Saltwater Aquarium Guide -- Fast Facts

Fast Facts (page 8)

Positioning Coral on Live Rock: After the aquarium lights shut off, many of the invertebrates in the aquarium become more active. These include the snails, crabs, shrimp, and especially starfish. As these invertebrates search the rocks for food, they will often rearrange the rockwork in their quest.

One solution to this problem is to use an underwater epoxy to glue the rocks together. It's important, to turn the protein skimmer off for about 24 hours until the epoxy cures. The chemical reaction that takes place within the epoxy is safe to invertebrates, but produces a by-product that effects the protein skimmer's efficiency, causing it to produce very wet foam. It's a good practice not to epoxy down the corals until they have been acclimated and have fully expanded, giving you a better estimation of how much space and light is needed for each individual.

The Behavior of Coral Expansion: The expansion of Coral is a normal and healthy behavior, especialy in the genus Trachyphyllia. In nature, these corals live unattached on the sandy substrates near reefs. In order to change location with the current and/or eliminate sand and debris that has settled on the fleshy part of the coral, they often take in large amounts of water to increase their size and buoyancy.

To keep Trachyphyllia healthy, allow it ample room to expand in the aquarium. Place it on the substrate away from other corals or invertebrates that may sting or irritate it. If the Trachyphyllia expands into other corals or inverts, relocate it to an area where it has sufficient room to expand. If your aquarium has low lighting, your Trachyphyllia will thrive, but will also expand to maximize its exposure to light. Beginning and advanced reef aquarists alike enjoy Trachyphyllia for its intrigue, ease of care, and ability to fluoresce beautifully under actinic lights.

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