Be Different with Tubipora musica
- May 04, 2021
- Eureka Amadea
- 268 0 0
The ‘Organ Pipe’ has a red skeleton and often thought as a hard coral, but they’re actually a member of the subclass Octocorallia (polyp divisible by eight), which makes them soft corals. The porous stony skeleton resembles a pipe, hence the name. It is quite brittle and in some parts of the world, such as Indonesia, they got chipped by the wave and got mixed with the sand, creating a Pink Beach. The organ pipe might vary in appearance, but the Tubipora musica has the aesthetic look of a flower-shaped polyps shaped like daisies. For reef enthusiasts, they can be a different approach in lighting up your tank.
When you first put it in your tank, make sure that the bottom part is sealed, since animals or predators might come in from the bottom and prevent them from opening up. Note that they might still need a couple of days before they are comfortable enough to open up. The porous tubes make their surface filled with nooks and crannies- you will need a good water flow to make sure not too many sediment or detritus settle on it.
It is best to care for them as you might care for a stony coral. Provide some calcium so they can promote skeletal growth. Keep the lighting moderate to high, around 70—100 par so they are able to do photosynthesis. Powdered food works best, rather than solid chunky frozen food, as the polyps can only eat whatever they can fit into their mouths.
They don’t require a lot of space and they are slow-growing, which makes them a perfect choice for smaller tanks. They might be quite challenging to take care of, but rewarding. If you’re a Dry Rock fan, their skeletons can serve as good hiding places for smaller fish. So what do you think? Are you ready to pull it off?
Photo credit: Reef’d up
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