they need to settle in a bit before they extend.
    Mine are in an area with mild current low to medium light.
     
  5. Nov 25, 2008 #5
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    Mine is just now starting to open up.  Hopefully in a couple of days, it will be fully extended.  I'll take your tips and keep them in mind.  Mine is in a low light, low flow area currently.
    --AJ
     
  6. Nov 26, 2008 #6
    glaspie69

    glaspie69 Experienced Reefkeeper

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    Dendro's are also nocturnal, try turning the lights off for an hour or two and then looking to see if its open. Also I've had them eat fish so if you have smaller fish keep an eye on them.
     
  7. Nov 26, 2008 #7
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    Yeah, I've noticed that they usually open up most at night. The only fish that I have in my tank are two clowns and while they are still juvies, they should be big enough that I shouldn't have to worry about them. The dendro is small in comparison. Thanks for the info.

    --AJ
     
  8. Dec 1, 2008 #8
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    Little update on this....I went down tonight after lights out and one the heads was about 25% of the way open and the rest were open more than I have seen them open up before. And this was before feeding. I target fed them phyto and cyclops tonight. Hopefully they continue to make progress and fully open soon. This is the best that I have seen them and now I believe that it's going to survive. It was pretty touch and go there for a while.

    --AJ
     
  9. Dec 5, 2008 #9
    midwest saltwater

    midwest saltwater Inactive User

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    dendros dont eat phyto they like meaty foods cyclops mysis pieces of krill etc
     
  10. Dec 6, 2008 #10
    B-Rad

    B-Rad Inactive User

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    I feed mine a mix of brine shrimp and cyclops every day and they are doing great.
    Get into the habit of feeding them at the same time every day, they will get use to this schedule and they will open up more around this time.
     
  11. Dec 7, 2008 #11
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    Good tip.  Thanks B-Rad.

    --AJ
     
  12. Dec 8, 2008 #12
    MULE

    MULE Inactive User

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    This may be a strange quiestion....how do they know if its night or day?They can't see can they?
     
  13. Dec 10, 2008 #13
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    Just a quick update, these are doing really great. I should have taken some pics last night as they are really doing good now. There was one head that was dead on the frag when I got it...all white and skeletal. The area with the dead head appears to have color returning to it. Is it possible that it will re-grow a new head in the same spot? Also, a new head is forming one the side of one of the others and the others are opening nicely and getting big. I fed them mysis last night and they ate probably 1/2 cube between the three heads/polyps. I have not had good luck in working them into a regular eating schedule. I feed the rest of the fish about 8 PM, but find that these guys are not usually ready until closer to 10 after the lights have been out for an hour or so. The time varies. It's kind of a pain to have two feedings, but I've heard that once they get going and more healthy, some people have them stay open for longer and open up before lights out. At this point, I'm just happy to have them eating good. I'll try to work the time up after a while.

    I have them in a cave like area at the bottom of my tank and it's been tough to keep the crabs and shrimp away when I feed them. Also, there's three heads on one side, and a fourth on the other that I have not seen open much and I can't do a good job of feeding it where it's at. I'm thinking about moving them up onto a rock where they wouldn't get bothered so much and I can feed them better. Finally, I read someone mention that any part of the skeletal structure that's under the sand will die. I may end up gluing it to a rock or something to keep it off the sand bed.

    --AJ
     
  14. Dec 13, 2008 #14
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    Quick pic...the 4th head seems to be starting to open up a little...

    [​IMG]
    There are three on the left side and one on the right.  The skeletal head in the front was completely white..now it's getting color.  Also, they seemed to start opening up sooner too so now I can do a single feeding for both the fish, anemone and the corals.
    --AJ
     
  15. Dec 14, 2008 #15
    kyle

    kyle Inactive User

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    Aaron awesome sun polyps! I need to get one but my tank(14 gal) is full. LOL

     
  16. Dec 16, 2008 #16
    AJ

    AJ Inactive User

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    Yeah, I bet...you took quite a cooler full of stuff home from the Fall Fest.  You got any pics on how things are going?  I would love to see.
    --AJ
     

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