by charlesr1958 » Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:30 pm
Correct, and they do tend to be a bit more difficult as they appear to be more dependent on food capture than light intensity. I say that only because I see the majority of them fairly deep down the reef wall, the deepest of all the soft corals yet at the same time, I can still find a few up in the shallows. Which indicates to me that they are capable of nutrient "switch hitting", the deeper specimens collecting more food prey while the shallow specimens most likely use direct nutrient absortion and photosynthesis (zooxanthellae) more so than their deeper water cousins. Were I to keep such species, I would use a very small food particle, (detritus is a really good food source for all corals) turn off most of the water flow or all of it, and let the food drift down onto the coral's open polyps and watch for a food capture response and if they are actualy transfering the food to their mouths. If so, then I would be assured they are actualy eating and can turn on the water flow to where the food is kept up in the water as long as possible.
In due time this year, I'm going to be taking my tank system down to have the glass drilled and pretty much start all over again, this time I plan to include a few softies and will give these a try, that is, if I can find some that are not brown...lol
Chuck
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