NephIDFAQs

FAQs about Soft Corals of the Family Nephtheidae Identification 1

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>

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 Borneman'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>

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 Nephthea 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...> Thread Starter Forum Replies Views Last Post FMAS Frag Swap Meet Sponsored by Eco Reef Aquarium chrisaggie Florida Marine Aquarium Society (FMAS) - Miami/Ft. Lauderdale 148 2502 01/27/2007 09:45 AM by A.T.T.R Show me your ... Green Nephthea reefnewbie54321 Soft Coral Keepers 94 5601 01/24/2007 11:27 PM by drummereef anybody using the current SunPod??? brett7768 Lighting, Filtration & Other Equipment 8 154 11/28/2006 10:00 PM by xraydoc ~Lets see your Nano aquascaping~ Wooden Nickel Nano Reefs 694 68894 11/15/2006 01:55 AM by Riona Can Someone ID This For Me? Reefdrumz Soft Coral Keepers 21 540 11/07/2006 12:15 AM by ChAoTiCrEeFeR4U Thanks for hosting, Mimi gflat65 Middle Tennessee Reef Club (MTRC) 12 119 11/01/2006 09:20 AM by coral_reefer_25 "Frag" of the Month - September '06 Skipper"¢ "Frag" of the Month 19 2502 09/22/2006 11:27 AM by Randall_James any1 got any leathers for sale ??? reefer5060 Middle Tennessee Reef Club (MTRC) 4 116 09/12/2006 05:23 PM by greystreet41 diverrad spotted! LCGoldman Long Island Reef Association (LIRA) 284 2918 09/10/2006 12:38 AM by Reef Junkie I think my tanks ready Aquarist Guru Northern Valley Reefers (NVR) 9 175 09/01/2006 10:59 PM by Aquarist Guru New to Buffalo nilo Upstate Reef Society 23 203 08/23/2006 10:41 AM by stupac21 Paly's, leather, green tree in Wi will ship kass03 Propagated Corals & Tank Raised Livestock Selling 30 965 08/22/2006 06:14 PM by kass03 *** Colt Coral Frags *** For Trade castorpollux Colorado Rocky Mountain Reef Club 15 194 08/17/2006 08:35 PM by Ebmorri 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>

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>

Please visit our Sponsors