Blastomussa
 

I've been researching the care of Blastomussa and seem to be getting conflicting reports. Some say it does best under subdued lighting and a low-moderate current, while other sources say it will do best under intense lighting and a moderate current.

Could someone with personal experience caring for this beautiful coral please simplify things a bit for me?!

Oh, BTW, it's a Purple Blastomussa Wellsi :smile:

http://xfa.xanga.com/52ad5a3b6333498.../w68947935.jpg

Low light & low flow. Otherwise they bleach out & shrivel up. They are like most red corals. Just talked to TomR & Chin about blastos & how they did poorly under high light & Chin's only thrived once it was in a cave.

I had those other types of blastos that grow on long stalks but they were green in colour & did fine under MH. Perhaps its the colour & species variety that is creating the confusion. (just like how green open brains like light & red ones don't).

Anthony

thats odd because i have just the opposite reaction with my blasto that is exactly like yours but pinkish red. i have it mid tank on an 18" deep tank dirrectly under a 250mh with moderate flow and its always inflated and seems to be growing.

Richard

could just be a freak coral tho.

I have all my blastos at the bottom of my tank in very low flow.

Reds, green and brown ones

Tank is, with 2x 250w 10k - 50 gal

Easy answer - there isn't one...

Blasto wellsi is highly variable - and each frag seems to be particular about it's flow/light preferences.

I've got a gorgeous pink/purple/green one that literally thinks my seahorse tank is too much flow & light (single 65w pc and a whisper 60 hang on filter), it's done really well in my 3g (18w 50/50 with a seio skimmer and one of those tiny pico sized hang ons for flow) One of my reds now that it's about 10" under a 175w halide, inches away from the intake for the seio 1500 and FINALLY showing signs of growth...

There are some generalities - the brighter the color, the more likely it's going to like light... Darker needs more shade. Flow can go either way... Thats a trial / error discovery.

Good to know thanks, i deffinately learned something.

Richard

Likewise. Thanks guys (and gals?) for all the help!

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Good info, that might explain why the red brain I got hasn't done well in my tank under more intense lightng than it's previous home.

So you're wanting to sell that red brain, then? :razz: lol

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I don't think you want it right now.:cry:

Have you placed it in a lower light area, or is the entire tank just too bright for it?

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I lowered it down a bit a few days ago, and it seemed to puff up more at night. I'll put it on the bottom tonight, maybe under a cap for a few days and see what that does.

Mine do well under low lighting and light flow.

I have them about 4 inches under my weak-ass T5s and they seem to be pretty happy. There's no growth, however.

This is where the fun comes in - because they're actually a relatively quick grower - when conditions are just right.

A few of my frags, once they finally got the conditions just right, and fed weekly - will add 3-4 polyps per month. Feeding + wrong conditions, or right conditions and no food results in maybe 1 polyp every other month.

Both of my wellsi and merletti's like low flow low light.

A few weeks ago I had put a wellsi under a monti cap, so it was shielded from the light. A week later, I noticed it was receeding! I quickly moved it back out from under the cap, but still near the bottom of my tank, and it's recovering nicely.

My merletti's have blossomed after I put them at the mouth of a cave, so that they dont get direct light.

Both of mine definitely dont like intense light.

Both my wellsi's and merletti's grow well under low-medium flow and low-medium light, however I believe the merletti's can also very adaptable.
I have a red merletti that is thriving under high light and high flow. JME

We have Merletti's under 250's with med flow and they do great. It doesn't seem to matter where we put welsi's in the tank they never do well for long periods.

Well, my Wellsi seems to be doing well under low-medium light and flow. It's eating well, too. Thanks for all the input!

Just curious--Danny, how's the red brain doing?

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Still the same. The other night I noticed a bit more extention but when the light is on it is still retracted. Its tissue is not degrading so I think its just a matter of time before it picks up.