Unusual SPS?
- Thread starter NexDog
- Start date
NewSchool04
New member
can you get a closer shot, something that shows the polyps? Looks like digitata from up here!
Jeremy Blaze
Former Reef Addict
Thats it. Not real easy to keep. Requires feeding.
DFS
.Registered Member
NexDog,
What you have there is called Lace Coral or Distichopora spp. and is found form time to time on imports from Jakarta. They are related to Fire Coral and are a member of the Hydrocorals belonging to the Class Hydrozoa. These are very difficult to maintain in captivity and must be fed fine plankton based foods. You will notice at night after the lights have been off, fine, clear tentacles that they use to capture food. These corals are non-photosynthetic and normally are found under overhangs in the wild where they receive strong water flow and little or no light. The coloration in their pigment is deep within their calcium skeletons from the absorption of specific minerals out of the water.
Happy Reefing!
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith
What you have there is called Lace Coral or Distichopora spp. and is found form time to time on imports from Jakarta. They are related to Fire Coral and are a member of the Hydrocorals belonging to the Class Hydrozoa. These are very difficult to maintain in captivity and must be fed fine plankton based foods. You will notice at night after the lights have been off, fine, clear tentacles that they use to capture food. These corals are non-photosynthetic and normally are found under overhangs in the wild where they receive strong water flow and little or no light. The coloration in their pigment is deep within their calcium skeletons from the absorption of specific minerals out of the water.
Happy Reefing!
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith
Jeremy Blaze
Former Reef Addict
Wise choice.
oligotrophic
New member
Requires clean water and zooplankton (e.g. brine shrimp) to maintain. As already mentioned by everyone -- not an easy to keep specie.
if the specie starts to degrade, you will see white sections appearing on the branches, it means dead spots, after a while if algae takes over the dead spot it means the beginning of the downward spiral, it may take a long time or short time to degrade but once the coral starts to degrade it's an almost guaranteed death.
so prevention seems to be the only way --> going back to maintaining those 2 conditions: clean water (low nutrient level) and food availability.
one health indication to look at is the appearance on the branch tips of those "transparent needles", quite difficult to notice unless you look carefully. my experience is that as long as those "needles" are around the coral is still doing well.
one last point, as a non-photosynthetic coral, it does not appreciate light, in fact, imo, exposure to light may likely have an effect on the animal's health
I have noticed one reefkeeper buying this type of coral in a large quantity, i do not know how he/she does it, but i was told by the importer that it was possible for this particular reefkeeper. Perhaps that reefkeeper's captive environment was a non-sps set up i.e. non-photosynthetic corals e.g. Cauliflowers, Seafans, Sunflowers in a dimly lit tank, well fed, highly skimmed . I'm making a guess here ...
if the specie starts to degrade, you will see white sections appearing on the branches, it means dead spots, after a while if algae takes over the dead spot it means the beginning of the downward spiral, it may take a long time or short time to degrade but once the coral starts to degrade it's an almost guaranteed death.
so prevention seems to be the only way --> going back to maintaining those 2 conditions: clean water (low nutrient level) and food availability.
one health indication to look at is the appearance on the branch tips of those "transparent needles", quite difficult to notice unless you look carefully. my experience is that as long as those "needles" are around the coral is still doing well.
one last point, as a non-photosynthetic coral, it does not appreciate light, in fact, imo, exposure to light may likely have an effect on the animal's health
I have noticed one reefkeeper buying this type of coral in a large quantity, i do not know how he/she does it, but i was told by the importer that it was possible for this particular reefkeeper. Perhaps that reefkeeper's captive environment was a non-sps set up i.e. non-photosynthetic corals e.g. Cauliflowers, Seafans, Sunflowers in a dimly lit tank, well fed, highly skimmed . I'm making a guess here ...
