The Star Polyp Green is a very good choice for beginner aquarists, since it is quite easy to handle and maintain. It features small star like green polyps and it encrusts the substrate as the purple mat. The Star Polyp Green is also commonly known as Starburst Polyps, Daisy Polyps and the more common Green Star Polyps. It thrives well in moderate to high lighting and water flows, along with temperature range of 75øF - 84øF, so that this balanced water parameters will even allow you to make your own GSP frags. You can safely keep the Star Polyp Green away from other corals, since it doesn?t have any offensive weapons other than claming territory by encrusting it. Therefore, a spacious room is required for it to grow properly, or else if it gets stung, then the poison will cause it to remain retracted and slowing their growth rates. It undergoes photosynthesis, and presence of zooxanthellae inside its tissue manufactures food and provides nutrition and energy to the Star Polyp Green. Avoid blasting them with power heads or they may stay retracted. The Star Polyp Green can easily propagate and grow easily in any tank. The Star Polyp Green benefits from the occasional bit of raw table shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp or silverside once a week. It can also be target fed with a turkey baster.
Green Star Polyps are very popular because not only is it fun to watch their little polyps sway in the flow of water, but they are easy to propagate and will spread quickly throughout your aquarium.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.
