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About 2 months ago I bought a prickly coral. After buying it, I then decided to look in the books to see where it should be placed etc...It was doing well, and then it died real quick. When taking it out of the tank, there was barely anything left of it other then some of the base and the rock it was attached to. After reading the books more carefully, it seems not much is known about the coral at all (other than it needs a tonne of nutrients). However, about 4 weeks after the coral died, I have noticed a small branch of the coral starting to grow near the area where it used to be. I was just thinking this might be how it reproduces and if it is, it's pretty strange. Scientific discovery?
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Prickly Coral Strange happenings
#4
elliot09 
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Posted 08 July 2010 - 08:14 PM
Would I be correct in saying it's a non-photosynthetic coral (azooxanthellate)? If so, it'd need a lot of feeding as it does not produce it's food from light. Placement in the lighting wouldnt be too important, but flow and lots of feedings would be, so you may not have been giving it enough food.
#7
tommo
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Posted 08 July 2010 - 09:54 PM
Stress makes corals reproduce like that, they go into meltdown and basically try and reconstitute as smaller individuals. Starvation also makes sun corals put all their energy into sexual reproduction. alot of plants also flower best when stressed (ie peace lilly Spathyphyllum)
Normally corals sold as prickly corals are good old Dendronepthea our non photosynthetic friend .... and need an incredibly dedicated aquarist for continued survival in captivity. Without streams of particulate food, yours will repeatedly collapse and reconstiute getting smaller each time until it finally totally vanishes.
Tom
Normally corals sold as prickly corals are good old Dendronepthea our non photosynthetic friend .... and need an incredibly dedicated aquarist for continued survival in captivity. Without streams of particulate food, yours will repeatedly collapse and reconstiute getting smaller each time until it finally totally vanishes.
Tom
effing fish
Tom
Tom
#8
Lewis
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Posted 08 July 2010 - 10:42 PM
ok, i know now ,thanks for the answer tom
However, in the time since the main coral piece died, I have stabilised different levels/factors which may have been negatively affecting the coral. There is then, also a chance that the new branch of coral may begin to thrive in the more stable/mature water.
However, in the time since the main coral piece died, I have stabilised different levels/factors which may have been negatively affecting the coral. There is then, also a chance that the new branch of coral may begin to thrive in the more stable/mature water.
#10
lindsay
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Posted 10 July 2010 - 09:05 AM
As said above,this sort of coral is very hard to keep long term in a reef tank.We used to get them and similar corals many years ago and could keep them,but the system they did well in was what you may call a dirty reef system,ie well fed and not skimmed and was a well aged system,even then the success rate was up and down from corals growing along the racks,or not making it at all.Hope you do well with it,good luck.
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