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FAQs about Soft Corals of the Family Nephtheidae
Identification Related Articles: Soft Corals of the Family
Nephtheidae, The Soft Corals of the
genus Dendronephthya, Soft Corals, Order Alcyonacea
Related FAQs: Nephtheids 1,
Nephtheids 2,
Nephtheid Behavior,
Nephtheid Compatibility, Nephtheid Selection,
Nephtheid Systems,
Nephtheid Feeding, Nephtheid Disease,
Nephtheid Reproduction/Propagation,
Soft Coral Propagation,
Alcyoniids, Dendronephthya,
Paralcyoniids, Nidaliids,
Xeniids,
Soft
Corals/Order Alcyonacea |
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Unknown algae growth
and unknown coral 03/28/2008
Hello Guys and Gals. Thank you once again for all of your help!
<<G'Morning, Andrew today>>
I have an algae growth that none of my LFS can seem to tell me what it
is. It shows up on my sand bed after the lights come on and seems to
grow patches within the first couple hours and grows throughout the day.
After the lights go out, it seems to diminish a great deal over night.
I'm not sure if it's being eaten by my snails and hermits but it is a
lot
less in the a.m. before the lights come back on. It looks black in the
tank on the sand, although I have removed some before and put in a bag
to take to my LFS and it sat in the bag for a couple days and turned the
water in the bag pink! Then the water turned clear eventually. It has a
very fine hair like look when stirred up.
<<Yes, its a red hair algae, from what i can see in the picture. There
is a good possibility that your snails are keeping this under control.
The tufts on the substrate can easily be syphoned out>>
I have a 65 gallon tank. 3 1/2 month old, 75 lbs. live rock, 3
circulating powerheads w/ a total 1000 gph circulation. (3) 96 watt
lights equaling 50% blue and 50% daylight. Night light is a submergible
LED blue strip lights.
<<For a reef tank, you may want to up your flow a little, get yourself
into the region of 1600gph>>
Water parameters are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, calcium, 480-500, nitrates
are questionable, I get about 20-30, LFS test 0, PH 8.2, salinity
1022-1023. I use Oceans Blend for Calcium, PH, Alkalinity. Had phosphate
tested today and they said very minimal.
<<Usually with plague algae, they have already absorbed the phosphates
from the water, so, a test showing up minimal is common. Have you tested
the water before it goes in the tank? If not, give it a test, see what
it shows>>
I have several small frag corals, mostly soft coral, but some candy cane
coral, one Bubble tip anemone and a fair size frog spawn. I also bought
a coral today that the LFS told me was a Cotton Candy Coral.
<<I would concur on the carnation coral. They are not the easiest to
keep, however, with research and understand, you should be fine>>
It has extended out at least two inches since I put it in. Now that I am
looking online, it looks like a carnation coral! They say that they are
difficult to keep. Mine seems very happy in the few hours I have had him
but now I am afraid that I won't be able to keep him alive! Included is
a pic of it as well. Can you identify this coral?
<<As above>>
Fish include:
1 Dwarf Coral Beauty
1 Six Line Wrasse
1 Lawnmower Blenny
3 Blue Green Chromis
1 Midas Benny
2 Mated Percula Clowns
Inverts:
1 skunk cleaner shrimp
20 Nassarius snails
2 large Mexican Turbo Snails
4 very large stocky Cerith Snails? The ones that burrow under the sand I
pulled some of the algae out and put in a bowl for you to take a look
at. Please tell me what this is. I have been told may be hair algae,
another told me red slime. Another place said they don't know what it
is, they have never seen it. Will you please take a look at the pics
attached and tell me what YOU think. Also, what kind of coral in the
other pic.
Thank you for all you do for us! Rachel
<<Thank you for the questions, hope this helps. A Nixon>>
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Was: Urchin
Hitchhiker: Pencil Urchin, Now Nephtheid ID - 2/3/08
Thanks, Lynn!
<Hi Andy! You’re most welcome!>
I believe you are right on the money on both counts.
<Woohoo!>
After reviewing the pictures you sent me, I can now see the rings around
my urchin's spines, so I believe it is indeed a E. metularia. Also, I
agree on the Capnella ID. Since you're 2 for 2, I thought I would also
send you two pictures of what was sold to me as a Lemnalia tree coral.
<Okay, neat.>
When I was looking at the Capnella link you sent me, I noticed the WWM
picture of the Dendronephthya (attached for reference). The lines in the
stalks of the Dendro
<Calcareous spicules called “sclerites”.>
makes me worry that I actually have one rather than a Lemnalia, as my
tree coral also has these lines running through its stalks (the picture
of the Lemnalia on WWM is not very clear and an internet search revealed
a ton of different looking pictures).
<That can be frustrating, I know. Unfortunately, softies aren’t exactly
one of my strengths, but after doing some research, I'm inclined to
think that your coral is indeed a Lemnalia. I'll need for you to take a
close look around the polyps to confirm, though. Regarding the visible
lines/sclerites in the stalk, apparently Lemnalia has those as well.
Where it differs from Dendronephthya is that the sclerites are not as
apparent (if even present) around the polyps. Dendronephthya, on the
other hand, has them surrounding the polyps, sometimes even extending
beyond them - giving them an almost cactus-like appearance. That's what
you'll need to look for in your coral. One other issue is the muted
color of your coral. This is more typical of a Lemnalia. I’m hoping Bob
will correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m thinking that what you have is
very likely a Lemnalia.>
Thanks! (I promise that I'm done bugging you . . . for now!)
<Heheee! Not too worry, we're always happy to help.>
Andy
<Take care. -Lynn>Re:.. Now
Nephtheid ID - 2/3/08
Lynn,
<Hi Andy!>
The sclerites are definitely not evident at the polyps.
<Whew, good. I really don’t think it’s a Dendronephthya.><<RMF does>>
This, and the fact that my coral has survived for a long time, leads me
to believe you are right yet again.
<Well, we both learned something with this query! I'm just glad that
it's not a Dendronephthya sp.. They're beautiful, but so very difficult
to keep.>
Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate your time.
Andy
<You’re very welcome, Andy. Take care. –Lynn> |
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.JPG)
Re:
Urchin Hitchhiker 2/4/08
Lynn,
<BobF here following on>
The sclerites are definitely not evident at the polyps. This,
and the fact that my coral has survived for a long time, leads
me to believe you are right yet again. Thanks for all your help.
I really appreciate your time.
Andy
<Actually, the white "squiggly" things in the translucent tissue
are sclerites. See a referent on the Net, books... BobF>
Re: Dendro ID
2-4-08
Dear Bob,
<Andrew>
Thanks for following up--I appreciate the input. I see from the
recent WWM posting that you believe I indeed have a
Dendronephthya. Ugg! I purchased this specimen about 7 months
ago
<You've done well to keep this specimen this long, I assure
you... and encourage you to write up your experience here...
What is it about your set-up, feeding, maintenance... that
allowed this organism to live? Is it oriented "upside down", in
a darkened area?>
from That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA, which is reputed to be a
fine and trustworthy LFS.
<It is IMO. I have visited there, talked directly with the
owner>
It was labeled as "Lemnalia sp." My display is a 110g (48" x 30"
x 18").
Lighting is by 2x250W HQI (20,000K) and 4x65W actinic PCs. This
coral sits in the bottom third of my tank, and the HQIs are
about 7" off the surface of the water. I have target fed this
coral Cyclop-Eeze as I do with my Capnella. This coral has grown
since I purchased it, both in size and in polyps (albeit slowly)
and otherwise "appears" very healthy.
<Great>
I take this is a good sign, but I am now very worried that I may
not be doing all I can/should be doing for this creature.
<... I assure you... far less than 1% of specimens live a month
in captivity... You are doing most "things right">
I employ an in-line 30g refugium that is teaming with pods. At
night, I can see many pods swimming around my display. I will
now go back to the drawing board and do some research on this
animal's needs, but is there any food product in particular that
is well-suited for this coral?
<Mmm, there were some experiments that Charles Delbeek and co.
did out at the Waikiki Aquarium years ago, but I don't recall
off-hand where the results were posted, and if memory serves,
they were pretty inconclusive... As stated, your situation, the
make up of the refugium... something/s are going very well for
this specimen in your system.>
As always, thanks for your time.
Andy
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: A nice piece on a
successful keeping of Dendronephthya, maybe Neospongodes
3/3/08
Dear Bob,
<Andy>
I posted pictures of my Dendro on a Reef Central thread specific
to Dendros, and the guys/gals on that message board believe that
my coral
is not a Deodronephthya sp., but a Neospongodes sp. Just thought
you might be interested in remaining in the loop on this.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11999623#post
11999623
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1292781
Andy
<Is a possibility... Nephtheids raised in captivity... gross
morphology can be hard to discern to genus... Again, dissolving
a bit of the proximal body, measuring sclerites, their
preponderance in shape, size... BobF> |
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Re: Urchin
Hitchhiker: Pencil Urchin - 1/31/08
Hey Lynn, thanks for the quick reply. Your response was very
helpful/reassuring.
<You’re very welcome. I’m glad I could help.>
And . . . You were right--a check on the tank this morning before the
lights came on revealed that the urchin was indeed roaming out of his
safe haven. I found him attached to the back of my tank (presumably
munching on some algae/coralline). I was able to take
a picture of him, although it's not great because I was trying t balance
a flashlight and manually focus and zoom my Nikon at the same time.
<Heeeheee! What fun that must have been! I do appreciate your efforts
though. Let’s see if we can’t figure out what you've got!>
What's your best guess?
<Hmmm, well I can certainly understand your thinking that this is either
a Eucidaris tribuloides or a Heterocentrotus mammillatus. There are
certain characteristics it shares with each. My best guess is that it’s
something in the genus Eucidaris, possibly E. metularia (an Indo-Pacific
species). Take a look at this photo for comparison:
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/basch/uhnpscesu/htms/kalainvr/fish_pops/cidarid/urchin01.htm
Your urchin has the same shape to the tapering spines and basic look to
the body, with the obvious lines/lighter areas between the spines. In
comparison, Heterocentrotus spp. bodies can have an almost shingled, or
armored appearance. This is due to a covering of flat(ish) short spines.
Now that we’re pretty sure it’s in the genus Eucidaris, I can tell you
that these urchins are omnivores. I would offer it seaweed sheets/Nori
as mentioned before, sinking pellets, and the occasional clam/mussel “on
the half shell”. The idea is that if you keep it well fed, it will
hopefully leave your other livestock alone!>
I have also attached a picture of my yet-to-be-identified tree coral
that I mentioned in my previous mail. Any ID information on this coral
would be much appreciated as well.
<It looks like a Capnella sp./Kenya Tree Coral to me. Nice looking
coral! Please see these links for comparison:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nephtheids.htm
See the photos within the first continuing query here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nephdisfaqs.htm >
Andy
<Have a great weekend! Take care. –Lynn> |
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Kenya Soft
Coral ID 12/28/07
Hi WWM Crew! Please help me correctly ID this coral sold to me as a
Kenya Tree Coral. Kind Regards K.
<Tis. A Capnella sp...
http://wetwebmedia.com/nephtheids.htm
RMF> |
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Numerous
Cnid. Q's to look up 12/26/07
Merry Christmas! Thanks in advance for your assistance and my
apologies for the long email (questions accumulated over some time)…
Firstly I’d like to thank all of the crew for aiding fellow aquarists in
many matters to which most of us are oblivious to. I’m forever browsing
through your site trying to soak up as much as possible and one
particular thing besides the usual content which kept popping up was the
infamous name of a book. Eric Bornemann's Aquarium Corals. Well with
such a good reputation, I had to purchase it! I’m in the process of
reading it and I’m truly mesmerized! What a book indeed. A true must for
anyone keeping a reef aquarium. I’ve already learnt more than I could
have imagined within a few chapters (and some very long scientific
words!) So I’d like to thank your site for suggesting it (you’d think I
was a critic or doing this for money but it really is that good!)
<Okay>
Anyways, let me cut to the chase. I’ve had this coral in my tank for
around 5 months and was sold it as a pussey coral but after all my
research the closest thing I could relate it to was on your site on this
link http://www.wetwebmedia.com/softcrlidfaqs.htm
Perhaps it’s in my book but I haven’t even got the correct name to look
it up. I’ve attached two pictures of it one of which shows it shrunk
down to around a third of its size with white colouration around the top
section. I have observed that this coral does close up for long periods
of time and opens up at unpredictable times. I recall it going white
like this before but it recovers and opens again a few days if not a
week or so later. Since I’ve had it in the tank it has asexually
produced around half a dozen “babies” underneath itself which all seem
to be doing fine and their polyps are generally extended. Any help would
be appreciated in identifying this coral so I may do further research
into its needs to increase the chances of survival of the “babies”,
especially the Latin name and common name if not a tall order.
<Is a Nephtheid... looks to me to be a Nephthea sp.>
+ About 2 months ago, I noticed a tiny white mushroom growing on a small
piece of rock near the back glass and after much rummaging around
managed to get to it. At this time I didn’t have any mushrooms in the
tank. I placed it on a rock high up in the tank as close to the lights
as possible in a bid to give it a fighting chance. To much delight it
has grown and is now semi-transparent and has a green glow! The picture
I took when I first moved it shows it white with brown spots halfway
over but in the second picture taken recently you can see that it’s
taking on a green colour. Might be a long shot but I don’t suppose you
can tell me anything about it? I’m hoping it’ll grow larger and
colonise. Is this likely and what sort of time scale should I be looking
at if so.
<Looks like a Corallimorph... Have you read here?:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm >
Also please help confirm the ID of these corals as the pictures in the
book aren’t quite the same or absent altogether. The pictures I’ve found
on your site have certainly helped but are also not as closely matched
enough to satisfy my curiosity and reassurance is required. Again the
Latin name and common name if possible please.
Many thanks and kind regards, K.
<Can't do any better than you with the organisms in front of you, what
is posted on WWM, EricB's book... Bob Fenner> |
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Q from GrahamT & Rick O. on Nephthea. 1/28/07
Has anyone seen the green Nephthea available as of late? Here in Maine, we
used to have a local propagator that supplied very colorful soft corals before
they went off the map. Rick says he has had huge problems trying to get these
coral in the past ten years, but I am unsure of the dedication he put forth into
the search. Anyone with info will gain my gratitude. TIA -GT
<Mmm... I haven't seen such except on the Net on any regular basis... But will
post this query for others hopeful input... and want to tell you the nature of
this field is that new collecting areas (like getting a new outboard...) open up
surprisingly new varieties, species to collection... as does new aquaculture
techniques, promises of income... BobF>
Re: Q from GrahamT & Rick O. on Nephthea. Can crew members follow their own
instructions...Heeeheheheheeeeee... No! 1/28/07
<Hi Graham, Mich here, lets see how we can bust on fellow crew members
today.>
Has anyone seen the green Nephthea available as of late? Here in <M>maine,
<Hehehehehe!!!! Please use proper capitalization when writing into WWM!!!! We
are busy and it is time consuming to correct your mistakes!> we used to have a
local propagator that supplied very colorful soft corals before they went off
the map. <Have you tried a new map???> Rick says he has had huge problems
trying to get these coral in the past ten years, but I am unsure of the
dedication he put forth into the search. <Heeheeee!!! Did you do a google search
like the directions say before writing into WWM????> Anyone with info will gain
my gratitude. TIA -GT
<Have you checked www.reefcentral.com ? I don't know that you will find a
wholesale propagator, but you should be able to find individuals with relative
ease. A search for green Nepthea over the past 6 months gave the following
results: Please read the following links... just kidding... but there are some
which may be useful to you...>
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HTH I'll stop being a PITA now -Mich>
R3?: Q from GrahamT & Rick O. on Nephthea 1/30/07
Has anyone seen the green Nephthea available as of late? Here in Maine, we
used to have a local propagator that supplied very colorful soft corals before
they went off the map. Rick says he has had huge problems trying to get these
coral in the past ten years, but I am unsure of the dedication he put forth into
the search. Anyone with info will gain my gratitude. TIA -GT
<<Graham...I have a friend in the trade who has a couple parent colonies of a
very nice fluorescent green Neptheid (http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=68). Check
it out and see what you think. Eric>>
Sun Coral fdg. and Hitchhiker Soft Coral ID
1/25/07
Hi Bob,
<Debra>
Regarding that red macroalgae that you thought might be a Galaxaura and
a possible cold water macroalgae, since I paid $30 for it I took it back
for credit and ended up getting a sun coral that came in on their
Tuesday shipment. I asked about it and was told, "Easy to care for,
just put it in a cave."
<?...>
After getting it home I started reading all about it and thought, "What
have I gotten myself into now!" Anyway, I've been doing lots of
research and reading forums.
<Better to do ahead of time my friend>
I've had the coral for about a week now. It actually came on a piece of
shell as opposed to a piece of rock, which had made handling and
placement very difficult. Last night I finally used a mix of Marineland
Hold Fast (which by itself doesn't work well) and Loctite Super Glue Gel
to place it on a small Tonga branch. This will keep the babies near the
edge out of the sand and give it a more stable base. During this
process a small corner of the shell broke and a small brownish fuzzy
slime was attached. Could I possibly have damaged the coral there?
<Mmm, maybe... but not likely>
None of the coral was detached, just a small corner of shell
underneath. The all appear to be healthy... for now. There is no
discoloration at the base, so far it's all a peachy/pink color with no
gray or black spots.
I tried counting how many there are in this colony but stopped at
35. For feeding I basically took the recipe from your book using frozen
shrimp, a small piece of red snapper filet I had in the freezer, oysters
(not frozen), and a couple cubes of mysis shrimp and brine shrimp all
blended in a processor; placed in egg crate to form cubes and then
frozen. At feeding time I grate a cube into a small cup and mix in some
Cyclop-Eeze or Sweetwater Zooplankton and Selcon. Last Friday (1/19) I
just started adding Kent Coral-Vite and Live Farms BioPlankton, which I
plan to continue once weekly. I also plan to purchase this weekend some
DT Phytoplankton.
<Mmm... don't eat phytoplankton...>
Because this is a 10-gallon tank I'm concerned about waste in the tank
<Me too... very easy to pollute>
so I currently have rigged a plastic cereal container cut to a depth of
5 inches with suction cups that I place the coral in (keeping all in the
tank-nothing exits the water) and then attach the container to the
inside of the tank glass so the edge of the container is just above the
tank water level. Then I feed them inside the container. My confusion
comes in with all the different things I've read. I see feeding
requirements varying anywhere between twice daily to once weekly.
<Mmm, 2-3 times/week is likely about right... can get by on once>
Based on what I read I also thought they ate pretty fast.
<Not really... once each polyp is open... a few tens of minutes likely>
A really helpful site with pictures was at
http://www.melevsreef.com/suncoral.html.
<Thank you for this>
But he said his corals ate a cube of food in 10 minutes and he feeds
them once a week. Another site mentioned something about 'slimed the
food so they could eat'. And most everything I read gave the impression
that these guys eat fairly fast. So until yesterday I've been letting
them sit there for 30 minutes, didn't think they were eating and then
put them back in the tank;
<Mmm... you will/would actually witness the feeding...>
thinking they might still be getting adjusted and wouldn't eat. After
seeing that bit about slime, I watched them more closely last
night. They were in the container last night from lights out at 6:30 to
9:00 p.m. and they were still eating. These guys are super slow eaters.
Is that normal?
<Depending on "circumstances", yes>
I did notice that the water around them seemed to change and food seemed
to float around them. I previously thought it was something in the food
I mixed up that caused the sliminess and that I was polluting the water
around them. So consequently I was using a turkey baster to blow it off
them. (Duh) What exactly is their feeding process?
<Polypoid... filter out suspended zooplankters mostly>
How does this slime aid them in eating?
<Helps them to glom onto with their tentacles>
Around the middle of their feeding time I begin stirring up the food
that has settled on the container bottom and siphon some of it out with
a turkey baster, replacing lost water with water from the tank. This
stirred food gets circulated around the colony and trapped within so
they continue feeding. I notice that they swell up a lot like a balloon
being blown up. Do you know why that is?
<Activity... food stimulation>
Is this normal as well?
<Yes>
Especially after feeding and they're placed back on the substrate. I
have not yet seen their polyps fully extended, just little bits here and
there poking out. I'm also concerned about this nightly moving them
about.
<Not to be>
Once I know they're eating well and seem to be settled in I would like
to try using the 'hat' method for feeding. Do you think that might
cause a nutrient issue in my small tank?
<Oh yes. Easily>
A staff person at the LFS said he has Sun Coral in a 3-1/2 gallon and
that I'm too paranoid.
<... I disagree>
That I should use a product by Seachem in a filter bag that absorbs
nutrients from the water, which will turn to brown (possibly
Purigen). The product is then soaked in bleach for cleaning and then
soaked in Seachem Prime to remove the chlorine. Do you recommend that?
<Is worth trying here>
Or am I right at being concerned about excess nutrients in the tank?
<Yes>
My only other tank inhabitants are a cleaner shrimp L. amboinensis, and
typical clean up crew. I'm still considering what fish to get and I'm
considering a Cardinalfish, either Pajama or Orange striped, and maybe a
blenny. I'm still researching. Your advice on this would be very
welcome.
<Is posted... this tank is too small for any but a very small species
that doesn't move around much>
The Yellow Clown Goby I had even though I upped his feeding to hourly
and he was eating kept losing weight.
<Gobiodon are SPS, mainly Acropora spp. obligate corallivores...>
I had a lot of copepods and he was snacking on them too, but he didn't
make it. So as much as I'd love to have a clown goby I'm afraid to try
again.
<Not suitable here...>
Today I went to the LFS to see if I could find a small piece of live
rock I could use to make a longer ledge over the sun coral (although
they don't seem to be bothered by the lighting- 40W PC 50/50) I did
find the perfect size rock for that, but also found a small rock with
soft coral on it at the bottom of the bin and purchased both for
$3. The coral was laying/flopped on its side. I set up a 1-1/2 gallon
tank with some PVC pipe and egg crate shelf to place them on and used a
mix of water from my 10-gallon tank and premixed change water. I placed
the rocks in there. no, I did not acclimate the coral. started the nano
filter put in some Live Farms BioPlankton and put a 13W 50/50 light over
the tank. Within a minute they both raised up. Is this Capnella?
<Might well be>
Is this (hopefully) a photosynthetic coral?
<Is>
I also had them place on hold green star polyps and eventually plan
to get some zoanthids. If it is Capnella, is it a peaceful type? For a
small tank I'd prefer not to have WWIII in there.
<Is peaceful enough... given care in assembling small colonies, good
husbandry... you should be fine here>
Thank you again for all your help.
Regards, Debra P.
<Thank you for sharing your adventure, odyssey. Bob Fenner> |
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Non-photosynthetic Neptheid 2/27/05
I acquired this soft coral a couple days ago. I'm hoping it's not Dendronephthya, maybe Scleronephthya. Can you ID it?
<it sadly is a non-photosynthetic Neptheid. Dismal survival in captivity>
Then I can look up its requirements here. If it needs to hang upside down, how important is this, and what is the advantage?
Thanks for the help. Darren
<do look up info (little as there is) on the successful keeping of Dendronephthya and like kin. It's really an awful group... most we do not know how to keep or what they eat. Those that we do know we still can't feed well if at all (bacteria, floc, specific plankton species). I strongly encourage you to keep a large fishless refugium with a DSB, and feed live plankton (phyto and zoo-). Anthony> |
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