Monday AM feature photo: Tubipora

[Gary Majchrzak]

 

[PCIALF]

Nice!

 

[zanclus]

Is this the start of PHOTO of the DAY? Looks great Gary!!

 

[Kent E]

Gary I love you tube. I haven't had the best of luck, whats the secret?

 

[St.james of reefdom]

Very Nice....

 

[MarksReef]

Very nice, Gary. Wasn't it grown from a frag?

 

[Jamie2337]

Gary,

Love the photo. Is that Tubipora Musica (Pipe Organ Coral?) I have wanted to try that out. Is it hard to keep? I have read that they have a red skelton, which is really interesting. Very nice pic!

:fun4:

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6942191#post6942191 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zanclus
Is this the start of PHOTO of the DAY?

No. I have tons of nice reef pics and nobody to torture them with except you guys! :lol:

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6942300#post6942300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kent E
Gary I love you tube. I haven't had the best of luck, whats the secret?

I'm not sure. Like Mark posted, I got this one as a CR frag from Tropicorium in Detroit. Jen (the girl @ Trop) told me that it was a slow grower. I paid a relatively steep price ($60) for a small frag.
They had other unusual Tubipora species, too. (I'll be getting more some day.) My first experience with "Organ Pipe" coral was a bad one- it didn't live very long. Then again, I didn't know much about this coral back in the early 90's.... and neither did many others!

 

[SuzLucky]

Totally awesome picture.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Thanks, Sue. The larger file of these pics are even better.
Generally speaking, Tubipora requires "clean" conditions. Many people that grow them recommend conditions similar to an Acropora friendly environment. This one was growing under sunlight at Tropicorium, so I placed it in an area of my aquarium that receives some sunlight each day.

 

[Stephany]

Does it react to target feeding at all?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I don't target feed this coral. It situated near the drain standpipe, so it might be absorbing very smal particulate matter, but I've never actually seen it eat. It appears to close up (to avoid food) when I "snowstorm" the aquarium with a feeding- unlike my other corals which close their polyps around particles of captured food.
I might be wrong, though- maybe the Tubipora is actually capturing food during the feedings and I'm not seeing it because the food is microscopic size. Purdy, eh?

 

[Stephany]

Yep. Very nice.

 

[MikeG]

Nice! I recently, two days ago, picked up the same type at a LFS. Great price so coundn't pass it up. Mine seems to like moderate flow. Any other recommendation Gary?

I too tried the snowstorm effect for feeding; but I can't say I could tell if it was "eating." Mine did not receed though.

It is mid tank, off centered from a 150 DE bulb.

 

[parkavenuereef]

That has to be one of my true favorites!! nice!

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Thanks. I never target fed this coral, Mike. I think it will do just fine feeding on fine particulate matter suspended in an established reef aquarium.
I still have this coral, but it hasn't opened up since the move.
Only time will tell if it survives...

 

[MikeG]

good luck with it. I hope it makes it. The only "softy" worthy of my tank