Sarcophyton Corals
This entry was posted on 2/4/2008 6:58 PM and is filed under Coral Showcase.
Mushroom? Leather? Toadstool? What is it?
Mushroom,
Leather, or Toadstool all have the same thing in common, they are Sarcophyton Corals. They are found in various shades
of colors and some have different color polyps. They can be difficult to identify most
species because they all have similar appearances, a stalk and cap. The cap can reach massive size so giving it adequate space is a must.
These corals are peaceful but some can produce toxins which are harmful to other reef
inhabitants. They require medium to high lighting combined with medium to high
water movement to help stimulate growth. In addition, to help promote good health, they will also require the
addition of iodine, strontium, and other trace elements to the water.
Propagating these corals is pretty easy compared by other corals. The easiest way is accomplished by
cutting off a portion of the cap and attaching that piece to
live rock or other plug/disk. You can use a rubber band or tooth pick to keep the frag in place. After you have secured it, place it back in the tank on the bottom. The mother colony will grow back and the frag should be healed in 3-4 weeks with new growth. In some rare incidents, they have naturally "split" on their own, see pictures below.
They have a symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within their body that provides
the majority of its food needs but can benefit from additional foods like phytoplankton, trace elements, and other foods for filter feeders. They are great beginner corals and add great movement to any reef tank.
