[Kevin W]

I am looking for any info on an Elegant Coral i am holding one at the lps and was wondering if many people have this coral and how hearty it has been in some of your tanks i have a 90 gal reef with only 2 95watt compacts if i keep this coral up high in the tank will it live or will this coral be OK on the bottom in the light?? please any info in this coral would be much appreciated

[mtfabel]

I have had one for about 6 months or so and it has done amazingly well. I have read that elegants are getting harder and harder to keep because of collection location and practices. I would be leary but just keep going into your LFS and see if it stays in healthy condition.

[crazygator]

compacts aren't a very good lighting source for corals, if you plan on getting anymore i would look into getting metal halide, at the least look into T-5 fixtures. supposedly they are the only thing that is used in europe. can't say for sure. never tried them by themselves. spectrum is a big must. color temp. is rated in kelvin degrees don't go below 10,000k for corals

[Taras1]

I Second crazygator. I'm using one of the Orbit Xtreme 48" 8-54w T-5's and love it. My colt coral has gone crazy as has my Pink Bird's Nest Coral and Zoo's.

I've seen the Metal Halides - they produce a really nice shimmer, but I got a better deal on my T-5's

[Dara]

I had a Elegant coral, but due to an amonia spike from "cured" live rock I bought at the lfs had to move it and a few others into a QT tank while the tank cycled again. It didn't last 3 weeks under actinic lighting, but had been thriving for a couple of months under MH and compact flourescents in the main tank. They are really beautiful corals, good luck with yours.

[stevdea]

PC are ok, they were used before MH were popular. You still have to have the right amount of light(watts), but there is absolutly no need to run only MH. This light issue could be debated forever. And don't forget the added problem of water temp when you use MH. There is a balance, its just sometimes that balance comes by way of your checkbook.

[Steven Pro]

Elegance corals used to be very hardy, but during the last few years the survival rate of them has been pathetic. Most seem to hold on for a few weeks to months and then perish for unknown reasons.

As to your lighting, while I am not a fan of PC's, they cna work, although I would add two more 95 watt lamps to your 90 gallon tank.

[sparkey65]

I use pc lights with metal halides great combo.although a frog spawn i have MOSTLY UNDER PC'S and fraged it out to a friend he had in under halides and would not open all the way so he moved it to another tnak with pc's and it took off,I also use pc's for my refuge great light for macro and xenia