Adding Star Polyps

[mcastfalk]

All:

This thread is a response to a previous thread of mine in General Discussion. I wanted to break off this topic since I had some more questions. The original thread was "http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/general-marine-discussions/9151-restocking-tank-adding-corals.html".

I am going to follow the advice of Carmie Jo and the others and quarentine the Star Polyps that I plan to purchase. Here's my questions:

1. I have added a fish to the QT. Did this Thursday night. Is it OK to add the Star Polyps to the QT? I checked the parameters this morning and everything was fine,pH, ammonia, nitrates, nitrates - all normal. I plan on purchasing the polyps monday afternoon when I'm in the area of the fish store.

2. The recommendation for the polyps in the QT was for at least two weeks. My standard fluorecent bulbs would not hurt them for this time period. However, with the fish in QT for 4 weeks, shouldn't I keep the polyps in there for the same amount of time? That way, if the fish has an issue with ich or something, it won't spread to the polyps and live rock.

3. Also, what do the polyps eat? How do I feed them? I think I have a bottle of some zooplankton or something similar from when I had a feather duster a couple years ago. Would that bottle still be good?

4. The live rock in the QT had some hair algae growing on it. I removed it, scrubbed it off and then replaced it in the tank. I don't see hair algae anywhere else in the tank - but is this going to hurt the polyps at all? I don't want their rock to get the hair algae and cause issues later on, either in the QT or DT.

5. If you don't mind, here's the polyps I have my eye on:

Either these polyps http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/17727/product.web
or the Star Polyps http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/220103/product.web

(I came in and re-edited the text and couldn't figure out how to add a photo at that point, so I hope you don't mind the links. I just want to make sure I'm on the right track and can care for the animals.)

Is there an issue with either one of these animals to get started with?

Any advice is helpful.

Thanks.

Michael

[CarmieJo]

Hey Michael,

1. You could go ahead and add the polyps to the QT tank, just hold the fish for 4 weeks from the latest introduction.

2. Ich only lives on fish so the coral and rock can't become infected. Technically the parasite could be in the water that remains on the rock and you could transfer it to the DT. I usually don't have fish and corals in QT at the same time but if I did I would just leave them both in for 4 weeks.

3. They polyps are photosynthetic and technically don't need fed. I have found that both will take small meaty foods like Cyclopeeze or small mysis shrimp. I would pitch 2 year old phyto. It is surely dead by now.

4. The HA would only hurt the polyps if you ignored it and it grew over them. It could spread to their rock though.

5. I think either is a good choice.

On the subject of phyto; There are some bigger critters that we keep in our tanks that do take phyto but I think its value is really in feeding the base of the food chain (micro critters like pods) that make our tanks flourish.