Taking care of tank while friend is on vacation!

[eeker]

Hi. I have a question about candy cane coral. I am taking care of my friend's pets while he is away. He has a 30 gallon, saltwater tank with various coral and marine fish. It has been about a week, and I have been doing everything he showed me to do (i.e., feeding, adding new water, bioplankton, phyto-feast, etc.). Well, I just noticed today (and I guess it could have been like that before) that the candy cane coral has a few "trumpets" that seemed to be dried up and and dark brown as opposed to pale green. Is this normal? I also noticed that the water temp (to the touch) seemed much colder than it was a day before, but reading 78 degrees F, and yet the temp was slowly going up after I turned up the heat a bit in the house. Thanks for your help.

 

[Anonymous]

If the temp is reading 78, then it is fine.

The candy cane coral does sound a bit out of sorts. Sometimes these kind of corals will not expand fully if something is not to their liking, unfortunately with out water test results it is kind of hard to say what is wrong. Be sure you are not feeding more food than he told you to, that is a common issue that can spoil the water.

 

[sailmike]

Yeah do not overfeed! Best to underfeed. Also, keep the house temps down so the tank doesn't get too hot, it's important to keep the temps steady at 78.

Mike

 

[SnowManSnow]

as far as temp goes..... if the house has BEEN that temp I wouldnt fool with it. One very important thing in aquarium keeping, whether SW or FW is to keep things CONSTANT and STEADY. Don't go changing things all at once. Sudden change, for the most part is bad.

Also, when did the water feel warmer to you? Were the lights on? The lights can easily raise the temp of the first few inches of water, but usually wont bother the entire tank as long as flow is decent.

B

 

[Anonymous]

*must also consider the room temp, cool room warm tank, warm room cool tank.

I wouldn't change anything, but I would stop feeding the tank for a few days. I would also suggest that you clean out the skimmer cup (if there is one). And make sure your using fresh water for top offs, not premixed salt (it could happen) by tasting it.

And next time, tell your friend you want WRITEN instructions and an emergency phone no.

 

[Anonymous]

Is anything like a mushroom coming in contact with the candy cane?