Handling Corals

[SkiptomyLou]

Ok - I am still in the researching phase but this is part of my research :book1:

I know this is probably a weenie question but sometimes my girliness just shows through... :smile:

I'm doing this research on corals that I want and what not - many of them talk about having stinging cells that will sting others within reach. Does this just apply to corals? Will they sting me and if so how do I handle them to not get stung?

When it comes to coral fighting - can I just pick them up and move them around the tank? Don't corals attach themselves to LR?

Um, let's see... what else can make me sound like a big baby... :crybaby2:

Some corals I've read about rather than having stinging cells release toxins - are these any common corals that I'm likely to have? What happens then? Does it kill fish that are in the tank? How do you get rid of dispersed toxins in the water?

And lastly, when I search around all these beautiful tank pictures everyone has posted it looks so crowded inside - but yet some of the corals I've researched say they need room either to grow, or strech, or so they don't sting others, etc. How much room is enough? For example, I was reading through Mike's pico documentation and it looks like there is a bunch of stuff in there... is there really? are they just tiny?

I think this part confuses me the most about going into reef from SW fish...

:thanks:
Thanks for all the help everyone has already offered and please keep it comin' until I've set up my tank. :bow:

 

[SkiptomyLou]

Oh yea - and I forgot to ask and I know this will sound stupid to all you seasoned veterans out there but just roll your eyes privately and answer me

Do corals move on their own like anemones? Do you have to glue 'em down if you want them to stay put?

Thanks all!

 

[incysor]

I'm doing this research on corals that I want and what not - many of them talk about having stinging cells that will sting others within reach. Does this just apply to corals? Will they sting me and if so how do I handle them to not get stung?

Some of them can. Wearing latex gloves is good protection, dishwashing gloves are thicker/better. The gloves will protect you against stings, and also against cuts from live rock. These are good if you're dealing with a larger tank.
http://www.fishsupply.com/cgi-bin/f2/co ... SCES-09505

When it comes to coral fighting - can I just pick them up and move them around the tank? Don't corals attach themselves to LR?

Some corals attach, others don't. Depends on the type of coral. Softies generally attach. LPS generally don't. Many SPS will, but it may take a long time. You may be able to just move them, but some like more light, others less, you can kill a coral by moving it if there's too much of a change in lighting/flow.

Some corals I've read about rather than having stinging cells release toxins - are these any common corals that I'm likely to have? What happens then? Does it kill fish that are in the tank? How do you get rid of dispersed toxins in the water?

Possibly. This isn't a well documented area for the most part. Both corals and anemones, and some other critters seem to wage chemical warfare against their neighbors. The worst culprits from an aquarium standpoint are cucumbers and sea apples. Running carbon on your system can help, but in an enclosed environment the best thing to do is just not have the worst offenders in the sytem in the first place.

And lastly, when I search around all these beautiful tank pictures everyone has posted it looks so crowded inside - but yet some of the corals I've researched say they need room either to grow, or strech, or so they don't sting others, etc. How much room is enough? For example, I was reading through Mike's pico documentation and it looks like there is a bunch of stuff in there... is there really? are they just tiny?

They don't generally grow very fast. You're worrying a bit much here. There are some corals that have long sweeper tentacles, but with most if it'll fit in your tank without touching something else, you're fine.

Do corals move on their own like anemones? Do you have to glue 'em down if you want them to stay put?

Mostly no. Mushrooms can detach, but they're more closely related to anemones than corals. Most everything else can't really move much, they can expand and contract to extend feeding polyps/tentacles, but usually that's about it.

All of these questions could be answered by simply reading threads on corals on the major boards, and by looking them up on some of the online vendors, or buying a couple books. While I love the books, they can be pretty expensive, so I'd suggest the online vendors first. Once you see some that you'd like to try do searches for them on the boards. The care requirements info on some of the vendors can be very innaccurate, so it's good to double check and see what other hobbyists are doing to keep them thriving. There are some that are simply very difficult to impossible to keep alive, but the LFS, and the online folks will list them as easy to moderate. Long lists of general questions like this will often end up either being ignored or flamed. I'm not trying to discourage questions, but not everyone has to spend 20-30mins answering a long list of questions. l

www.fishsupply.com
www.etropicals.com
www.marinedepotlive.com
www.liveaquaria.com

Good luck,

B