New Deodronephthya sp. study group?

I think we should start a thread on this under the new forum. Although vodka is the typical item used, what we are talking about is carbon dosing and there are real problems when one uses only one source of carbon, such as vodka. This favours specific strains of bacteria and throws the system a bit off balance, which has often lead to system collapse. The trick seems to be dosing a mixed carbon source to support various bacterias. This, also, prevent a single specie bacteria bloom which robs the water column of O2 and suffocates the tank inhabitants.
 
I think a thread in the new forum is a good idea. I am not convinced of the specific strain reasoning but it does make sense that there could be benifits from using multiple sources.
 
I have kept mine alive and happy for over 8 months. In fact, at the request of Bob Fenner, I recently submitted an article to WetWebMedia describing my success.

(1) What species- or if not known, (which is usual), did it come attached to rubble or to rock?

I don't know the species, as it was sold to me as a Lemnalia sp., which turned out to be wrong. It is opaque white with yellow sclerites, and tiny bright yellow and purple polyps.

(2) Water flow information.

My animal is in a relatively high flow area, with flow from a Maxi-Jet 1200 pointing in its direction (buffered by a piece of live rock).

(3) Feeding information.

I target feed my coral with a slurry of Cyclop-Eeze and system water about twice per week.

(5) Behavioral observations of interest.

It stays expanded about 90% of the time--it is almost always inflated while the lights are off and periodically deflates and reinflates during the day.

(6) How long has the specimen been kept under captive care?

8+ months.

(7) Filtration/skimmer/refugia information.

I have a 110g display (48"x30"x18") with a 30g refugium (5" DSB, 10lbs of live rock and a large clump of Chaeto--I "feed" the fuge every week or so with several shrimp pellets). Lighting is 2x250W HQI (20,000K) and 4x65W PC actinics; actinics are on from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm, and HQIs are on from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm. My skimmer is a Coral Life Super Skimmer (nothing fancy or great). I have a wet-dry trickle filter with bio-balls, and I run carbon and a phosphate removal media in my sump.
 
Here is a pic of my Dendro
160589Dendro.JPG
 
Thats most likely not a dendro and is a laminalia or some type of neospongodes. I believe they sold it to you as the correct animal.
Erik
 
I don't believe it is a Lemnalia. I believe it is a Dendro. I have done a lot of photo comparisons, and Robert Fenner of Wet Web Media/Conscientious Marine Aquarist agrees that it was mislabled as a Lemnalia and is in fact a Dendro. Here is a close-up picture of its polyps. The sclerites are clearly visible, which I understand a Lemnalia lacks.

160589Polyp_Close_Up.JPG
 
nope, thats lemnalia, and use they have a ton of sclerities
Scerlonypthia is the one with no scerlities

Hope that helps
Erik
 
Thats a fairly common color morph and coral around my area, Im pretty sure others will chime in with the same thoughts I have...not a dendro
The coral you posted also uses light for food as well...hense the 8 months in captivity and doing well. With what your feeding a dendro would not be doing well.
Erik
 
"With what your feeding a dendro would not be doing well."

I have a very "alive" refugium, so I'm sure that all of my corals are getting a lot of nutrients from the fuge.

I'm not saying you're wrong--I just know what others in the field have told me and what I've found through research.
 
I agree with Erik, I actually have the exact same coral and it is quite different from any Dendronephthya I've ever seen. As far as what specific genus, I'm still having quite a bit of difficulty determining that. It is definitely a Nephtheid, but that whole family is so mixed up in terms of nomenclature. From what I've researched, I think these corals are due for an overhaul of their classifications. In terms of care, the coral you have is definitely easier than any Dendro. I'd liken it to the purple "Neospongodes" described here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1292781
 
in that link yours looked like
Lemnalia sp. N. Sulawesi pix.


that last pictre you posted doesn't look like the other coral you post, are all 3 your pictures?
 
All three are mine and are of the same coral--just under different lighting and different stages (inflated, deflated) throughout the day.
 
A refugium doesn't have much to do with feeding a dendro, imo. the food they eat is under 50 microns...so I've noticed and read as well. Could you get a clear shot, not as compressed and stoe it on a site like photobucket, rc's gallery makes you compress the photo to much and you miss details, does the skin part look like this?
nice1.jpg



I'm pretty sure we had this same discussion on another board, everyone said the same thing...not a dendro and then you left quoting eric borneman? Was that you?
 
It's really hard to tell all of these different corals apart.

Here's another pic of mine about 2 hours after lights out.

160589Night.JPG
 
It could be, theres really something like 1700 species in this family so it could be one of those that isn't seem much. But it really does look like a nepthid specis. I'm guessing at the 8 month mark with what your feeding that it does use light for food or is photosynthetic. Dendro's starve and eat themselves within a 6 month time frame. Unless your producing alot of bacteria or feeding a liquid based food of some type/ shellfish diet or roti feast I just can't see it being a dendro. They just don't live without the right food/flow combo
Other things do though
Erik
 
The first pic looks like lemnalia
the 2nd and 3rd clear pictures of it don't though. Very interesting coral forsure. Dendro though? I still don't think its that. Something totally different I believe
The full res pics make a world of difference!!! :)
 
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