Help with pink tree coral

[droog]

Hi,

This is my first post to this forum and I'm fairly new to the hobby, setup a 130g tank in Feb '14. Below is a picture of a coral that was given to me by the LFS that helped me with setup (I have since stopped working with these guys, because they misled and lied to me pretty much across the board). Long story short, I now do the research before adding anything and do it myself.

That said, I'd like to figure out:

A] What this this coral exactly
B] What are its feeding and placement requirements

It seems happy much of the time, and when happy its quite beautiful:

Other times it seems to have expelled water and look quite sad

I assume it should never look like the sad picture, correct?

Its placed 2/3 of the way down the tank, which is a RedSea Max S-500 (500L), lighting is standard supplied with the tank. There is no definite pattern to the appearance... it seems to be happier when the water is a little dirty. I suspect it may be getting too much light, given that it tends to be happier in the morning than night-time - but the correlation of happiness with photo-period is not exact at all.

Water parameters are quite stable

Salinity 1.025
Alk: 9.5
Mg: 1300
Ca: 450
No4: ~0.04 (hanna phosphorous checker)
Temp: 26.5C

Any advice on what this coral is and how to better care for it would be appreciated.

-droog

 

[pbft_90]

I could be wrong but it looks like a carnation coral. Difficult to keep big on waterflow, not all that forgiving on water chemistry shifts, no advice though how to do anything care wise from me as I've never been successful with them.

 

[albano]

Hard to tell, but I don't think that it's a carnation... However, I would be worried that it's a soft coral that has been dyed a pink color...was it 'brighter/pinker' when you first got it?

 

[droog]

I could be wrong but it looks like a carnation coral. Difficult to keep big on waterflow, not all that forgiving on water chemistry shifts, no advice though how to do anything care wise from me as I've never been successful with them.

Thanks very much for responding. I think you are correct with Carnation Tree Coral. It doesn't look like the picture I see on live aquaria but it seems there are many species of these corals and the behaviour/description seems to match. Pink Carnation coral it is

I need to get a new powerhead for the tank, so I'll move the coral to a higher flow area or put the PH near this guy. High flow is somewhat counter-intuitive, as the coral looks so fragile and water filled.

Thanks!
-droog

 

[droog]

Hard to tell, but I don't think that it's a carnation... However, I would be worried that it's a soft coral that has been dyed a pink color...was it 'brighter/pinker' when you first got it?

Seriously? Lol...

Well, I am in China so a definite possibility. I don't think it has changed color any, but my wife claims is has shrunk since we got it.

-droog

 

[albano]

Seriously? Lol...

Yes, some of the collector/shippers have been dyeing soft corals and even some LPS ... bright yellow, pink or purple. On LPS it's easier to tell because the 'skeleton' is the same bright color, instead of white.

 

[Fallling]

May also be Stereonepthya? They're very similar looking to Carnation Corals but are typically considered at least partially photosynthetic and much easier than the difficult NPS Carnation Coral.

May want to ask over in the NPS forum.

 

[adakin]

It looks like colt/cauliflower coral to me.

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

Looks like Dendronephthya to me. Gorgeous coral but near impossible. Experts can keep though. Check out the nonphotosynthetic forum here. Good luck. It sure is a beauty.

 

[ManEatingGuppy]

It is a scleronepthya. Dendronepthyas don't shrink like that. They like moderate, indirect flow and a lot of feeding. You will get helpful responses if you post this in the non-photosynthetic coral section.

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

If it's scleronepthya that's good news. They are easier than dendroepthya.
Really hope you can revive it!

 

[droog]

It is a scleronepthya. Dendronepthyas don't shrink like that. They like moderate, indirect flow and a lot of feeding. You will get helpful responses if you post this in the non-photosynthetic coral section.

ManEatingGuppy - Awesome, you rock! This is exactly right (although there was a typo in the ID (its "Scleronephthya" or "Flower Tree Coral"

I found it on live acquaria based on this and the picture is a perfect match. The description there was actually very helpful too, and matches my experience with it. It likes current, but only indirectly. Dirty water and not too much light. I will change its placement in the tank tonight

It doesn't need "reviving" so much - it alternates between the "Happy" and "Sad" version of my picture every day. Lets see if I can make it "Happy" round the clock. It looks awesome when fully opened.

I might have posted in the NPS section had I known it was NPS. It looked pretty soft to me!

Thanks, and happy reefing to all!

-droog

 

[droog]

May also be Stereonepthya? They're very similar looking to Carnation Corals but are typically considered at least partially photosynthetic and much easier than the difficult NPS Carnation Coral.

May want to ask over in the NPS forum.

I was torn between Carnation and Stereonepthya - those are the only things I could find. Now that its been pointed out to me, definitely Scleronephthya, the Pink species of Flower Tree Coral. My LFS told me it was called "Water Coral" which didn't help much!

-droog

 

[Fallling]

I was torn between Carnation and Stereonepthya - those are the only things I could find. Now that its been pointed out to me, definitely Scleronephthya, the Pink species of Flower Tree Coral. My LFS told me it was called "Water Coral" which didn't help much!

-droog

Only reason Stereonepthya came to mind is because I just ordered a purple one and yellow one from Live Aquaria (arrived this morning), so I've been doing a lot of research on them this past week.

Good luck with yours!