vitz - 2013-12-18 the info in this article is outdated and wrong. the LAST place you should put an elegance is 'buried' in the substrate, oriented upwards. elegances do NOT grow w/ a vertical orientation in the wild. AND, due to the 'elegance coral disease', it should NOT be attempted by relatively new hobbyists. it's an expert level coral only, and has been, since the early '90's, due to the rampant spread of 'elegance coral disease syndrome'. elegances should be oriented SIDEWAYS, off from vertical, prefferably on rock.
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Clarice Brough - 2013-12-26 Thanks for bringing the current data about the Elegance Coral Syndrome (ECS) that is affecting this coral to our attention! We have updated the page to reflect the Elegance Coral Syndrome with information and a link to Eric Borneman's 2008 article describing this challenging disease and its effect on keeping an otherwise moderately easy coral.
As far as the orientation of the coral, this species has a wide distribution and can be found attached to rock structures with an the orientation you describe, but it is also found free-living on soft substrates, so can be oriented in a soft substrate just as well.
marc - 2011-11-23 i want to say this coral truely is an awe inspiring animal. When I first purchased mine it was a goner the store was ready to toss it in the trash. Many of these corals don't fair to well on the way to the store. There was almost no tissue left. It was all retracted and pulled away from the skeleton. I nursed this coral back to health unker 250 watt 10k hqi metal halides. I had it placed in the sand bed. I was amazed at the colors it displayed. It was a pinkish green splash with intense neon pink tips,under actinic lighting it flouresenced like it was radioactive.the elegance loved eating mysis shrimp and larger peices of raw cocktail shrimp. They have many mouths. The elegance is truely amazing. I read that they are collected in lagoons,where there is a higher nutrient load. I guess mine enjoyed being in with 17 fish. The sting of this coral is extremely intense they can actually be used to place against an aptasia and kill it.
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Charlie Roche - 2011-11-24 Nature with all its complexities never cease to amaze me. I didn't know about this and I am interested. Thank you.
jmlo - 2009-03-29 What is stated in the above description may have been true years back, but not the case today. I would say these corals should only be attempted by experienced reefers, not beginners. Furthermore, there are more and more reports that indicate these corals do much better under low to moderate lighting and metal halide is definitely NOT recommended. I would have to say that given the poor survival rates of today, it would be much better if people stopped buying them and leave them in the wild, where they belong. Hopefully someday the problem will be solved and the aquarium trade can again enjoy keeping these magnificent corals with relative ease...
sqwat - 2010-10-25 I bought a small aquacultered purple tip from a lfs he was only 1 inch when I got him 2 years later he is now 6 inches and beautiful I don't over skim my water and he is under ho 24 inch t5's on the bottom of my 16 gallon nano I think getting him at such a small size was an advantage because he was not taken from the wild his great great grandparents from the 1990's were I do not feed him directly he gets left overs and food missed by my fish and other corals I have seen many of these in lfs sick and not looking healthy at all so I never purchased one but I never see one this small b4 so I thought I would have a better chance with him. I also keep a mandarin in the tank no problems maybe lucky or he knows better and I have had the mandarin for 3 years. I think the adult wild collected ones are too beat up to try to keep but if you come across a tiny one that has never been in the ocean in good health I think you have a better chance of a long life since the are so beautiful. I also don't over skim that might have a big part of my success and I also use natural sea water in my tanks I collect myself I feel sorry for any reefer who can't do this it makes reefing so much easier and your corals so much healthier I do 20% water change with screened and chemically prefiltered natural seawater. You just can't collect the water after a rain storm you must wait 3 days. I hope this can help you guys cause the elegance is by FAR the best looking lps even under 10,000 k lights no atinics needed to make them glow but you still need them anyway.
Adam Hart - 2011-02-09 I would echo the comments about MH lighting - it's too strong for these corals. I moved mine into an area of diffused light provided by T5's and it responded immediately. They also will try to eat larger prey but reject when it becomes apparent they can't get it in their oral disc! Mysis shrimp work well.
Curtis LeBlanc - 2006-08-21 Elegance corals back in the day were fairly hardy to keep but in the coming years they have been more and more difficult to keep. Most people think this is because they are now more rare on the usual areas of the reef and come from deeper down on the slopes. Take care in the specimen that you are purchasing. Make sure it is not damaged and in top shape. Damaged elegance corals tend to die very quickly.
The Elegance Coral is one of the most beautiful corals available!
the info in this article is outdated and wrong. the LAST place you should put an elegance is 'buried' in the substrate, oriented upwards. elegances do NOT grow w/ a vertical orientation in the wild. AND, due to the 'elegance coral disease', it should NOT be attempted by relatively new hobbyists. it's an expert level coral only, and has been, since the early '90's, due to the rampant spread of 'elegance coral disease syndrome'. elegances should be oriented SIDEWAYS, off from vertical, prefferably on rock.
Thanks for bringing the current data about the Elegance Coral Syndrome (ECS) that is affecting this coral to our attention! We have updated the page to reflect the Elegance Coral Syndrome with information and a link to Eric Borneman's 2008 article describing this challenging disease and its effect on keeping an otherwise moderately easy coral.
As far as the orientation of the coral, this species has a wide distribution and can be found attached to rock structures with an the orientation you describe, but it is also found free-living on soft substrates, so can be oriented in a soft substrate just as well.
I'm catching hell with me elegant coral I love both of them to death but I just can't get it right for them
i want to say this coral truely is an awe inspiring animal. When I first purchased mine it was a goner the store was ready to toss it in the trash. Many of these corals don't fair to well on the way to the store. There was almost no tissue left. It was all retracted and pulled away from the skeleton. I nursed this coral back to health unker 250 watt 10k hqi metal halides. I had it placed in the sand bed. I was amazed at the colors it displayed. It was a pinkish green splash with intense neon pink tips,under actinic lighting it flouresenced like it was radioactive.the elegance loved eating mysis shrimp and larger peices of raw cocktail shrimp. They have many mouths. The elegance is truely amazing. I read that they are collected in lagoons,where there is a higher nutrient load. I guess mine enjoyed being in with 17 fish. The sting of this coral is extremely intense they can actually be used to place against an aptasia and kill it.
Nature with all its complexities never cease to amaze me. I didn't know about this and I am interested. Thank you.
What is stated in the above description may have been true years back, but not the case today. I would say these corals should only be attempted by experienced reefers, not beginners. Furthermore, there are more and more reports that indicate these corals do much better under low to moderate lighting and metal halide is definitely NOT recommended.
I would have to say that given the poor survival rates of today, it would be much better if people stopped buying them and leave them in the wild, where they belong. Hopefully someday the problem will be solved and the aquarium trade can again enjoy keeping these magnificent corals with relative ease...
I bought a small aquacultered purple tip from a lfs he was only 1 inch when I got him 2 years later he is now 6 inches and beautiful I don't over skim my water and he is under ho 24 inch t5's on the bottom of my 16 gallon nano I think getting him at such a small size was an advantage because he was not taken from the wild his great great grandparents from the 1990's were I do not feed him directly he gets left overs and food missed by my fish and other corals I have seen many of these in lfs sick and not looking healthy at all so I never purchased one but I never see one this small b4 so I thought I would have a better chance with him. I also keep a mandarin in the tank no problems maybe lucky or he knows better and I have had the mandarin for 3 years. I think the adult wild collected ones are too beat up to try to keep but if you come across a tiny one that has never been in the ocean in good health I think you have a better chance of a long life since the are so beautiful. I also don't over skim that might have a big part of my success and I also use natural sea water in my tanks I collect myself I feel sorry for any reefer who can't do this it makes reefing so much easier and your corals so much healthier I do 20% water change with screened and chemically prefiltered natural seawater. You just can't collect the water after a rain storm you must wait 3 days. I hope this can help you guys cause the elegance is by FAR the best looking lps even under 10,000 k lights no atinics needed to make them glow but you still need them anyway.
I would echo the comments about MH lighting - it's too strong for these corals. I moved mine into an area of diffused light provided by T5's and it responded immediately. They also will try to eat larger prey but reject when it becomes apparent they can't get it in their oral disc! Mysis shrimp work well.
Elegance corals back in the day were fairly hardy to keep but in the coming years they have been more and more difficult to keep. Most people think this is because they are now more rare on the usual areas of the reef and come from deeper down on the slopes. Take care in the specimen that you are purchasing. Make sure it is not damaged and in top shape. Damaged elegance corals tend to die very quickly.