Okey, have been wanting to do this for a long time now; so a cloudy day has arrived so here goes:
PART 1:
Introduction:
This thread will give you a basic idea of what Non Photosynthetic Corals (NPS) are and what you need to know about keeping, feeding and caring for these stunning corals.
What is a Non Photosyntehic Coral?
Firstly we need to look at the most obvious attribute of these corals;
NON-photosynthetic: This means that these corals lack the presence of zooxanthellae algae inside the coral tissue. This then means that, unlike other corals that can utlilize this algae to help feed the coral, NPS coral needs to hunt for their food and physically consume prey in order to survive.
What's their natural habitat like?
This then also brings us to the next point, which is the natural location of NPS coral. Having no need / benefit from light, but having to feed from live food, one can easily determine that NPS corals are generally found in deeper, darker waters, or on the edges of drop-offs and the bottom of caves and overhangs. There are the exception to this rule where NPS corals are found shallower in well lit areas, but the general rule is that they occur deeper.
What do they eat in wild?
Also the reason for being deeper, is the food sources they consume. The first point to note is that these corals are generally located in high Phyto Plankton areas. Many people believed (when NPS was first discovered) that the coral fed on the Phyto. This now seems to be less of the reason they are there... Even though the coral would consume some Phyto, they really do not benefit that much from it, as most NPS coral are predatory in nature, and not filter feeders. Phyto is merely an algae, so NPS coral cannot be kept by feeding on Phyto only.
No, the main reason they are located in these phyto soups, is to harvest the stuff that eats the phyto. During the day, phytoplankton photosynthesises from sunlight, and at night the phyto settles into the depths. This then, is when the Zooplankton, Rottifier, Brine Shrimp, Mysis shrimp, pods and other little critters swim into open water and feed on the phyto. This is generally safer for these creatures as there are less active fish at this time - except for the NPS.
Now starts the feeding frenzy for the NPS!!! They consume millions of bacteria, plankton and crustacians. I have heard that one suncoral polyp can consume up to 2000 brine shrimp nauplii in a day. The literally eat without end.
Also, during the day, when the fish at the top of the reef is most active, busy feeding, the fish would also "poo". This "poo" then drops down to the depths, where it gets consumed by various bacteria, and also larger zooplankton, mysis and brine etc. These then die off as the fishpoo goes deeper, and this froms Reef Snow. Thus this also feeds the NPS's heavy appetite...
What I have stated above is very important for us to keep in mind when we move towards keeping these corals in the aquarium, and you will see why...
NPS INSIDE THE AQUARIUM:
What impact does light have?
Many reefers and LFS are under the impression that NPS coral has to be kept "in the dark", either in caves, under ledges or on drop-off walls. This is absolute rubbish!!! Why would you want to hide a stunning coral like a suncoral or dendronephtya, and how big cave should you have to fit a gorgonian in? Not all reefers have the facility to even build caves, ledges or overhangs.
I think the misconception comes in where NPS coral (especially suncorals) withdraw their heads during daytime. This is then linked to lights that came on, and they make the assumption that light makes them withdraw.
I have had the entire room dark, then used a Maglite Torch turn on above a suncoral, without it even flintching. Do this with a tube worm or clam for example, and you will see that sudden light does have an imapct on them.
So, light, be it MH, T5 or T8 has no affect on whether they will be open or not.
So why is your NPS then only opening up at night after the lights are off?
Easy, refer to the begninning of this thread; at night, small little critters come to play, and eat detritus. Whether you want to believe it or not, you have millions of small pod larvae and bacteria in the tank. It does not mean that because you cannot see them, they are not there. Once your lights go off, these come out, and the NPS coral picks up on their presence. Then they extend and feed - simple.
How do you get your NPS to open up while you are actually still awake?
I have found that these coral can be "trained..." Every afternoon at 17h00 sharp, I can see my NPS corals starting to open up without me even "teazing" them with any food source. This is because they "know" that by around 18h00 I will be feeding them, so they anticipate food is coming. In the first few weeks from getting a NPS, this might not work, so you will need to be patient. But once trained, you have a stunning display in the evenings as your NPS opens up. They will still remain open throughout the night, as they will still feed on the aother nocturnal critters.
Where should you place NPS?
Anywhere you like IMO... There is no proof that any NPS coral has to be hung upside down to live. Again, a missconception of their natural habitat. The reason they "like" being upside down is purely the fact the water rushes under the cavewall or ledge, thus pushing food right into them. So if you are looking for a good spot in your tank, try and find a place where water will push food into their polyps.
On this note, NPS actually alos likes a bit more linear flow. Remember that where they are found in the wild, tides come in a go out rises up the slopes, thus exposing them to quite a bit of linear flow.
Too much chaotic flow will just swirl the food around them, and not push the food into the - remember this.
How strong should flow be?
This is a point that has been heavily researched by the Waikiki Aquarium in the US. I will not go into all the details and bore you with the flow rate vs. capture rate flow charts. So all you need to know, is that too heavy flow, and the polyps will physically not be able to catch the pray. Try and catch a cricket ball coming to you at 500km/h - even Jonty Rhodes would not be able to catch that!!!
Too slow, and too little food gets to the polyps, are it will just push over the coral as the coral forms an eddie.
Again, placement is key, and you can now see that the cave you built, might not be the best place taking flow into consideration...
What whould you feed the coral?
These coral will take most any meaty food. I have found Cyclop-Eeze to get the best response from NPS coral, but even better than cyclop eeze would be newly hatced brine shrimp (brine nauplii.) The coral get the most nutrition from live brine, as the brine is very rich in protein from the yolk sack it still carries. The problem with live food however is the effort you have to put in to grow them. Even though the thought of having to make live brine daily seems easy work, I can assure you a few months into it, it does become a chore.
If you do not opt for live brine, then other food such as frozen brine, frozen mysis, rotifier, zooplankton, reef snow etc.
What is the best way to feed NPS?
One thing however to take into consideration with any food you feed, is that fish has the advantage of going to the food, where as coral has to wait for the food to come to it. In a mixed reef, target feeding NPS is a must. If you broadcast feed one block of mysis, the fish would consume it all long before any NPS coral could consume one shrimp. If you target feed, you basically squirt food right ontop of the coral with a syringe or turkey blaster, allowing the coral to get food first, and what ever is then "wasted" is consumed by the fish. The best way though, if space permits, is using the coke bottle technique. Here you cut a 2l coke bottle open, and place the bottle over the coral on the substrate. Then you add the food to the bottle and cap it. This then allows the coral to be in a soup of food, and eat without fish or flow taking any food from it. After 20 minutes the bottle is removed and all wasted food gets taken by fish. Again, this is the ultimate way to feed if space and placement allows for it.
How often must you feed your NPS?
This is in a way determined by what NPS we are talking about so the answer might be a bit broader than what I will post here.
As with your own children, dogs, plants and fish, you do not just want them to survive, you want them to thrive. In my honest opinion, feeding NPS twice or three times a week will have them survive, but they will not thrive. Feed your child only three times a week, and you will see what I mean. Bakkies Botha was not fed three time a week - had he been, he would be called Conrad Jantjies... hehehe...
Feed as much as you can, and as much as your filtration will allow you to feed without causing more harm by decreasing water quality.
Just always keep in mind, these coral cannot photosynthesise for nutritional purposes, and in nature they have a 24/7 food source - so you decide.
This then concludes Part 1 of my NPS report. In part two I will discuss the speices available currently, and look at their individual needs...
Stay tuned...
PART 1:
Introduction:
This thread will give you a basic idea of what Non Photosynthetic Corals (NPS) are and what you need to know about keeping, feeding and caring for these stunning corals.
What is a Non Photosyntehic Coral?
Firstly we need to look at the most obvious attribute of these corals;
NON-photosynthetic: This means that these corals lack the presence of zooxanthellae algae inside the coral tissue. This then means that, unlike other corals that can utlilize this algae to help feed the coral, NPS coral needs to hunt for their food and physically consume prey in order to survive.
What's their natural habitat like?
This then also brings us to the next point, which is the natural location of NPS coral. Having no need / benefit from light, but having to feed from live food, one can easily determine that NPS corals are generally found in deeper, darker waters, or on the edges of drop-offs and the bottom of caves and overhangs. There are the exception to this rule where NPS corals are found shallower in well lit areas, but the general rule is that they occur deeper.
What do they eat in wild?
Also the reason for being deeper, is the food sources they consume. The first point to note is that these corals are generally located in high Phyto Plankton areas. Many people believed (when NPS was first discovered) that the coral fed on the Phyto. This now seems to be less of the reason they are there... Even though the coral would consume some Phyto, they really do not benefit that much from it, as most NPS coral are predatory in nature, and not filter feeders. Phyto is merely an algae, so NPS coral cannot be kept by feeding on Phyto only.
No, the main reason they are located in these phyto soups, is to harvest the stuff that eats the phyto. During the day, phytoplankton photosynthesises from sunlight, and at night the phyto settles into the depths. This then, is when the Zooplankton, Rottifier, Brine Shrimp, Mysis shrimp, pods and other little critters swim into open water and feed on the phyto. This is generally safer for these creatures as there are less active fish at this time - except for the NPS.
Now starts the feeding frenzy for the NPS!!! They consume millions of bacteria, plankton and crustacians. I have heard that one suncoral polyp can consume up to 2000 brine shrimp nauplii in a day. The literally eat without end.
Also, during the day, when the fish at the top of the reef is most active, busy feeding, the fish would also "poo". This "poo" then drops down to the depths, where it gets consumed by various bacteria, and also larger zooplankton, mysis and brine etc. These then die off as the fishpoo goes deeper, and this froms Reef Snow. Thus this also feeds the NPS's heavy appetite...
What I have stated above is very important for us to keep in mind when we move towards keeping these corals in the aquarium, and you will see why...
NPS INSIDE THE AQUARIUM:
What impact does light have?
Many reefers and LFS are under the impression that NPS coral has to be kept "in the dark", either in caves, under ledges or on drop-off walls. This is absolute rubbish!!! Why would you want to hide a stunning coral like a suncoral or dendronephtya, and how big cave should you have to fit a gorgonian in? Not all reefers have the facility to even build caves, ledges or overhangs.
I think the misconception comes in where NPS coral (especially suncorals) withdraw their heads during daytime. This is then linked to lights that came on, and they make the assumption that light makes them withdraw.
I have had the entire room dark, then used a Maglite Torch turn on above a suncoral, without it even flintching. Do this with a tube worm or clam for example, and you will see that sudden light does have an imapct on them.
So, light, be it MH, T5 or T8 has no affect on whether they will be open or not.
So why is your NPS then only opening up at night after the lights are off?
Easy, refer to the begninning of this thread; at night, small little critters come to play, and eat detritus. Whether you want to believe it or not, you have millions of small pod larvae and bacteria in the tank. It does not mean that because you cannot see them, they are not there. Once your lights go off, these come out, and the NPS coral picks up on their presence. Then they extend and feed - simple.
How do you get your NPS to open up while you are actually still awake?
I have found that these coral can be "trained..." Every afternoon at 17h00 sharp, I can see my NPS corals starting to open up without me even "teazing" them with any food source. This is because they "know" that by around 18h00 I will be feeding them, so they anticipate food is coming. In the first few weeks from getting a NPS, this might not work, so you will need to be patient. But once trained, you have a stunning display in the evenings as your NPS opens up. They will still remain open throughout the night, as they will still feed on the aother nocturnal critters.
Where should you place NPS?
Anywhere you like IMO... There is no proof that any NPS coral has to be hung upside down to live. Again, a missconception of their natural habitat. The reason they "like" being upside down is purely the fact the water rushes under the cavewall or ledge, thus pushing food right into them. So if you are looking for a good spot in your tank, try and find a place where water will push food into their polyps.
On this note, NPS actually alos likes a bit more linear flow. Remember that where they are found in the wild, tides come in a go out rises up the slopes, thus exposing them to quite a bit of linear flow.
Too much chaotic flow will just swirl the food around them, and not push the food into the - remember this.
How strong should flow be?
This is a point that has been heavily researched by the Waikiki Aquarium in the US. I will not go into all the details and bore you with the flow rate vs. capture rate flow charts. So all you need to know, is that too heavy flow, and the polyps will physically not be able to catch the pray. Try and catch a cricket ball coming to you at 500km/h - even Jonty Rhodes would not be able to catch that!!!
Too slow, and too little food gets to the polyps, are it will just push over the coral as the coral forms an eddie.
Again, placement is key, and you can now see that the cave you built, might not be the best place taking flow into consideration...
What whould you feed the coral?
These coral will take most any meaty food. I have found Cyclop-Eeze to get the best response from NPS coral, but even better than cyclop eeze would be newly hatced brine shrimp (brine nauplii.) The coral get the most nutrition from live brine, as the brine is very rich in protein from the yolk sack it still carries. The problem with live food however is the effort you have to put in to grow them. Even though the thought of having to make live brine daily seems easy work, I can assure you a few months into it, it does become a chore.
If you do not opt for live brine, then other food such as frozen brine, frozen mysis, rotifier, zooplankton, reef snow etc.
What is the best way to feed NPS?
One thing however to take into consideration with any food you feed, is that fish has the advantage of going to the food, where as coral has to wait for the food to come to it. In a mixed reef, target feeding NPS is a must. If you broadcast feed one block of mysis, the fish would consume it all long before any NPS coral could consume one shrimp. If you target feed, you basically squirt food right ontop of the coral with a syringe or turkey blaster, allowing the coral to get food first, and what ever is then "wasted" is consumed by the fish. The best way though, if space permits, is using the coke bottle technique. Here you cut a 2l coke bottle open, and place the bottle over the coral on the substrate. Then you add the food to the bottle and cap it. This then allows the coral to be in a soup of food, and eat without fish or flow taking any food from it. After 20 minutes the bottle is removed and all wasted food gets taken by fish. Again, this is the ultimate way to feed if space and placement allows for it.
How often must you feed your NPS?
This is in a way determined by what NPS we are talking about so the answer might be a bit broader than what I will post here.
As with your own children, dogs, plants and fish, you do not just want them to survive, you want them to thrive. In my honest opinion, feeding NPS twice or three times a week will have them survive, but they will not thrive. Feed your child only three times a week, and you will see what I mean. Bakkies Botha was not fed three time a week - had he been, he would be called Conrad Jantjies... hehehe...
Feed as much as you can, and as much as your filtration will allow you to feed without causing more harm by decreasing water quality.
Just always keep in mind, these coral cannot photosynthesise for nutritional purposes, and in nature they have a 24/7 food source - so you decide.
This then concludes Part 1 of my NPS report. In part two I will discuss the speices available currently, and look at their individual needs...
Stay tuned...
.jpg)
