StinkinTuna
New member
Like reefshadow said gsp's don't grow out of a pipe like skeleton, but they do look alot like gsps. That pick of an Organ pipe doesnt look like these , but organ pipes have alot of variation on their 'flowers'.
Ok I'm bad, I bought something...Implose Buy
- Thread starter Cutiewitbooty
- Start date
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Pipe organ corals are very,very closely related to GSP, etc., in that they are all stoloniferans. It is in its own family, the Tubiporidae. They are also very closely related to blue ridge coral, Heliopora coerulea. Their skeletons are mainly made from calcite, so they need Calcium and alkalinity to properly construct their skeletons. Mine did great for well over a year until it fell behind the rocks and I couldn't find it 
. Just make sure algae does not grow over the polyps, as they are prone to getting covered in it and slowly dying.
. Just make sure algae does not grow over the polyps, as they are prone to getting covered in it and slowly dying.
Cutiewitbooty
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6618998#post6618998 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by StinkinTuna
Mine is about 7x 6 or so so its roughly the same size (sorry thought yours was smaller by the pics) and I paid $40 for it so no I don't think you got ripped off at all. There will always be those that say they got theirs for next to nothing but $40 about that size is fair market IMHO.
Yours looks really good! Opening up in full is great news! Mine is doing the opposite, it was completely open in the store and is now slowly opening (day 2 and only 1/4 open ). So I couldnt see the skeleton in the store and didnt notice this in the bag, but that white area between the pipes is a sponge which I'm sure I should eventually try to get out! (but in the store it looks great and full!)
But yours is obviously healthy and your tank seems to be fine for it, but like I said I'm new to taking care of the Organ Pipe as well so don't know if your lighting will be fine for the long run....but it seems to be more than fine for it now!
For the life of me I cant get a clear pic of the Organ Pipe, this is the best I can come up with right now after 10 pics...maybe I'll try later for a better shot but here's mine (should make you feel alot better about yours after seeing my pic)
Mine has been in the tank for about 5 hours now and it's that open. When taking the pic have your tried turning the flash off and putting in on the micro setting thats what worked for me. I would think that it should do ok as long as more and more of it is opening up, one of the people on here told me that it could take a while, so you never know. This is actually only my 2nd coral lol What are you going to be feeding yours?
Pandora
Premium Member
It makes me wonder if this is one of those corals which is commonly missold as another species, though. Under the liveaquaria description, it says these are often confused with clove (starburst) polyps and that the true pipe corals have a reddish calcareous (hard, not soft, like the 2 of yours) base. Again, it's the problem with using common names!
People posting photos on the web (searched by google images) could be misidentifying theirs also, adding to confusion...
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=480
People posting photos on the web (searched by google images) could be misidentifying theirs also, adding to confusion...
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=480
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Unlike the other corals, Tubipora have a HARD (but brittle) skeleton, so I have no idea how it could be confused (but this is liveaquaria were are talking about, since they have been wrong on many occasions). As far as I know, no clove polyps have a true skeleton, nor is the basal tissue nearly as hard.
Cutiewitbooty
New member
yeah the base is the tube structures, I think each polyp has a hard tube, but they are kinda delicate and could break apart (each hard tube could break away from the others ) if i didn't handle it carefully.
Pandora
Premium Member
But Amphiron, that's what we're getting at here, this time LA actually had ACCURATE info
They are talking with confusion with laypeople IDing them, which I think is definitely an issue here. So what do you think of the two that cutie & stinkintuna pictured... do those look like pipe organs to you? Just from the photos, don't look calcareous at all.
Cutiewitbooty
New member
but mine does have a hard tube base.........
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Right, each polyp builds an individual tube. Pandora, gotcha . I was seriously misunderstanding what you were saying. No, I think if Cutie actually found a hard, brittle skeleton, then she has Tubipora. The other thing I have noticed is that tubipora polyps are extremely variable, even though there is only one valid species. And I was incorrect earlier in stating that Tubipora was closely related to Heliopora--they are the closest to Pachyclavularia (GSP). Sorry about that, my illness has been giving me brain farts all day long.
. I was seriously misunderstanding what you were saying. No, I think if Cutie actually found a hard, brittle skeleton, then she has Tubipora. The other thing I have noticed is that tubipora polyps are extremely variable, even though there is only one valid species. And I was incorrect earlier in stating that Tubipora was closely related to Heliopora--they are the closest to Pachyclavularia (GSP). Sorry about that, my illness has been giving me brain farts all day long.
Cutiewitbooty
New member
Ok well i tried to get a pic of the base, it's hard to see the hard tubes but you can make them out.
StinkinTuna
New member
Yes the structure of mine has hard skeletal tubing as well, if it bangs against a hard surface it will break....hard tubing with polyps coming out of each individual tube would have to make it an Organ Pipe, but as mentioned earlier they really do look like gsps! I think the only thing separating them as what Amphiprion is suggesting is the hard tubular base.
And as what Cutiewitbooty found out, there are many different looking organ pipes as well, some looking more like a clove and others looking more like gsps.
I don't plan on feeding mine anything directly, just light and whatever small amounts of food get caught in it by feeding the sun polyp (I readyour post earlier about the first coral you got) and fish. I don;t think it needs to be fed directly like your sun polyp....
And as what Cutiewitbooty found out, there are many different looking organ pipes as well, some looking more like a clove and others looking more like gsps.
I don't plan on feeding mine anything directly, just light and whatever small amounts of food get caught in it by feeding the sun polyp (I readyour post earlier about the first coral you got) and fish. I don;t think it needs to be fed directly like your sun polyp....
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Yep, definitely Tubipora.
Cutiewitbooty
New member
well my sun still hasn't opened, but hopefully in the next day or so it will. I'm going to start getting a little worried tomarrow if it still hasn't opened.
100% pipe organ, no question about it. I've kept many species over the years, your is the most common.
Pipe organ is a beuatiful species though very delicate to the touch. Any pressure on the top of the tube traps the polyps inside where they die.
Pipe Organ is relatively easy to care for and, under proper conditions will grow and spread very quickley.
Congrats on your acquisition, of all impulse buys, it was probably one of the best.
Pipe organ is a beuatiful species though very delicate to the touch. Any pressure on the top of the tube traps the polyps inside where they die.
Pipe Organ is relatively easy to care for and, under proper conditions will grow and spread very quickley.
Congrats on your acquisition, of all impulse buys, it was probably one of the best.
Cutiewitbooty
New member
Awesome 
I'm glad i didn't cause to much damage with my inpulse buying What do you feed yours and how do they spread. What kind of water flow, mine is in low flow and seems to like it, when i put more flow they retract. Is 4 watt per gal ok, i have it close to the surface of the water. I really love mine it is sooo pretty and opened up so good, (unlike my stuborn sun grrr)
I'm glad i didn't cause to much damage with my inpulse buying What do you feed yours and how do they spread. What kind of water flow, mine is in low flow and seems to like it, when i put more flow they retract. Is 4 watt per gal ok, i have it close to the surface of the water. I really love mine it is sooo pretty and opened up so good, (unlike my stuborn sun grrr)Similar threads
