When placing new corals into your aquarium, it is best to set them in place and leave them alone. While their placement may not be ideal for aesthetic purposes, the coral is quite stressed, and moving it around will only complicate the matter. One of the biggest stressors during this time is handling on the part of the hobbyist. Constantly touching the coral to move it is very damaging, and typically the coral expels a great deal of slime to help defend against whatever it agitating it. Expelling this slime not only impacts water quality, but it is an energy expensive process for the coral. So, when you put a coral in a tank, just set it in place and walk away. After it has adapted to its new environment, then you can move it around in moderation.
This tip is adapted from the presentation given by John Coppolino at the Reef Currents event that took place in Houston on 2/22/14.
