Candycane Coral COTM Feb. 09

Common Names: Candycane coral, Also may be confused with Trumpet coral(Caulastrea echinulata)
Scientfic name: Caulastrea Furcata
Family: Faviidae
Polyp size: LPS Large Polyp Stony
Light: Medium to High.
Reef placement: mid to low
Care: medium to easy.
Feeding Requirements: Feeds mosty off own zooxanthellae but will also eat small meaty items.
Tempermentirements: Some what peacefull
Colors: Greeens yellows Browns and Blues
Notes: The candy cane coral can often be mistaken for the trumpet coral. Some local fish stores use these names hand and hand. There is a diffrence in the two. The Candycane usualy comes in more vibrant colors and polyps are not a closly packed. While the trumpet has a more densly packed polyp that more closly resemables a trumpet.
Feeding may not be as necessary as more needy corals but this coral will feed in late after noons and after lights out. It will extend its large tenticals and nab food out of the water column and feed its oral disc located at the center of the head.
Lighting may not be as strong as metal halides but on a personal note and experiment I have found that the candy will reproduce under brighter light with more frenquency. Also under more intense light each head will not extend as far as if under less intense light. In each case coral has lived for a long time (so far). Under antic lights the candycane will glow with brilliant radience.

Calicum should be maintained to a good degree cause this coral will need a lot of calicum to build its stony structure.
Reproduction will be seen when the head grows elongated and a new oral disc appears. When this happens the head will slowly branch off and form two totaly diffrent heads.


Pictured above candy with new heads forming. You can see two new oral discs inside each new forming heads

Fraging the coral head is also possible by cutting or cracking the base of the coral you can split the cluster forming new clusters. When fragging be careful not to disturb the fleshy or central parts of the coral.

In conclusion if you are looking for a wonderful bright and brilant coral the candy is for you. So far this coral has been very tollerant and forgiving under slightly poor conditions but has excelled under the perfect ones. That is why I rated this coral at medium easy (you still have to know reef tanks but it will let you slide from time to time). With changing shapes and bright colors you just can't go wrong with this coral
Thanks for reading
Randy

 

don't know what happend to pics will have to fix sorry fixed sorry

 

that is awsome!!!! nice info also.

 

Great information.....Excellent article. Thank you for that. I thought they were the same thing myself. Oops.....don't tell anyone.....shhhhhhh. And I know how you feel about the pic transfer (or lack thereof). Happened to me too.

 

What a great choice. I have had this coral for probably 7 or 8 years. Started with a 3 head cluster and have over 60 heads now, all over the tank. Poor thing has been throughat least 3 tank upgrades, not mention moving the entire set up abut 1-1/2 years ago. Hardy. They are so bright and pretty.

 

Excellent write up! K+

 

Good to know- love those "medium to easy" corals!

 

Very good info..

I have also noticed 2 types of CandyCanes..
The Pipe stalked ones, with thin stalks,
And the ones with the bigger thicker stalks..

Thanks, for the info, Larry

 

I have what might be a dumb question...but why is it called the Candycane Coral? Doesn't look like a candycane to me

 

Thanks all for reading I am just glad I could write something worthwile. and they call it a candycane cause if you look closly there is a striped pattern on the fleshy part around the oral disc. Mine is not as proment as others. Thanks all for reading