[Img] is my new coral dying?!?!?

[birdz]

http://barrettdesigns.com/rc/limp_coral.jpg

Today my lover bought me some coral .... After only a few hours in the tank, one type that she bought has gone limp!!! We don't know what kind of coral it is (because she can't remember) and we are not sure if it is limp because it is readjusting to the new environment or if it is dying! Any ideas?

[Fretfreak13]

How did you acclimate it? It looks like some sort of softie and shoulnd't need a ton of light, but it's probably just adjusting itself to your tank.

[mdntrdr]

Or a ton of flow.

If your parameters are all good should be fine.

[birdz]

we put it in at about 7pm under actinics .... the daylights won't be on until tom at 10am.

Floated the bag for about half an hour ... any idea what kind it is?

[mdntrdr]

You should do a drip acclimation.

The change in water probably shocked it somewhat.

Softies are pretty hardy, check it in the morning.

Probably wont open untill lights on.

[birdz]

haha we just reevaluated the situation and there was actually a crab attacking it! He was hidden behind the rock on the left holding it down! How wild!

[mdntrdr]

Hermit crab?

[birdz]

no - more of a traditional sidestepping type crab - mithrax maybe?

[mdntrdr]

Not familliar with that one.

Dont know if it's reef safe or not.

[birdz]

I have a few of them, they came in on my live rock from tampa. Some are smaller, 3-6mm wide light in color. Others are a bit bigger with black claws. Gorilla crabs?

[mdntrdr]

Got any pics?

Gorilla doesn't sound good.

[birdz]

gorilla
http://www.google.com/search?q=gorilla+crab&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

mithrax
http://images.google.com/images?q=mithrax%20crab&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

[Fretfreak13]

Also, check out Xanthid crabs. Total terrors in a reef. Also, a Mithrax is the scientific name for an emerald crab. They're not always green, some are black and some red. As a rule of thumb, almost any crab with rounded claws are reef-safe, and the ones with pointed, or black claws are NOT.

[mdntrdr]

I would remove em, or atleast banish em to the sump.

[wireefman]

thats a kenya tree coral... very hardy... u just shocked it... take an icecream bucket and tie a knot in air line tubing and drip acclimate the coral next time....

[birdz]

thanks wireefman, appreciate the ID

mdntrdr, i'll yank the gorillas. From what I'm reading the mithrax crabs are ok