It is definately a polyp (Anthelia sp - Waving Hand w/ large brown polyps)
Care Level: Difficult
Light: Moderate to High
Water Flow: Medium to Strong
Placement: Bottom
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Color Form: Blue
Temperament: Peaceful
Ideal Supplements: Iodine, Trace Elements
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Xeniidae
The Anthelia Waving Hand Coral is also referred to as a Glove Coral. It is a groups of colonial animals with several individual polyps attached to a piece of solid substrate. They are blue, brown, or tan, in color, and their polyps have the distinctive eight-leaved tentacles associated with all of the members of this family.
Predatory fish, crabs, snails, or the stings of other corals may damage the colony quite easily. Therefore, provide adequate space between them and sessile animals, especially other types of soft corals. They are difficult to maintain in an aquarium. They require a medium to high light level combined with a medium to strong water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, they will also require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water.
Under ideal conditions, and once acclimated, they may reproduce in the established reef aquarium, forming a creeping mat, which will quickly grow over any adjacent rock work.
The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within their bodies provide the majority of their nutritional requirements through photosynthesis. Additional weekly feedings of micro-plankton or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates are also needed.
(With Flash)
(With Actinics)
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