Reef Video » Soft Corals

Toadstool Mushroom Coral (with Time Lapse)

admin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:32:58 +0000

Toadstool corals are very easy corals to take care of. As with all corals it is best to keep them in good water conditions, but they tend to be forgiving and are a great choice for someone who is just beginning in the hobby. Toadstool corals can grow very large and they make nice showpiece corals in tanks of all sizes.

This videos shows a tan toadstool but they also come in greenish and brownish colors. The have tons of tiny polyps that extend from the soft body of the coral to feed. The time lapse of this toadstool coral shows how the polyps extend over a period of 30 minutes.

Toadstool corals do not require feeding however they will eat cyclopeeze if you target feed them. The video shows their response to feeding.

Type of Coral: Soft Coral
Level of Care: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting: Low to High
Waterflow: Medium to High
Placement: Anywhere
Family: Alcyoniidae

Pulsing Pom Pom Xenia Coral

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:20:44 +0000

Pom Pom Xenia Corals are popular corals within the reef aquarium trade. While they lack a colorful fluorescence seen in of corals, they make up for it with their tireless pulsing action. These corals pump 24/7 and never seem to tire. They also grow like weeds, so you need to make sure there is adequate room in your tank for them to flourish.

Luckily they are not like Green Start Polyps (which also grow like weeds) and do not burn or irritate other corals. Many people believe that they need constant iodine supplements and while it will not hurt, it is not necessary. They will flourish in a tank with out extra iodine supplements as seen in this video. I have found that they get enough from regular tank water changes.

They are hardy corals and seem to do well in many environments and at many light levels. They are a great beginner coral because they grow quickly giving the aquarist a sense of accomplishment. They also are just plain cool to watch pump.

Type of Coral: Soft Coral
Level of Care: Easy/Moderate
Temperament: Mild
Lighting: Low to High
Waterflow: Low to Medium
Placement: Anywhere
Family: Xeniidae

Pulsing Sinularia Video

admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:26:35 +0000

The pulsing sinularia is a soft coral and unlike a common sinularia, the pulsing sinularia is not found in many stores or aquariums. What makes this coral stand out is the pulsing action that it undertakes when it filter feeds. This video shows some of the regular pulsing action but the corals are known to make much more dramatic pulsing. It is a rare thing to witness let alone capture on video.

The pulsing sinularia is relatively easy to take care of but like most corals blossom in an aquarium with good water parameters. Keeping proper calcium, magnesium and alkalinity levels will help these corals thrive. As with most soft corals keeping the pulsing sinularia in moderate to high light with moderate to strong flow is ideal. It is also okay to feed these corals some meaty foods like cyclop-eeze every 1-2 weeks. It is also a good way to initiate their pulsing action.

While it is difficult to find these corals in stores it is sometimes possible to find them through your fellow community reefers, so make sure you stay in touch with your reefing friends.

Type of Coral: Soft Coral
Level of Care: Moderate
Temperament: Mild
Lighting: Moderate to High
Waterflow: Medium to High
Placement: Anywhere
Family: Alcyoniidae