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-Scolymia showing teeth!- Dear Bob, <Kevin here in his stead> I have had a Scolymia for about 2 months. It feeds nicely -almost every other day on bits of lancefish nicely soaked in Selcon and Zo? Originally it didn't have any 'toothy' extensions or they were all entirely covered by the flesh. I have noticed that now one or two protrude. <Likely from some sort of light damage> It inflates nicely and eats avidly, if slowly -about 25 minutes- what I provide. <That's a good sign> It is in good light, slight water motion and no nasty neighbors that would sting. I was a bit worried that the toothy extensions through the flesh my signal some kind of unhappiness or decay. <The toothy extensions are it's septa which have pierced the flesh somehow, likely from some sort of light trauma. If it does not become infected at the spot where the flesh has torn, it should heal nicely. The only problem with the septa sticking out is the possibility for an encroaching algae to develop and push the tissue back further. Keep an eye out for this.> I like it very much and it is a coral now no longer imported in the UK <Really?! Why is this?> so I am especially keen to see it do well. Am I worrying too much? or is there something wrong? Thanks for all the help on your fab site. <Good luck! -Kevin> Massimo Blastomussa wellsi and Seahorses? 7/30/03 follow up I received a Red Blastomussa ......Blastomussa wellsi is the species that was listed on the invoice. I have enclosed a photo just in case they ID it incorrectly. <seems to be indeed> It was sent with an order, as an extra. I seem to remember a conversation I had with a reefer friend who told me that they have very potent nematocysts and can inflict a pretty nasty sting. <nope... not true or accurate. Quite the contrary... they are passive and easily harmed by others> I could of course be confusing it with something else. <perhaps some of the Faviidae with which it is commonly shipped but not related> I keep seahorses and worry about them because they will hitch to just about anything and they can stay put for an incredibly long time. I avoid anything that can sting and possibly injure them. <seahorses with any cnidarians are unnatural and unsafe IMO. Please do re-examine their natural bio-topes. No place with corals or anemones in the aquarium> Do you know anything about this species and it's stinging potential? <weakly so indeed... still enough to irritate seahorses> If not is there somewhere you could refer me. I have not been able to find a resource that includes this sort of information about corals as it relates to fish coming into close proximity. Any information is much appreciated. Thank you so much for your help! Leslie <best regards, Anthony> Cynarina Care Dear Bob/crew, <PF with you here tonight> Thanks again for your site, it is always informative and accurate. I recently acquired a lovely large Cynarina or Scolymia, difficult to tell, about 6"x 3". It inflates very nicely during light hours and it is a great green/brown color. Before I bought it I read that its husbandry is similar to the Trachyphyllia/Lobophyllia type corals, that is feeding is advised after lights out. I tried feeding then with a solution of SF bay entree and some liquidized mussel meat enriched with Zo?and vitamins but the tentacles didn't seem to take in much although they would be enticed out by the waft of food. <Well, they don't eat liquid so much as shredded, think pieces the size of parmesan (sp?) cheese.> Also can you clarify if the central opening of the coral is a mouth or is it the anus? <Yes. Think about it. ; ) > Should I aim to get the food in there or will the polyps just absorb the nutrients dissolved in a kind of osmosis? <Not directly only it, but above it. You should turn off all the pumps when you do this, and let the food drift down.> Can you clarify the feeding requirements for me? <Finely shredded pieces of shrimp (uncooked) and fish (ditto)> The lighting is good 2x250W <They can be sensitive to bright lights, and need to be acclimated. If you have eggcrate over your tank, you can layer screen (like the kind on doors) over it, one piece removed each day, 10-14 pieces) and the oral is at the bottom of the tank with just a gentle indirect current. <good on the current> It pumps up nicely in light hours and deflates somewhat during the daytime - my tank is not far from a window to avoid nuisance algae brought about by too much sun I keep the tank shielded in the summer time until the lights come on at 5pm. <Daylight doesn't promote algae, to many available nutrients does. A common, but false idea> All other water parameters are fine and my tank is thriving. The Cynarina/Scolymia was very well handled and well kept at the LFS where it was kept. Thanks for your answers, Massimo Brighton UK <You're welcome, if you have a copy of Anthony's book, the section on the Mussidae's (Blastomussa, Cynarina, etc.) is pages 259-260. Have a good night, PF>
Air Bubbles in Coral Tissues ("Bubbles in my Brain") 4/19/03 thanks for the response.. it makes sense on the light stimulation... he had just been recently moved to a higher point in the tank.. but has since been moved into another tank in which his air bubble situation returned to normal.. <ahhh, yes... very plausible and consistent with our theory. Great to hear that your brain is not so gassy <G>. FWIW... corals that express such symptoms (air bubbles from excess light as with sudden move to higher point) can in fact acclimate to the new higher position in time... they just need to be acclimated slower to prevent the air bubbles from forming. Use the screen method (suggested in my articles here on WWM and beyond) to adjust the coral to brighter light over a period of a couple weeks> and I almost forgot to add.. I LOVE your coral propagation book.. the wealth of information is priceless and I've been looking for a book exactly like this for years. Jonathan <thanks kindly, my friend! Best of luck to you in your endeavors. Anthony>
Coral identity 3/20/03 can you guys help identify as to what kind of coral this is? Jonathan That would be a Lobophyllia... feed weekly too (needs more than the best lights can give). Anthony> Re: coral identity (part 1) (pictures will be sent in 2 separate emails as otherwise my computer automatically zips them) can you guys help identify as to what kind of coral this is? Jonathan <Looks like a Lobophyllia to me. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussids2.htm Bob Fenner> Lobophyllia Hi, have any of you ever heard or seen of this type of branching brain coral? <Yep... Lobophyllia (hemprichii) form. Rather common. Hardy, handsome... and all round nice guy as LPS species go> I have attached a pic for reference. I never have and am wondering if it is a true branching coral or a hoax? <not true branching... simply phaceloid> There is one on the net right now and am thinking of buying it but have never heard of or seen one. <a fine coral, but don't pay a premium for it. Average value as corals go> Should I buy a bridge in Arizona first? Thanks, Jeff <Dude... I'm in Pittsburgh. We have got some serious bridge action if you are interested. Best regards, Anthony> Feeding Brain Corals Hey Y'all, I don't know who is going to answer this, but I could sure use a little assistance... <then I'm your man... I measure 5'6"... 5'8" if my hair is poofy> I just picked up a Diploastrea Heliopora from my neighborhood fish store and was given some mis-information from the owner so I was wondering if you could help me with a couple of small matters :) <Hmm... a "little" assistance... "small" matters... I'm starting to form a complex here. Its a good thing that I have a big car> I was told this coral was a filter feeder but I didn't believe him so I tried giving it some defrosted mysis shrimp which it snapped up eagerly! <All corals are filter-feeders to some extent... some zooplankton, others phyto... some both. Others still won't feed organismally but will feed by absorption. The bottom line is... there are VERY few corals that don't filter feed in some manner and all essentially need fed in the aquarium. Yes... most all we keep need some feedings (weekly if not daily)> Do I have to feed every opening that is putting out those little tentacles or is a general feeding of as many openings as possible going to be ok? <the latter> Is there something better than mysis to feed this guy? <actually... mysis are high protein and a good primary food. Still... offer a variety (Gammarus, Pacifica plankton, etc)> And how far out do those tentacles reach? <far enough to capture passing food particles<G>> I don't want the possibility of the polyps and stony corals close to it getting stung. <no worries here... all corals should be at least 6-10" apart but that will only keep you safe for 1-2 years for most. Move or propagate as necessary> Thanks for the help. Andrea <best regards, Anthony> Bali Brain Coral Hello, I have recently purchased a green Bali Brain Coral (never had a brain coral before), and I noticed the coral tends to expel hard pieces of I don't know what over the course of several days. Is this waste? These brown and sometimes white things resemble rocks (they have ridges and striations), and tend to get pushed out of the coral through what looks like puckered lips on the sides of its body. Is this normal? Thanks. Steve. <Steve... can you proffer a picture here for us? From the description, it is unclear exactly what is going on. Best regards>
Blastomussa coral... AKA Pineapple Brain Hi, how are you today? <very good, thank you. I hope you are well indeed. Anthony Calfo in your service> Yesterday I went to look for a new coral to purchase and was interested in one the LFS called Blastomussa. <Blastomussa wellsi> I'm not sure if I am spelling it correctly, but I searched wet web for it and had no luck. Are you familiar with a coral by that name, and if so, can you tell me another name that it may go by so I can read about it. It resembled a closed brain, but fuller and softer, and much brighter. Thanks :-) Marci <very hardy under low to moderate light. Very sensitive to bright or new lamps. Keep in lower half of the tank under VHO or PC for new imports. MH is tough for them to acclimate to but not impossible. Hardy and long lived but relatively slow growing. Keep far from aggressive neighbors. Best regards, Anthony> Blastomussa "Pineapple Coral" WWM Crew- Can someone tell me what type of substrate Blastomussa wellsi should be placed on? Does it matter? <a hard substrate is normal and natural. B. wellsi is not especially adept at purging sand. Low light is best for most and bright light only with slow and careful acclimation. Do review my article for tips: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/acclimcoralslight.htm> Thanks! Ann <kindly, Anthony> Blastomussa "Pineapple Coral" II Thanks for your reply. I have had the coral for 4 months now and it "appears" fine but, there is no new polyp growth or anything. <a notoriously slow grower... please consider feeding very finely shredded meaty for to keep this coral and grow it> It is located on top of a rock in my 20 gal tank and I wanted to make sure that it didn't like sand. <yes... but do be careful not to burn it... a change or upgrade in bulbs could shock this animal terribly without caution> I'm glad it doesn't because there is no sand in my tank. Are there any good sources for information on this species? How can I tell that it is truly happy? <regular polyp extension/cycling and some growth. A rich dark color too> Just so you know, I kind of "stumbled" upon this coral, the LFS had just received it and they thought it was a red mushroom rock (which I had been wanting for some time). I must say, it did look like mushroom rock in the shipping package but, to my surprise shortly after I turned on the lights the next day it was NOT mushroom rock but, a Blastomussa wellsi coral! <yes... I agree. And it is often misidentified... even as a brain coral (Faviid)> Thanks again! Ann <best regards, Anthony> Do brain Corals poop? Hello Bob, Anthony, whomever has the pleasure of answering this question, <I guess I'm going to be the poop expert today... no different than any other day...hehe> So, I just got my lovely pineapple brain for my tank, and I've notice a curious occurrence, <Blastomussa or Faviid species?> It looks like it poops <they all do if you are feeding meaty foods regularly> every day, the individual colonies seem to take their turns ejecting this long brown stringy stuff, <if you are not feeding meaty foods and didn't quarantine or acclimate this coral to the new light up a gradient over time (just put it in the top 1/3 of the tank right off the bat...aiee!!!) then you could be looking at a possibly fatal expulsion of zooxanthellae packets (bleaching event)> the coral seems to do it one section at a time. Now, they don't look like they are spawning, and since its been in my tank for only 4 days, I doubt that's what its doing, but I was wondering if this is actually how corals get rid of their waste? Any ideas? Thanks!!! David <I realize in four days that you did not QT or otherwise acclimate this coral to light. If it is Blastomussa wellsi in the top third of the tank, you are bleaching and killing it. It is a true Faviid species it is likely to want the bright light after a gradual acclimation from the stress of import. What kind of light do you have and how long on? MH?...then is likely a bad sign. But if weaker lights, perhaps not. kindly, Anthony> RE: Do brain Corals poop? Hey, so, I have 32W Power compact, 1/2 daylight, 1/2 actinic, (Sealife Retrofit for my eclipse hood) and a Faviid Brain its in a 25gal tank, and probably 12 in from the top. <not at all too bright...for some Faviids, enough indeed. We can safely rule out bleaching> I'm the same guy with the Yellow polyps and green button polyps, <my apologies David, I didn't recall at first> for the 1st day I had the coral probably 4 inches lower in the tank, and then moved it up a little. <very good...and can go to the very top eventually if you like under these lights> I've been feeding the tank 1/2-1 cube of frozen mysis shrimp, which I try to mash up a bit, every day, <very good!> and there's a bicolor blenny and firefish goby in the tank. The light are set to about 10 hours on, 14 hours off. no dawn or dusk, <no problem...fine> usually the polyps though take advantage of my large windows and are pointing out toward them in the morning. <too cool... and telling you that you need to set up a greenhouse for coral farming...hehe. Or at least a bay window!> I see the coral putting out its feeder tentacles about twice a day, no bleaching as of yet... So that's what's going on... so do you think it pooping or bleaching? <Without a doubt... related to the legend of why a bear brings a Reader's Digest into the woods <G>> Thanks again Anthony David <my pleasure, goombah. Anthony> Yellow polyp feeding/Brain Light Hey Bob, <Anthony Calfo in your service> So, I'm progressing with my 25 gal mini reef (with PC light) now, my Yellow polyps have been doing great and have almost all reproduced already in the month that I've had them, even my button polyps are sending up babies from their base. I've been feeding the tank, <the incidental particulate food has helped the polyps...feed them well to grow the them under bright light> which has at this present time a bicolor blenny and a firefish (the purple back Pseudochromis has a new home in the display tank at my LFS since it never learned how to play nice with friends) <agreed!> every other day with frozen mysis shrimp, <excellent marine food!> (flake food the other days) which I try to mash up as much as I can between my fingers. The yellow polyps, on account of their growth seem to be loving it. <yes> Now as of today, I've added a very nice pineapple brain specimen, and I noticed after reading the FAQ that it eats too! Is my current feeding sufficient for it too? or should I supplement with a commercial plankton? <other ZOOplankton would be nice, but the popular Phytoplankton substitutes are doubtfully useful for this Faviid brain. If form follows function, then the long aggressive feeding tentacles (large) are designed indeed for zooplankton. Feed nothing larger than crushed mysids> Any suggestions on what would be a good product if I you think I need to get some plankton? Oh and last question, What's the best placement of the brain coral? <really depends on the species and color. Some pineapples corals shipped are actually Blastomussa species and not Faviid brains. Do use a good photo reference to see if you have Blastomussa wellsi. If not B. wellsi (very low light), then as a rule, most true brains like very bright light. If the specimen did not come in stressed or pale/bleached...then top third of the tank under good reef lights will be fine> Thanks!!! David<quite welcome. Anthony> Problem with Lobophyllia Dear Bob, As always, thanks so much for this great site. I have another question that I'm sure you can answer. <I will try> Last Tuesday, I received my order of a Lobophyllia hemprichii (red brain coral) and a Euphyllia glabrescens (torch coral) from a dealer that is well known and, supposedly, very well respected in the trade. When I removed the torch coral from its bag, I could see nothing but the white skeleton and a few places where the polyps were supposed to extend. After two days of waiting, as instructed by the dealer, the polyps never came out and they just became shriveled and died. That must have been RTN. <Maybe> As for the brain, it has not died, but I am very concerned about it. When I first received it, I placed it in the bottom of my 90-gallon tank and even shaded it from the VHO lighting for some time. The coral opened some during the day, but when it retracted, a large part of the skeleton was exposed. In fact, the "spines" show when the coral is contracted. <This happens with new specimens> According to our research, the coral should be of such a size that no part of the skeleton should ever show and that the whole coral should look more robust. The coral we received looks so "thin". When it's expanded, there are pinpoint places that are depressed; and the flesh looks "corroded". The color is rust red now; it may have been darker and lost some of it's color, but that is hard to determine. At times, the coral would expand when the main aquarium pump was turned off, while at other times it would expand when the pump was turned on. The coral gives off this rust-colored cloud when the pumps are turned off. This morning it looked better; however, when I turned off the main pump it retracted and gave off its rust-colored matter. The dealer says in their literature that this coral would "slough off" some when first introduced, but it seems to be sloughing off its flesh and deteriorating. The aquarium is a 90-gallon reef with all parameters at or near perfect reef readings. We have a 30-gallon sump, Turboflotor skimmer, Aqua UV sterilizer, and a water turnover rate of about 10 times per hour. Other inhabitants look great. There is not a heavy bio-load as there is just a purple tang, a peppermint shrimp, some mushrooms, a purple blade, some snails, and a few scarlet hermit crabs, and three sand sifting starfish. All water is purified by Kold Steril. I added vitamin C and some trace elements (Vital Gold) by Thiel, along with Coral Vital by Marc Weiss. Any thoughts? Thanks for any help you can give. Regards, Michael Rivera <Per the descriptions of both newly arrived specimens, it does seem like they were either "in the bag" too long, or suffered some other sort of shipping insult (chilled, overheated... delayed in transit...). At any length, you can just wait at this point and hope that they will regenerate. Nothing in your description points to a difficulty in your system or handling... Bob Fenner> Cynarina looks sad Bob I enjoyed hearing you at the MARS meeting and watching your slide show a few months back in Sacramento. I wanted to ask you about a Cynarina, I think his common name is a button coral, I purchased in July. He seems to be slowly shrinking. He still fills up and expands but not as big as he used to. <Why do you think this is so?> I have him placed near the top of the aquarium with MH and power compacts. Not a lot of water movement there. My water tests are good. Calcium at 455 Dkh 9 and 0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. I was told he only needs light. <You know there is more to this> But then I read they do put out feeder tentacles to trap food. I have never seen this. I only feed the tank frozen brine shrimp and flake food for the fish. The only other corals are a Colt and Green Star Polyps. Is his problem food related and should I be feeding the tank something additionally for the corals? <Yes> I also read he is a low light coral so I thought about moving him but I didn't want to make matters worse either. Any suggestions would be appreciated Thanks Jim Uptegrove <Do look about more... and try other foods/feeding moda... these are "planktivorous" species to a large/r degree. Bob Fenner>
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