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kjord97
02/23/2007, 07:09 AM
Hello all, Just thought I would share some pics of my chili coral. I recieved this about 8 months ago from a gentleman selling his tank. It was a solid hard red mass just covered in algae. I placed it in the tank and it sat there for 4 months. Then slowly started to open up at night. Well 8 months later and I managed to catch a pic of it opened after a long night.
I feed the chili once a week with cyclopeeze.

I also included a shot of the full tank.
:smokin: http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/103593chilie_143.jpg http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/103593chilie2_208.jpg http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10359348gal_bow_974.jpg

plateboy3293
02/23/2007, 02:46 PM
Wow they look spicy!!!!!!!

55semireef
02/23/2007, 08:16 PM
Looks like it would sting you.

Chaotic Reefer4u
02/23/2007, 08:32 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9317215#post9317215 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plateboy3293
Wow they look spicy!!!!!!!
Lol... :lol:

Piazzon12
02/24/2007, 12:32 AM
nice... firtst time I've ever seen them "not the solid hard red mass" you describe

kjord97
02/26/2007, 08:36 AM
thanx for the compliments on the coral. Looks like something is going right in my little slice of the ocean.

zoomfish1
02/26/2007, 01:00 PM
That guy looks hungry! They are a great coral, but a little hard to keep only because of the need to feed them when they are open.

Here is a pic of mine after I just placed it in the tank:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/Tholsted/100_0022-1.jpg

I even used to set the alarm for 3:00 AM to catch it open to feed it. I now just feed the whole tank cyclopeeze once a week.

Kjord, that is a very nice chili.

kjord97
02/26/2007, 01:44 PM
I know what you mean about setting the alarm. But I get up at 5 am and get ready for work anyways. And my chili seems to stay open until noon when my halides kick on.

zoomfish1
02/26/2007, 01:52 PM
I've been trying to train mine to eat when I am awake. So far, not much luck. It is eating from the water column after lights out, but only on Friday when I feed the cyclopeeze after lights out. It has actually grown one new finger in the last 4 months.

FishboyBT
02/26/2007, 05:20 PM
how do you post pics?

kjord97
02/26/2007, 05:35 PM
i upload mine to the gallery on this website and then use the address it generates, copy and paste it into your message. Hit IMG on the message area and paste it into there.

kjord97
02/26/2007, 05:37 PM
yes chili corals grow very slowy. a couple of resources say that they max out at about 6 inches, that is what makes them great in nano tanks.

dendro982
02/26/2007, 11:17 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9342165#post9342165 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FishboyBT
how do you post pics?
The photobucket.com is a free host, that allows to insert full size pictures into the thread. Copy the line under the photo, containing word IMG, and paste in the Post reply window, without using any buttons above it.
If you like to attract less attention - the webshots.com, also free host, allows to insert the thumbnails, that need a click to see the full size, same procedure.

Chili pictures:

This is shaped as vertical cactus, large pure white polyps, darck cold shade of the red, doesn't like temperature 75F, most sensitive to the light; open, closed, close-up:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chilioldMar18_06.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/Chili_oldAug21.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/ChiliAug23macro.jpg
Eating ZoPlan:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chili1fragDec16Zoplan.jpg
Eating the smaller particles of the dried Cyclop-eeze:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chili1fragDec16.jpg


This is wide, fingers-shaped, small pinkish polyps, most light tolerant, still closes at bright lights, is still open at accidental 75F. The same: open, closed, close-up:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/ChiliMay1better.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chili_newJun27_06.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chilisunDec3Zoplan2.jpg
This last - eating ZoPlan (50-250 micron, if I remember right).
Here- eating Cyclop-eeze:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chilisunDec3CyclopEeze.jpg

Will continue.

dendro982
02/26/2007, 11:35 PM
This is also wide, finger-shaped, only even the big one looks like miniature - thin fingers, fine pure white polyps. The only one, that tried to disattach itself from supporting stone and the only one that never went dormant for a months. Opens only in the late evening and night.
The both are the same:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chili3Dec9.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chili3Dec10.jpg
Sorry for the quality - it's far in the big tank, my Optio 30 makes the best shots at the small distance and clear glass, as in close-up photos, Nano-Cube.

All other - just for comparison:
The second chili after dormancy - very similar to Diodogorgia gorgonian polyps, only smaller:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/chiliGorgDec18.jpg

scleronephtya baby - the same cyclop-eeze is too big:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Soft%20corals/scleroNov4cyclopeeze.jpg

This is from Webshots, thumbnail:
http://thumb1.webshots.net/t/59/559/4/98/97/2952498970081040121NNZzOc_th.jpg (http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2952498970081040121NNZzOc)
Sun coral spawns settled onto the surface of the second chili. Is open most of the day, when the food is present, except midday.

kjord97
02/27/2007, 07:38 AM
Wow awsome pics of your chili. Hmmm i see that you have your chili hanging up side down in your tank. That is a cool idea.


I dont understand what you mean about the 75F do you mean you tank never goes above 75F or never below 75F

My tank changes alot in temp. Night time is 77-80 F and daytime is 80-83 F My tanks have had the temp swing for years with no problems.


Everyone tries so hard with there fancy chillers to maintain a perfect temp that never changes. WELL in the wild oceans I am afraid to say TEMP CHANGES DAILY.

dendro982
02/27/2007, 09:18 AM
75F: it was an accident, one night only - I moved temporarily 6g Nano-cube close to the window, winter time, without checking temperature late in the evening.

BTW, my heaters are keeping temperature quite steady, but settings on the dialing scale are different from the temperature they are keeping in the tank, especially 6g and smaller. Have to check temperature in the tank, and then correct heater's settings.
Usual temperature is 79F, 82F in the midday and the summer because of the sun, heating the room.

In the morning was surprised by the chili's behavior - one closed and the second was wide open, usually the both are open. Thought, that it's worth mentioning - other people may have seen some strange behavior too.

Mine are 6g and 90g, both low light, flow 20-25x of the tank volume per hr. The first is heavily fed for gorgonian, the frag of the first chili and the second chili with sun babies are open a lot of the time - when the food is in the water column. Filter floss without skimming seems to be insufficient for a keeping water quality in some limits. The second tank has micron sock and very big protein skimmer, but the first and the third chilies are opening only evening and night.

The chili, hanging upside down is recommended, but not necessary (IMHO) - the strong flow, especially reflected from the glass, was more important.

Mine were closed for a months, then opened. Your is doing clearly better.

Any observations, tips, type of tank, flow, quantity of food and filtration and/or skimming?
Any shared information will be greatly appreciated.

zoomfish1
02/27/2007, 11:26 AM
Since I first intoduced my chili coral I have tried numerour placings in the tank, all in the shade with varied amounts of flow. It seems the most happy when almost hanging upside down in moderate to heavy flow.

I attribute it's behaviour to the feeding habits in the wild, feeding from the water column alone. I believe it needs a stronger flow to pass as much water thru the feeder tenticles as possible.

Mine stays closed up for a week or two at a time also, or at least during the daylight hours.