Yellow Tip Elegance HELP

[Cjk90978]

I probably should have posted sooner for some advice but here I am.

Bought a yellow tip elegance about 1-2 months ago. When I bought it, it was out and about, long armed, etc.

Brought it home, acclimated properly, placed it in a 50-100 par area for first few (2) weeks and then moved it towards a little brighter space where I planned to keep it probably 90-120 par.

Since the day I put it in my tank, it has not expanded again. If anything it has shrunk, to the point where it appears the yellow tips are disappearing.

Weekly 10-15% water changed is my routine. Hand feed 1-2x per week. (This week the tips are so small it stopped bringing food to its mouth. It catches the food but lets it go as of the other day.

Nitrates good, phosphates low, alk 9.5, cal 430, mg 1350, temp 78, alk 1.024-1.025. I chemi cleaned the tank a week ago thinking maybe infection, 20% water changed.

Is there anything I could possibly be missing here? Flow should be fine, it is in a moderate flow area (across the tank from an mp40 operating at level 2/3. I've read they can tolerate low to high flow with no problem.

Help please if possible. Don't want to lose this expensive coral. Everything else I have in the tank is flourishing and growing so I just can't figure out if I should place it in a far dark corner, away from flow? Should I place it higher to increase the lighting? Any brainstorm would be appreciated.

 

[amado]

I had a huge elegance and once in a while it would catch a snail. It would close up and look like it was 1/2 it’s size.

 

[Cjk90978]

I had a huge elegance and once in a while it would catch a snail. It would close up and look like it was 1/2 it’s size.

If it did it 1 time and then went back I would assume it was a one off issue but literally since day 1 in my tank, it has never expanded anywhere near what it looked like in store.

Right now its basically just the base with the mouths, and the tentacles are about 1mm long

 

[amado]

If it did it 1 time and then went back I would assume it was a one off issue but literally since day 1 in my tank, it has never expanded anywhere near what it looked like in store.

Right now its basically just the base with the mouths, and the tentacles are about 1mm long

I would leave it and see what happens. Don’t move it. If you have LRS I would see if you could get it to eat. My elegance always responded to reefroids make it like a paste.

 

[horseplay]

What they're saying is that the cone-shaped ones are difficult and the flat fragged ones are easier. What is your look a like? Base on my experience these corals is they like gentle indirect flow on the sand bed. Don't feed. Also I think the alkanity level does have an effect. In my two tanks one is 6dkh the other 8dkh it behaves differently. So if you have a particular high alk level consider reducing it. Here's mine in 6dkh.

 

[Sponge]

No expert here but my elegance liked nutrient rich water. What are your nitrates. Mine liked a “dirty” tank when my nitrates dropped. He always receded. When they went up. So did he. Not sure this helps. But perhaps water is tooo clean.

 

[DangerDave]

my elegance is volleyball sized when fully open. It’s been in my tank for a 2.5 years, it’s a cone shaped skeleton that was the size of a medium orange when I acquired it. They don’t seem to handle the stress of transport very well. If you find a mid-lower flow, mid-lower light area and can keep it alive for a few months you’re probably good. mine is located in an “up flow” area and seems to like it. The only thing that ever bothered it was a rise in phosphate.

 

[Cjk90978]

Current status

 

[Cjk90978]

Lowered flow in tank as well

 

[Cjk90978]

Just to give you light relation. currently sitting around 80-100 par I’d say.

 

[Cjk90978]

No expert here but my elegance liked nutrient rich water. What are your nitrates. Mine liked a “dirty” tank when my nitrates dropped. He always receded. When they went up. So did he. Not sure this helps. But perhaps water is tooo clean.

They aren’t nonexistent. I’m sitting around 10-15ppm nitrates. Phos staying constant around .08-.10 I run a reactor with gfo.

 

[Cjk90978]

my elegance is volleyball sized when fully open. It’s been in my tank for a 2.5 years, it’s a cone shaped skeleton that was the size of a medium orange when I acquired it. They don’t seem to handle the stress of transport very well. If you find a mid-lower flow, mid-lower light area and can keep it alive for a few months you’re probably good. mine is located in an “up flow” area and seems to like it. The only thing that ever bothered it was a rise in phosphate.

Sitting around .08 on the phos and yeah I moved it to a lower light area then it was about a week or so ago “pushed it gently on the plate to desired bed area” as not to aggravate it. I just knocked the flow on mp to level 1 so maybe I’ll see how it reacts to that change and if nothing, move it further into the corner farther from light.

 

[Cjk90978]

What they're saying is that the cone-shaped ones are difficult and the flat fragged ones are easier. What is your look a like? Base on my experience these corals is they like gentle indirect flow on the sand bed. Don't feed. Also I think the alkanity level does have an effect. In my two tanks one is 6dkh the other 8dkh it behaves differently. So if you have a particular high alk level consider reducing it. Here's mine in 6dkh.

View attachment 28676

That’s how it looked when i bought it (1 head though). Maybe i will drop the alk a little as well.

 

[horseplay]

You seem to have one of the easy ones. Yeah try to keep parameter close to NSW. Also reading your post chemiclean could piss off it a little as well. Seeing you don't have a lot of corals in the tank easy off on the water changes as well. Use a salt mix close to NSW.