Anyone know what this cyphastrea is doing?

[Reefkeepers Archive]

For some context, I just did a Night broadcast feeding on my tank to help feed some of the new colonies I got when I noticed this on the cyphastrea. I had this piece for 2-3 weeks and is doing great, no recession, full polyp extension ect. They're not visible during the day and I have noticed this a few times before. It's definitely not dead tissue or skeleton as the colony is fully intact and again, isn't visible during the day. I've always noticed them but never this much, they look like waste but could they be sweepers/feeders? It's not the food as what I'm feeding looks nothing like this. Any ideas?

(The large white spot in the center is a dead coral barnicle)

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I'm not sure that's cyphastrea

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I'm not sure that's cyphastrea

He's closed up in the photo, this is what he normally looks like

 

[Rtaylor]

Looks like a barnacle, usually the coral just grows around it. If they’re still alive you should see a feather-like ‘hand’ pop out, wave, then suck back in.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Looks like a barnacle, usually the coral just grows around it. If they’re still alive you should see a feather-like ‘hand’ pop out, wave, then suck back in.

Do you know what the white tuffs on the first photo are? They are only visible at night and not dead tissue. It's what I was asking about originally. Though personally I don't mind the barnacles, hoping the cyphastrea dosent grow over it

 

[Rtaylor]

Oh, can’t see those clearly. They could be mesenterial filaments (pretty sure I spelled that wrong)

Need a better pic

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Oh, can’t see those clearly. They could be mesenterial filaments (pretty sure I spelled that wrong)

Need a better pic

Sure thing!

Is it a good sign? Never heard of them, can you tell me more?

 

[Rtaylor]

Sure thing!

Is it a good sign? Never heard of them, can you tell me more?

Mesenterial filaments are the thickened and elongated free edges of mesenteries below the actinopharynx. These can be stretched out of the mouth to help capture and digest food outside and inside of the polyp using their high abundance of granulated gland cells, which secrete digestive enzymes. Bulbous lobes at the end of mesenterial filaments are called cnidoglandular bands. These structures contain a battery of nematocysts for catching prey and for defense, and of granular gland cells to aid in digestion.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Mesenterial filaments are the thickened and elongated free edges of mesenteries below the actinopharynx. These can be stretched out of the mouth to help capture and digest food outside and inside of the polyp using their high abundance of granulated gland cells, which secrete digestive enzymes. Bulbous lobes at the end of mesenterial filaments are called cnidoglandular bands. These structures contain a battery of nematocysts for catching prey and for defense, and of granular gland cells to aid in digestion.

Thanks! I did just feed my tank so makes sense, is this the scientific term for the feeding arms or are these different? Glad I knew this, the first time I saw them I thought it was debris and tried to blow it off with a pipette lol.

 

[Rtaylor]

Thanks! I did just feed my tank so makes sense, is this the scientific term for the feeding arms or are these different? Glad I knew this, the first time I saw them I thought it was debris and tried to blow it off with a pipette lol.

No, typically they have sweeper tentacles that do most of the food catching.

Coral Polyp Anatomy - Coral Disease & Health Consortium

Coral Polyp Anatomy Corals, often mistaken for plants due to their flower-like appearance, are animals that generally exist in the form of colonies. These colonies attach to oceanic substrate and when numerous colonies form a consortium, a coral reef arises. Corals are members of the Animal...

cdhc.noaa.gov

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

No, typically they have sweeper tentacles that do most of the food catching.

Coral Polyp Anatomy - Coral Disease & Health Consortium

Coral Polyp Anatomy Corals, often mistaken for plants due to their flower-like appearance, are animals that generally exist in the form of colonies. These colonies attach to oceanic substrate and when numerous colonies form a consortium, a coral reef arises. Corals are members of the Animal...

cdhc.noaa.gov

Thanks! Glad to hear this isn't harmful, though is it a good sign, there aren't any corals close by and it's the only sps in my tank (unless you count leptastrea) do they only do this as defense against other coral or is it trying to catch food?

 

[Rtaylor]

It’s not typically considered a good sign. Usually either neutral or bad.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

It’s not typically considered a good sign. Usually either neutral or bad.

I'll keep an eye on it

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Thanks! Glad to hear this isn't harmful, though is it a good sign, there aren't any corals close by and it's the only sps in my tank (unless you count leptastrea) do they only do this as defense against other coral or is it trying to catch food?

Cyphastrea is an LPS

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Cyphastrea is an LPS

That's debatable, there are no scientific definition of LPS or SPS, it's just a hobbyist term

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

That's debatable, there are no scientific definition of LPS or SPS, it's just a hobbyist term

True enough but generally if the polyps are large enough to be easily distinguishable, well, it's a large polyp coral, lol

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

True enough but generally if the polyps are large enough to be easily distinguishable, well, it's a large polyp coral, lol

Touché, though I'd still consider things like leptastrea and cyphastrea an sps, though it does sort of blur the line between the two.