The Candy Cane Coral is a large polyp stony coral. It features branching individual stalk skeletons along with bright colored tissues at their tips. These branches goes upward from its central base forming ?trumpet? like structures, thus it is also named as Trumpet Coral. It is variable in its coloration and comes in hues of vibrant green, blue/purple and tan. The Candy Cane Coraldoes not require a special place in your fish tank, and can do very well in medium light with moderate water movement. The Candy Cane Coral bears short sweeper tentacles that lack the ability to sting nearby corals. The best way is to keep it at the bottom of the tank. The Candy Cane Coral is mostly present in colonies and share each other?s food and nutrients. It has tiny living organisms in their tissue which are called as Zooxanthellae. This is the reason why there is need of strong lighting in an aquarium where these corals are the inhabitants. These Zooxanthellae undergo photosynthesis and provide oxygen and other nutrients produced during the photosynthesis to the coral. The Candy Cane Coral has sweeper tentacles where it reaches out to damage another coral with nematocysts if they get too close. Although the Candy Cane Coral is photosynthetic, it is still beneficial to have an addition of brine shrimp, microplankton, phytoplankton, and other filter feeding foods. It should be seen at night, as it puts out small fiber optic like polyps that flows in the current which looks amazing.
These corals, a.k.a. Trumpet Corals, have branching individual stalk skeletons with bright colored tissue at their tips.Corals are part of a biological group known as Cnidaria. Most Cnidaria have a mouth, or mouths, that opens into one big body cavity. Due to the lack of a true digestive system, this cavity acts in its place and after the food is broken down the nutrients are then sent through the rest of the body as food. There is also no excretory system; therefore the waste is sent back through the mouth or secreted into the surrounding water.Tentacles of varying size will usually surround the mouth of Cnidaria. Most Cnidaria have tentacles with stinging cells that can shoot tiny poison darts into their prey or can even be used as a defense mechanism. Some corals lack tentacles and instead cover themselves with a thin layer of mucus and use that to collect bacteria and plankton as food. Some corals even use both of these methods. Cnidaria can either be an individual animal or members of a complex colony. These Colony Corals share the food and nutrients taken in by each individual.Corals have tiny living organisms that actually live in their tissue. These are called zooxanthellae and they are the reason why such strong lighting is needed in the saltwater aquarium. These algae-like creatures provide the coral with oxygen and other nutrients that are produced during photosynthesis. During this process, the zooxanthellae take up carbon dioxide and provide nutrients to the coral.Corals can use two different types of defense mechanisms. One of which is a sweeper tentacle wherein the coral reaches its tentacles out to try to damage another coral with nematocysts. The other is when the coral releases a minute amount of toxin into the water to poison another coral within certain proximity. Most Hard Corals should not be placed within reach of another coral.
.jpg)
