anyone have any luck with.....

[mr_x]

Nephtheis fascicularis?
i purchased this coral in a package during a tank breakdown and after reading about it, i realized that it's not photosynthetic, is a tunicate(like a sponge), and survives by filter feeding, not unlike some gorgonians.
i've also read that it's hard to keep alive in captivity. i'm hoping that someone will be able to tell me they've had one with success.
for everyone's information, this is also called "strawberry blue soft coral", or "blue palm coral"
i didn't take a photo of it, because the daylights are already off, but you can do a search for any of those 3 names and find plenty of photos. pretty interesting creature though.

 

[reefkprz]

hmmmmm. if you send me some I can answer weather or not I have success.

what a pretty frikken tunicate. I dont think i have ever seen one of those IRL
oh like you mentioned its a tunicate, not a coral.

 

[spanko]

Is this it?
http://zipcodezoo.com/Key/Nephtheis_Genus.asp

 

[mr_x]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2617043
Is this it?
http://zipcodezoo.com/Key/Nephtheis_Genus.asp
yes. that picture is a bit too close to get a decent view of it though.
it's really a blue-ish color with those strange looking strawberry shaped bulbs on the ends of tentacles. it is attached to rock at the base, the way a sponge or softie might be.
like this one-

 

[spanko]

Amazing! I hope it does well for you.

 

[scopus tang]

Thats pretty cool! Keep us posted on how it does.

 

[mr_x]

Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/2618002
Thats pretty cool! Keep us posted on how it does.
well, so far(it's been about 3 days) all but one of the "heads" fell off. i don't see them anywhere. i have read that they lose their heads in order to spread to different places, but i think it's just dying.
i asked the guy i got it from how long he had it, and he replied "a few years".
i think he was lying, due to the fact that his tank looked like a 5 or 6 month "i can't get rid of this red slimy stuff on the sand bed so i give up" situation.
you know the deal...no coralline...white rocks covered with cyano...too many fish and alot of corals not yet encrusted to anything.
oh well. poor tunicate.

 

[coral keeper]

That sucks that its dieing. It looks very beautiful though. Hey do you think you can give it to me? I bet I can get it to survive in my tank.

 

[nietzsche]

i wonder if sponge power by zeovit would work? its used to feed sponges to increase filtration by them for teh aquarium
i think you could also use vinegar, its probably what sponge power is made of, just dont know the dosage you could use

 

[mr_x]

well, all the rest of the sponges in my tank are doing well. it could be something as simple as poor shipping.
as of now it has no heads. just a bunch of blue tentacles sticking out of a rock. the stalks, or stems, aren't losing color. we'll see.

 

[seltzerd]

The Blue Palm Coral originates from the shallow reefs of Indonesia and has a thick base with multiple branches, or stalks with asparagus-like heads. These asparagus-like heads are comprised of clusters of zooids that continually filter the water for food. It is common for the Blue Palm to drop their heads both during transit, and within the aquarium. During this time, the tunicate will cover itself with a clear mucous. This is not an indication of poor health. Within a short time, it will blossom and form new flower like heads. The Blue Palm is non-photosynthetic and has no lighting requirements, but should be placed in an area of strong water current. Though not nescessary (they eat dissolved matter), they will benefit from supplemental feeding with liquid plankton and other dissolved organic foods, as well as benefiting from the addition of iodine and trace elements.
Hope this helps (sounds like it is NOT dying to me)

 

[mr_x]

yes, i've read this. i was just thinking it was dying due to the rapid changes(it lost all it's 13 heads in 1 day). the good news is, i was jumping the gun. it has already grown 12 new heads in another day. crazy!
this thing just might live after all!

 

[spanko]

Great news X. Of course we need to see it. Post up some pics pleeeeeeesssssssse.

 

[cowfishrule]

coughgotfragscough

 

[mr_x]

ok. here's what it looks like, as of 10 minutes ago-

 

[reefkprz]

I dont say this often...
way cool. to cool. I want it.
ok so I say that all the time when looking at uncommon SW stuff.. but this time I mean it.

 

[rebelprettyboy]

That there is an awesome coral. Hope it does well for you!

 

[mr_x]

thanks.
btw- how do you think it will frag?
has anyone fragged sponge before?

 

[reefkprz]

I have fragged many sponges. never a tunicate though.
after looking up their physiology, I dont think I would attempt it... who am i kidding I would try it. I would have to look really closly at the body structure though t determine where to cut, all their internal organs make me nervous.....
did you know a tunicate digests its "brain" (cerebral ganglion) when it goes from larval stage to adult? freaky.

 

[reefkprz]

here is where I would cut it based on looking at your pictures. the problem is they are more complex creatures than sponges or even corals. they have a heart bloodstream etcetera. fragging would be very very risky. like "cutting an arm off to see if the arm will grow a new person" type of risky. I would even consider a cauterizing cut. (red hot razor) to seal any blood vessels.... I'm going to have to look into this a bit more.