Candy Cane looking alright?

[eamike261]

I'm just wondering if its a problem that its gotten brown-ish on the front...it was all green when my friend and I bought it 3 days ago.
10 gallons tank, T5 48 watt lights, sitting 3-4 inches above the bottom of the tank

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=119642&stc=1&d=1278962639
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=119641&stc=1&d=1278962639

[Dave71]

Pictures are a little blurry, but it looks ok based on what I can tell.

As a suggestion, I would glue the little nub of skeleton on a piece of rubble rock/frag plug.

Leaving the flesh of the coral to potentially rub on your rock could lead to its demise.

That said, candy cane corals tend to be hardy.

[eamike261]

As a suggestion, I would glue the little nub of skeleton on a piece of rubble rock/frag plug.

Leaving the flesh of the coral to potentially rub on your rock could lead to its demise.

I didn't realize that could be harmful to it. My friend and I were trying to save on not buying epoxy but perhaps it'd be a good investment...

Here are couple better pictures, maybe it help. You think that brown is normal though?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=119660&stc=1&d=1278966097
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=119661&stc=1&d=1278966097

[Dave71]

Well, it is hard to say for sure, but I would not be overly concerned just yet.

As far as epoxy, I just use loctite super glue gel that you can pick up at any big box hardware store.

And I sometimes mix this with a two part epoxy you can usually find in plumbing.

This is one version of the two part epoxy I am referring to.

http://www.oatey.com/Channel/Shared/ProductGroupDetail/93/Epoxy_Putty.html

The two together should cost less then $10.

If you are using the two part epoxy, you are going to want to combo it with the glue. So it would go... superglue on top of mixed ball of putty, attach to bottom of coral, then superglue on bottom of putty and attach to rock.

[eamike261]

Hm interesting, and the super glue and other materials aren't bad for the water or coral?

[Dave71]

No. That is not to say every product out there can be used. But any super glue would be fine.

They sell reef glue, which is basically super glue with a fancy name and a fancy price tag. ;)

By the way, don't believe me...google it and you will find many others saying the same.

[eamike261]

Nah I believe you, especially if you're doing it. When the candy cane produces more heads will they be attached to the live rock? or will it always be separated if we don't glue it?

[Dave71]

Always separated. I have a candy cane that has grown many heads, all branching from the same original skeleton.

[eamike261]

Oh cool, so it won't ever attach? Say there are 20 heads, i could just pick up the whole thing as 1 large single mass?

Just out of curiosity when do you think a new head could come up? Or how often do new heads sprout on your candy canes? It will be an exciting day when a 3rd guy pops up :rollface:

[bassplaya12]

haha....i'll be excited

[eamike261]

and do you have any awesome suggestions for feeding it? ive been slowly squirting frozen food we bought for it but it just floats away, is he still getting fed even if though it doesnt look like it?

[Dwyer]

Their growth rate all depends on tank conditions. I added new bulbs, and started dosing vitamins to my tank and my colonies just started growing like crazy.

[eamike261]

Help!! I think its shrinking! It doesn't look good, it was directly under my karalia 225gph and my 200gph AC50 filter so i moved it to the other side of the tank, do you think it was getting too much flow??

[eamike261]

It's been fed twice since we got it last Friday, Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate all 0ppm, Temp 79, pH 7.9-8.1 (high/low during light cycle), salinity 1.024

[getzvillereefer]

alot of times lps will just retract and then expand back out so I wouldn't sweat it. As for feeding, wait until the lights are off you should see plenty of feeder tentacles coming out.. thats when you want to feed.

[eamike261]

okay good to know :thumbsup:
When I fed it last night the lights were off but the frozen stuff (forget what it is at the moment) still just floats away, is it getting fed even if it doesnt appear to be?

[bassplaya12]

i think it's mysis shrimp mike

[Dave71]

Good to move it away if it was getting blasted with flow.

FWIW- I do not target feed any of my corals....too much of a pain IMHO.
Although you will get better growth out of some corals if you do.

I broadcast feed my tank. i.e. turn off filter/return pump, leave on powerhead.

Powerhead blows the food around the tank...but filter/overflow does not pull the food away..wasting the food.

After 10 minutes or so..I turn the overflow pump back on.

As said...growth rates depend...and candy canes definitely put out their tentacles at night.

Here is a pic of mine

http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss338/DRParker71/CandyCane.jpg

[eamike261]

Thats a nice looking set of Candy Canes, hopefully ours will grow that big some day.

[JeF4y]

Once you get them in the right spot they grow like mad. Mine prefer mid tank with moderate flow.

These started from a single head about the size of a dime around 1 1/2 yrs ago. Now they're about the size of a baseball, maybe a bit larger, with ~25 heads, most with 2-3 mouths so they'll keep splitting.

http://www.cbr600rr.com/reef/60_cube/0712/6.jpg

[bassplaya12]

sweet candy canes