Okay. It did have small tied bunch of sharp coral which I removed first week finding it sharp. I think that's probably where he got the cuts on his sides. The coral we find here has been worn down in the break waters tumbling for years I suspect. They're normally very smooth but sometimes we do get more whole looking coral. They usually look like a rounded piece of zeolite.Jools wrote:Totally agree with Mats around pH adjustment products, they are fiddly at best.
To tidy up a few Q's (and from a man in the land of soft water). This may be more important if you find your rainwater is good but soft too. Adding coral (collected) isn't a great idea if only because it tends to be sharp and your doesn't have any scales. If it tries to hide it may scratch, injure and infect.
I suspect in Hawaii most rocks found are igneous, so not going to help with water params (or hinder).
Adding some (as oppossed to changing out with) coral sand (essentially crushed sea shells and corals) to existing substrate is what I do. I have water that dissolves an oyster shell in about a year. For some of my fishes this is ideal, for others I either mix some coral gravel in with the regular inert gravel or I add shells (I like seafood) or put a mesh bag of it in the filter (easier to remove). This has the effect of rather stopping the pH drop below a point (I can get to pH4.5 if I neglect a tank) rather than raise it to a level which 100% coral gravel would tend to do.
Hope that helps.
Jools
PS It's all about no big changes, but lots of good small ones!
I have some rough stones up to 1.5"diam I was thinking of using in the 55g. They aren't smoothed like river stones.. there are some corners but no points and real sharp edges. No sharper than the piece of lava like rock in there now. Could he live with this? I like the idea of adding sand to the rough. I assume sand is okay for him, otherwise you wouldn't recommend it. But I'd like to better understand how he deals with it intake – when he's eating and hunting. I've seen him pass softened shrimp pellet out his gills because he doesn't like them. At least I think that's what I saw. It raised the same question for me. How does he do that?
Is there a limit to the amount of coral you can put in the tank system?
RE: 10 gallon substrate – has a black and white gravel. The white is a quartz. And at a closer look I'm fairly certain the black is carbon. Do I need to be concerned/remove it. I've read that some are of the opinion that carbon in the water for extended periods of time will eventually release toxins they're holding back into the water??? I've also read that it can be cleaned/reactivated with heat, 500° for an hour???
Thanks Jools, very much... GF
