oldest piece of coral in your tank

[rigleautomotive]

the caulastra in the center of the photo is 13 years in my system.it has produced frags that i traded off many times.it was 3 heads originally .what is your oldest coral.http:// http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/70590mini-DSCF0031.JPG

[SPSFiend]

This Maxima clam is supposedly 59 yrs old....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/108878CIMG2177.JPG


This euphylia has been in this tank for about 3.5 years (same for the derasa clam)...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/108878CIMG1996.JPG

Here's a picture of it out of the water:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/108878CIMG1984.JPG

[rigleautomotive]

thats a handful.i had a torch frogspawn that i had 10 years .i thought i killed it last time i fragged it.i damaged the mother colony and it died but there was 4 babies out the side of the branches and i am currently growing them out.they are about as big as a baseball now,one year later

[Paco1l1d]

In my tank back in colorado, I have a trachyphyllia thats been in the tank for 5 years now. there's a pic. in my profile if you want to sort through all of them

[bboats]

my branching hammer has been in ther for at least 3 to 4 years and keeps on growing!

[nigel]

Had a leather over 7 years , thats how long it was in my setup .
Grew to over a foot wide.

[Timbor]

We should get PaulB on this thread... hes got the 35 year old reef. I bet hes got some oldies!

Tim

[Paul B]

Not as old as some of you guys. I think my bubble is about ten, maybe eight I don't know.

One of my experiments didn't go exactly as planned a few years ago and I lost most of my older corals.
Paul

[skeeter-doc]

i have a few corals that I had even before I ever met my wife! I guess that puts them at about 7-8 years now, lucky corals, lol

[Rendos]

I have had this trachyphyllia for almost 8 years.
http://fishman.smugmug.com/photos/1663052-L.jpg

This is a top view of the same coral.
http://fishman.smugmug.com/photos/17691493-L.jpg

[stereomandan]

Cool idea for a thread. I don't have a pic right now, but I have a couple that are 5 years old... My frogspawn (which has been fragged at least a dozen times), green star polyps.

Dan

[dvmsn]

I have some red mushrooms that have been in my possesion since 1993.

[Paul B]

Oh I forgot about green star polyps, I have them for about 15 years. It's hard to tell because they grow on everything.
Paul

[Amphiprion]

Oldest coral is an 11 year old Trachyphyllia, followed by a 10 year old Plerogyra. Although sea anemones don't count, I have had one in the tank with the corals for longer than that.

[kass03]

I still have my first coral I bought 23 yrs ago. It's a bubble coral.
It is'nt doing well though as I had to move it to my 150 which has high nitrates right now cuz it was stinging everything in my 55.

Im working on the 150 now changing the sump and stuff to try to get the nitrates reduced.

kass

[Paul B]

Kass that is fantastic. Mine is maybe ten and it also doesen't look too good. I have been so busy that I have really been neglecting my tank. I will try to do some much needed maintenance.
But 23 years is the best I have ever heard.
Paul

[stereomandan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8051408#post8051408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kass03
I still have my first coral I bought 23 yrs ago. It's a bubble coral.
It is'nt doing well though as I had to move it to my 150 which has high nitrates right now cuz it was stinging everything in my 55.

Im working on the 150 now changing the sump and stuff to try to get the nitrates reduced.

kass

Holy cow!! :thumbsup: How big is it by now? Have you fragged it?

Dan

[rcmike]

I have my first coral, a devils hand leather that I bought around 1994 and it is still doing very well. I guess the LFS knew what he was doing when he recommended it. It is huge and has survived several beginner mistakes and lots of bad luck. The funny thing is I thought it was dead right after I got it. I didn't know they shrunk when they were stressed so I got pretty worried when I took it out of the bag. It took a few months in my pretty sad tank to even extend it's polyps.

[DKKA]

http://www.dkka.cimaonline.us/picsof30/frontal.JPG

The big leather at the top of this tank is 13-14 years old. I regularly cut it back to a stump, othewise it would take over the tank.
I also have the first coral I ever bought. The green striped mushrooms (below the toadstool) are 15 years old...well, they are clones of the original colony anyway. I thought I had gotten rid of them all at one point, but they are making a comeback. I have GSP's taking over another tank that are about the same age.

Dan

[stereomandan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8054429#post8054429 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DKKA
http://www.dkka.cimaonline.us/picsof30/frontal.JPG

The big leather at the top of this tank is 13-14 years old. I regularly cut it back to a stump, othewise it would take over the tank.
I also have the first coral I ever bought. The green striped mushrooms (below the toadstool) are 15 years old...well, they are clones of the original colony anyway. I thought I had gotten rid of them all at one point, but they are making a comeback. I have GSP's taking over another tank that are about the same age.

Dan

How do you cut it to a stump? I'm curious because I have a HUGE (12"W x 17"H) green sinularia (sp?) that I need to cut back. It's about 10x the size of yours in the upper left corner of your tank. No kidding.

[JJohn]

My Hydnophora and Sarcophyton are over ten years old and my sinularia is right at ten. This year, I got rid of all my old LPS's and most of the softies to move to SPS.

The Sinularia has reached basketball size twice. The sarcophyton is the most beautiful one I have ever seen and has outgrown my tank three times only to be discarded and regrown from one of small buds growing at its base.

My anemone (sort of off topic) is probably many decades old but I have only owned it for ten years. Its clownfish pair are ten also.

John

[dvmsn]

My red mushrooms lived through an entire tank crash while I was on my honeymoon and sat in a tank without any circulation and about $1500 worth of dead coral for almost a week.

[AZDesertRat]

I've had the sebae anemone in the middle of the tank with the clown peeking out for almost 15 years now.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/AJOIII/6-1026.jpg

[DKKA]

http://www.dkka.cimaonline.us/picsof30/fragged%20leather.JPG


How do you cut it to a stump?

With scissors...:strooper: (sorry, couldn't resist)

But seriously, just cut off all the branches until all that's left is trunk. The above photo shows the cutting I did about 8 mos ago. Other times I've cut it back even more severly. It always responds with vigorous growth no matter how much I cut it.

Dan

[stereomandan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8055039#post8055039 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DKKA
http://www.dkka.cimaonline.us/picsof30/fragged%20leather.JPG



With scissors...:strooper: (sorry, couldn't resist)

But seriously, just cut off all the branches until all that's left is trunk. The above photo shows the cutting I did about 8 mos ago. Other times I've cut it back even more severly. It always responds with vigorous growth no matter how much I cut it.

Dan

Dang!!! That is some serious cutting. Do you superglue the frags to LR rubble for frags?

Dan

[JJohn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8054636#post8054636 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
I've had the sebae anemone in the middle of the tank with the clown peeking out for almost 15 years now.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/AJOIII/6-1026.jpg

Wow, how long do Clownfish live? I thought my LTA was the oldest around here, and that my two common clowns at ten years old were not long for this world. I guess maybe they will be with me for quite a bit longer.

Do you realize that means that these small fish outlive most dogs and cats? Pretty cool! I have heard of anemones being well over 50 years old in captivity. Some theorize that a single animal may live well over 100 years. Of course if you count fission reproduction some might be alive for many centuries.

Good job taking care of your anemone and fish,
John

[outy]

ive had the lobophylia for 10 years who knows how long the last person had it as well 10 years for the anenome [splits all the time]

these pics are 2 years old

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/7132/p1010122yy4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/290/lobofz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/6994/anevn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[kass03]

Actually the bubble coral is'nt that big anymore as it is'nt doing well lol.
I never fragged it but it kinda split on it's own now.
I'm working hard on my 150 trying to get better water quality and changing out my old wet/dry media to chaeto but have to do it slowly. My nitrates are high in that tank.

The poor bubble was always kinda thrown in the corner because it got sweepers about a foot long (which I would get mad and cut em with a scissors but they grew back) and would sting everything in my 55 so about a yr ago or less I put it in the 150 knowing that tank is'nt as good for corals but did'nt know what else to do.
The 150 has been set up about 11 yrs but mainly just fish and live rock and a few softies.

It's actually looking a little better now already though as I did some water changes and got rid of some of the wet/dry media.

Ive thought about giving it to a fellow reefer or even GARF but hate to part with it being I had it so long. I had talked to Leroy from Garf about it a few yrs ago and he said it must be a record lol.
I wont let it die. Ill put it back in the 55 if it doesnt improve.

Pretty cool all you guys had things that long.
Paul B is still da man at keeping things like his moorish idol and we can learn alot from him.

I'd say that sebae is prolly a record to. Most people don't keep anemones too long. I had a sebae also for a few yrs until I stupidly tried to move it to a different spot and it died.
Had a carpet in the 70's for about 7 yrs under a strip light. We did'nt have all the fancy lights back then.

kass

[Paul B]

Wow, how long do Clownfish live? I thought my LTA was the oldest around here, and that my two common clowns at ten years old were not long for this world. I guess maybe they will be with me for quite a bit longer.

I don't know how long they live either but clowns seem to be a very long lived fish. I once had a percula baby that lived about 12 years and it never got over 2" long. This fire clown is also about 12 and shows no signs of slowing down. But if you see clowns in the sea they get fairly large.

Kass you people are keeping corals much longer than me. From my experiments (and sometimes stupidy) I have lost most of my corals three times in 36 years. The last time was just a few years ago. I also lost an 18 year old cusk eel at the same time.
It's a shame that we think a three year old moorish Idol is a great feat, I am still hoping that he outlives me. Of course that means many , many more years.
Paul

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/13094Copy_of_Fire_Clown.jpg

[DKKA]

Dang!!! That is some serious cutting. Do you superglue the frags to LR rubble for frags?


No. Superglue doesn't hold well to leathers. But they are easy to attach. I've used many methods for this coral, sometimes just rubberbanding it between two pieces of rubble, or sticking it into a tray with rubble. Heck I've even just laid frags on the sand bed under a piece of rubble.
IMO, though the best way is with monifilament and a sewing needle.

Dan

[AZDesertRat]

I've had a Tomato Clown, Hippo Tang and Humbug Damsel go over 13 years, the clown and tang were still in my old 90G fish only when I sold it complete with fish. I don't know ifthe current owner still has them or not as that was almost 3 years ago now.

[downset]

Cool thread

[kass03]

Well Ive also had some corals that lived for yrs just up and die all of a sudden.
Most recently my mother green tree coral. Had it 3 yrs and doing great took many frags from it in the past. All of a sudden it slumped over and no matter what I do I can't seem to save it.
Now in the same tank I have frags from it that are doing great so it can't be the water. I havent fragged it for a few months either so it is'nt that. Just weird. I tried different flow also.
I also have some palys that I prolly had about 20 yrs. I think it started as 2 polyps from the LFS and now have hundreds.
Wish they were PPE'S lol I'd be rich.

My longest fish I had was a mean tomato clown for 13 yrs. It killed many fish
I now have a different tomato thats been in my 150 since I got it for 11 yrs and it was huge when I got it (came with the tank) so has to be old. It's also not mean at all.
I have a yellow tang Ive had about 9 yrs now and had a blue hippo for 8 until it sadly jumped out of my 150. Oh and I had a royal gramma for about 12.

I did read once on here a guy had his damsels for 17 yrs. Thats the longest I heard of a fish living.

I will also say by no means do my tanks have pristine water lol Ive always had some nitrates.

kass

[Agu]

I've had the euphyllia in my avatar for nine years. Since I was without a tank for six months that's a cool trick :lol: . Shipped the mother colony to a friend when I relocated and got it back when I had a new tank set up and cycled.