Whips and Shrooms from Cherry Corals!

[Acro76]

The whips (aka spiral wire corals) are going up on the site in a few. Mushrooms are a few new ones, plus just some colonies we've had laying around... :wink:

I'll be fragging up the shrooms for sale this weekend as WYSIWYG frags.

 

[Squishie89]

What kind of care do the whips need?

 

[Acro76]

What kind of care do the whips need?

Moderate flow and target feeding 2-4 times weekly of a small particulate food (although I've seen them try and eat a whole PE mysis shrimp!). We use cyclopeeze mixed with some Fauna Marin Ultra Sea Fan.

They are surprisingly hardy, if they are malnourished typically the tip or base recede slowly, which can be reversed with proper feeding.

 

[tinctorus]

Those spiral corals are so SICK!!
What family are they in?
I mean are they related to gorgonians or are they more closely related to something like star polyps or something like that?
I ask because in all my years doing this I have never seen them before

 

[Acro76]

Those spiral corals are so SICK!!
What family are they in?
I mean are they related to gorgonians or are they more closely related to something like star polyps or something like that?
I ask because in all my years doing this I have never seen them before

They are in the family Antipathidae. These are Cirripathes sp., so while they may look like gorgonians, they are quite different. The common name "spiral wire" coral also describes that beneath the polyps lies a very tough and hard wire like skeleton. With proper feeding and care they can grow 1/4" per month or more.

 

[143gadgets]

Nice. Where are these on your site?

 

[Jake1]

Do you have to feed the whips or do they use light as food also?

 

[Acro76]

Do you have to feed the whips or do they use light as food also?

I've heard some might utilize a bit of light... but all still require regular feeding to do well, in my experience.