cauliflower coral

[tygerfifteen]

anyone have?, is it similar to the colt?
light requirements,filter feeder?
was thinking of getting a frag for my 65 gallon, low light tank

 

[michaeltx]

I have heard it is one of the harder colts to keep but exact info I dont have any I have never had one. someone else will have to add to it for ya.
Mike

 

[poiboy]

The Cauliflower Colt Coral is also referred to as Colt Coral, Soft Finger Leather Coral, Seaman's Hands Coral, or Blushing Coral. It is very difficult to identify an exact species because there is so much variation of shape and color within each. It is slippery to the touch, encrusting, and usually has small colonies. Members of the Cladiella genus generally have shorter "fingers."
It is an aggressive coral and needs space between others and itself in the reef aquarium. Particular care should be taken to place Sinularia or Sarcophyton corals out of its reach, as the Cauliflower Colt Coral will readily kill these species. It is very easy to maintain and makes an excellent coral for the beginning through expert reef aquarist. It requires medium to high lighting combined with a medium to strong water movement. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of strontium, iodine, and other trace elements to the water.
Culturing by the experienced hobbyist requires snipping off a piece of its tentacle and attaching the cutting to a solid structure such as live rock.
The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within its body provides the majority of its nutritional needs from the light driven process of photosynthesis. It will also benefit from additional food such as micro-plankton, baby brine shrimp, or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates.
It is normally shipped attached to a small piece of live rock or coral rubble. Be aware, it will often secrete a mucous coating during shipping to protect itself. To remove this slimy coating, just rinse it vigorously in seawater before placing in the aquarium.
HOPE THIS HELPS L8TR

 

[krishj39]

I'd assume you already know the info given by poiboy, since he quoted that info from the same site you likely were looking at, and it happens to be the site where I purchased my cauliflower colt from (feel free to email kristopherjhoffman@hotmailNOSPAM.com (remove the NOSPAM) if you don't know which site I refer to). So, I'll instead share my personal experience with the coral. When I got it, it had been delayed in shipping because of a winter storm. It had been rather severely damaged, and the entire base of the coral was decaying away. I thought for sure it was a gonner. But, I cut off all the branches above the single rotting stem they were all attached to. I then sewed the branches onto a rock with fishing line. It took a lot of work to attach the buggers, just like any colt. However, it has been an extremely tough coral. In the first month that I had it, it nearly tripled in size, from around 3 inches tall and wide, to about 9 inches tall and wide. My parents saw it when I first bought it, and when they saw it again a month later, I had a hard time convincing them it was the same coral! It is a beautiful orange/ red color. However, color may vary, especially since "cauliflower colt" is used to describe many different, but very similar, varieties of colts. I would highly recommend them for their beauty and hardiness. I've moved it all over the tank, in high and low flow, high and low light, and it has been happy in every spot. The only downside I know of about them is that they can grow so big and fast that they take over part of your tank. They are fairly aggressive, but I've not had any problems of the sort with mine yet. HTH

 

[tygerfifteen]

so the colt and cauliflower are from the same family?
the guy at the lfs showed me the cauliflower(purple) and colt(brownish), he said the cauliflower was more hard to keep.
If i can I think I will get both but I have weak lighting, 2wpg,
I have yellow polyps and 2 kinds of mushrooms , (pc when i get money)
so should i get both?

 

[spsfreak100]

The Cauliflower is extremely difficult to keep, probably, in my opinion, the hardest coral to keep... and to tell you the truth, i've never seen/heard of someone keeping it for over 3 months. The longest i've had one was for 3 days. Know they are non photosynthic, and will need to be fed very high amounts of Plankton (Phytoplankton & Zooplankton), which often cannot be supplied in the home aquarium.
Actually, the Cauliflower coral doesn't look anything like the standard colt coral. The scientific name for this is Scleronephthya spp.
Here's a quick picture of the 'Cauliflower Colt,' which as stated above in my posts, contains no zooxanthellae and is extremely difficult to keep:

Many people mistake this coral for the 'Cauliflower Colt' which has the same name. But, as I said before, these corals don't look anything alike. For all I know, we could be talking about two different corals. Here's a picture of the Cauliflower Colt [standard colt coral] (Cladiella sp.)
http://www.***********.com/images/products/large/pw84822colt_coral.jpg
As you can see, they look almost nothing alike. First, I think you need to discribe the physicle apearence of the colt. Does it look like the standard Colt coral, or the bright colored Cauliflower colt?
I personally think we are in fact talking about the Scleronephthya spp., rather than your standard colt. Whatever you do, do not buy it. This is one coral best left in the ocean...where it belongs.
Graham

 

[tygerfifteen]

thankx freak,
saved me dollar signs and a headache or two,LOL i was ready to pick it up tomorrow, guess colt it is then.

 

[goldrush]

Listen to SPS. The other posts are not accurate at all. The true cauliflower is a very difficult coral. I finally tried one a few months ago,and although it is holding it's own,I have seen little or no growth.I'm not yet confident in the long term outlook,but I'm trying.

 

[krishj39]

Yup, I had assumed you meant cauliflower colt, not cauliflower coral. As stated, cauliflower coral IS VERY hard to keep alive, unlike cauliflower colt. However, I might also add that the pic posted by SPS of the cauliflower colt doesn't do it justice. That is the same pic posted on the site I bought the coral from, but mine is much prettier than that. You will be happy with a cauliflower colt, and likely unhappy with a cauliflower coral.