Catalaphyllia jardinei, Austr. avail. in S. Africa...   2/22/08
Hi Crew,
I have been reading on a few sites that Catalaphyllia jardinei from Australia are available in the U.S.
<Yes>
How can we in South Africa get this beautiful coral?
<I don't know... but do know who I would ask next... the South African Reefers club that way. Are you familiar with the group? Seem to be a fine group of earnest, friendly folk: www.marineaquariumsa.com
I'd post there re this issue>
I am sure Bob Fenner and Anthony Calfo can provide us more information.
thanks
Mohamed
<BobF, who knows naught re the trade there.>

Elegance coral ?? 12/7/2007
HI Bob!
<Sara M. here.>
In a forum, someone was saying how great a store's elegance corals were. I said, well I bought one there and it was supposedly from a good source and would not die. Took 6 months, but it did. Went against every fiber of my being to BUY it, but my corals never die on me. So I figured I would give it a shot. I did everything you are supposed to do and YES my tank always has 20 to 30 nitrates (no phosphates and my sps even grows!.... they are at the top of course) Anyhow, I was rebutted when I mentioned the coral was 7" long. The person said, oh well, the corals from Australia are smaller and are better.
<Australian Elegance corals are "better" (less prone to Elegance Coral Disease than Indo-Pacific ones (this is so, at least in more recent years).>
Correct me if I am wrong, but Australia TYPICALLY will NOT export young fish or corals, right?
<Umm, this depends on what you mean by "typically." They don't export the way the does, but they do export some corals and fish.>
I mean basically this person is trying to defend the store owner and I said, hey I don't blame the store owner. Bob, I just don't KNOW if I am being fed a line of c*ap about how they are smaller from Australia.
<Bob and I are sitting here in Kona chatting about this right now. And, sorry to say, I'm going to have to give you the classic law school student answer to every question..."um, maybe." It's certainly possible that this coral you were sold is from Australia. It's also quite possible it's not. As for relative sizes of corals from different parts of the world... this might be the case all over (not just from Australia). However, please don't assume that this person you talked to (or the store owner) is lying to you. He/she might not be lying. Or, the lie (if there is a lie) might not have started with them. They might have been lied to by the distributor, or the distributor lied to by yet someone else up the line. In any case, Bob thinks that if your elegance coral really was from Australia, it would have been very expensive!
Best,
Sara M.>

Elegance Coral sel.   12/21/06
Hi crew,
<Hello Mohamed, Mich here.>
A LFS has a few purple tip Elegance Coral for about 4 weeks.
<A very beautiful coral.>
How long should one wait until purchasing an elegance coral from a LFS knowing that it will do well if kept for X days at the LFS?
<There is no absolute here, too many variables to consider.  In most cases, longer is better, but there are always exceptions to the rule.  I think if the Elegance Coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei) has been at the LFS for 4 weeks and it is expanded and looking good it should be in decent health.  Just make sure you are aware of the care requirements needed by any species for which you assume responsibility.  This coral prefers a soft sand bed and less water flow than most.    
Thanks
<You're welcome.  -Mich>
Mohamed

Elegance corals and substrate 8/31/05
Hi my trusted masters,
<Hello my dearest Bernard>
The substrate of my tank is about 2 inches of crushed coral (Florida Crushed Coral, 2-5mm grain size).  I love to add Elegance Coral to my collection, but I am worry about damaging its underside because my substrate is not soft enough.  Do you think the worry is unwarranted? Similar concern applies to Nassarius snails and other sand-bottom dwellers, assuming I have good water parameters, do you think they can live in my coarse substrate?
I have a 46g tank with 50+ lb of live rock, PH 8.0-8.3, Temp 80, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate < 5, Calcium 400, dKH 10.  I do bi-weekly 5% water change.  I Have two Ocellaris Clowns, 3 Yellow-tail Damsels, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, 4 Turbo Snails, many small Hermit Crabs, all seem very happy. Thank you very much for your help.
Bernard
<Substrate is not a crucial factor with these corals, however and this is a big however - be warned that the elegance corals of today unfortunately do not hold the same almost indestructible and bullet-proof status of several years back. Seemingly healthy elegance corals, suddenly begin to shrivel down in size within a few weeks to several months in captivity and ultimately meet their demise. Research is currently being conducted as to why these corals are all of a sudden dying in our aquariums. Many believe poor handling/shipping techniques and/or new collection environments/regions are to blame. Either way, I would avoid this particular species unless you are able to find a cultured one from a fellow hobbyist/friend. - Ali>

Selecting elegance coral
Hello Steven and all. Happy holidays! Here is my situation, I want an Elegance coral soooo bad, its pretty much that one coral I based my hobby on. I had two of them in the past and they both failed me.
<Quite typical>
I've read all sorts of things about them including what you guys have to say about their poor survival. I am thinking the only way to get one is from someone who has had one for several years and wants to sell it. Fat chance I know.
<I would say slim chance. I just propagated mine about a month ago and sold it to another local hobbyist at a frag swap. I would look to a local aquarium society and see if anyone there has one to get a piece from.>
I recently went to a place called Living Sea in Chicago and they had two of the most beautiful Elegance's I have ever seen. On top of that they were huge, at least 6" across. Anyhow, they looked very healthy and the owner is familiar with their mortality rate. He said they have been at his store in his tanks for about 2 weeks now and that if they were going to get the disease that they would have had it by know.
<I do not subscribe to the theory put forth by Julian Sprung about Elegance corals succumbing to some mysterious infection. I believe the problems to come down to a difference in the variety of Elegant corals collected now and the artificial environments we subject them to. The typical purple tip, Indonesian Catalaphyllia jardinei is found in muddy substrate from deep water. Placement upon liverock under intense illumination kill an incredible number of these animals.>
I'm wondering if that is a good sign for their survival or not?
<I don't know his tank conditions, but two weeks is not a really long time.>
He also said that he gets his corals shipped directly to him and that they are not put into a holding tank of some wholesaler, (I do believe him on that)
<I believe him too about transshipping. A lot of stores do this, but again I don't believe the problem to be a disease.>
but he said that is where a lot of the disease sets in on these corals, because of poor conditions, etc. What do you think of that as far as this coral surviving for me?
<Do look at the holding conditions in his tanks. If the coral has been placed on rockwork or under heavy illumination, I would leave it at the store.>
It is quite pricey and I've already had 2 of them, but am I crazy to think about getting it? I was even thinking about waiting maybe another 2 or 3 weeks to see then how these corals look then, and if they still look good would you take a chance on getting one of them?
<If they lived a month, I would assume his conditions to be appropriate.>
Thanks a lot.
<Do take a look at the writings of Eric Borneman concerning this coral, its collection, and proper handling. His articles can be found on Reef Keeping (an online magazine). I would also look for any of the meandering wall variety. There are two varieties collected, one that grows attached to the reef and has a skeleton similar to a regular Hammer Coral (Euphyllia ancora). The other type is a free living form that has a skeleton similar to that of the Open Brain (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi). The attached forms seem to do much better for hobbyists. -Steven Pro>

Corals
I have a 29 gallon eclipse reef tank that has been set up for a year or
so. I have live rock at least 1/2 way to the top, which is about 90%
covered w/coralline algae. My water has always tested extremely well. I
have a colt coral, green star polyps, and a mushroom which are all doing
good. I want to add an elegant coral but not sure if it will do well,
I've been told yes and no. I have 2 lights in the tank, a white and a
blue, and I will be placing the coral at the highest place atop the live
rock. It would be approx 12-14 inches from lights and have good current.
What do you think?
>>
These are beautiful animals, but in recent years, ones with dismal survival records... the species really does not live in the type of setting you describe... Might I encourage you to consider a Euphyllia (like Anchor, Frogspawn...) Coral of the same family (Caryophylliidae) instead? 
If not, please take a look at my article on the Elegance, Catalaphyllia jardinei posted at www.wetwebmedia.com for more complete information. Bob Fenner