Elegance coral defecation patterns

LPS, SPS and all coral chat
Post Reply
User avatar
RivieraX
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2024 4:01 pm

Elegance coral defecation patterns

Post by RivieraX »

Mine's been pooping a lot too. Got them a few days ago and they're on the sandbed. Now it's covered in those curly black things and I always see one or two of those poop bits hanging out. Not just one mouth either, I mean all of them. I'm not feeding them anything. Is this normal behavior?
User avatar
armoredfish
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2022 3:16 pm

Re: Elegance coral defecation patterns

Post by armoredfish »

Mine's pretty low maintenance in the waste department. I've had it for a bit, and since I don't feed it directly, it doesn't produce much waste.

It's possible what you're seeing isn't actually poop. I've had my coral expel zooxanthellae before - it was a brownish color, and it happened when I made some changes to my lighting. Given that your coral is still adjusting to its new environment, it might be doing the same thing. I've noticed LPS corals tend to do this when they're moved to a new tank or environment, so it's probably just a normal adjustment period for yours.
User avatar
rusticfox
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:54 am

Re: Elegance coral defecation patterns

Post by rusticfox »

I've never really seen mine poop, probably because I don't feed it directly. That zooxanthellae explanation makes sense though - could be adjusting to its new environment. Do you have any photos of the curly black things and the poop hanging out of its mouth?
User avatar
RivieraX
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2024 4:01 pm

Re: Elegance coral defecation patterns

Post by RivieraX »

rusticfox wrote: Fri Mar 07, 2025 9:13 am I've never really seen mine poop, probably because I don't feed it directly. That zooxanthellae explanation makes sense though - could be adjusting to its new environment. Do you have any photos of the curly black things and the poop hanging out of its mouth?
Ugh, I hope not. Maybe I'll try moving it to a lower light area - or create one, since I don't have a dedicated spot for that yet.

Makes sense, I guess, that it could poop since it eats. And yeah, it's black and chunky, just like nem poop - looks identical. I've seen LPS expel that symbiotic algae before, so I'm pretty sure that's not what this is.
User avatar
RivieraX
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2024 4:01 pm

Re: Elegance coral defecation patterns

Post by RivieraX »

the weaker one's definitely struggling - pushing them into a shadier spot. figuring out what's not too bright for these guys is a real challenge.
User avatar
rusticfox
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:54 am

Re: Elegance coral defecation patterns

Post by rusticfox »

I've got a pretty tall tank, 30" to be exact, and I've positioned my lights about 10" above the water's surface. My elegance coral's doing great on the sandbed, which is over 3 feet away from the light source - seems to be its sweet spot.
Post Reply