koji wada pink nepthea

miyags · Sep 11, 2020

This is for sale on live aquaria divers den.From TCN.it says expert only? Is this a true koji wada that is easy to keep or a knock off??

MixedFruitBasket · Sep 11, 2020

This Koji Wada is mislabeled as Dendronephthya when in fact it is stereonephthya. And yes, they are relatively easy to keep. They enjoy supplemental feeding but it is not a requirement. The also prefer lower nitrates than a lot of other stereonephthya.

miyags said:
This is for sale on live aquaria divers den.From TCN.it says expert only? Is this a true koji wada that is easy to keep or a knock off??

Ulee · Sep 11, 2020

I read an article where it explains how Unique corals got it from koji himself...I bought one from UC but died and ended sourcing one locally

maybe liveaquaria got it from them..it's definitely a pink nepthea

Tamberav · Sep 11, 2020

The one I got from UC doubled in size and then randomly died.

I got one from Divers Den now and it hasn't died yet... it is indeed the same thing as the UC one. I don't think they are 'easy' like a soft coral per say... just not NPS difficult.

Saltyreef · Sep 11, 2020

I have a piece of the koji wada pink nepthea I got from @Maximus . It looks just like this but the photo you provided has nicer polyp extension than mine.
The body gives it away honestly with the cross hatch flesh fibers.

+1 It's an easy keep and relatively hardy.
But, does not like being superglued (body melts around the exposed glue)
Survived a bad nitrate overdose. Shrank up to almost nothing but bounced back where others have perished.

Dr. Dendrostein · Sep 11, 2020

Me likie......

miyags · Sep 12, 2020

I've been wanting to add one for awhile now.I'm glad I posted this because,my tank has higher nitrates.It probably would not of survived in my tank.Thanks for all the input. I'm in the process of setting up a large tank with a better protein skimmer and a DIY algae scrubber.I'll wait to buy one until then. Thanks again.

miyags · Sep 12, 2020

Tamberav said:
The one I got from UC doubled in size and then randomly died. I got one from Divers Den now and it hasn't died yet... it is indeed the same thing as the UC one. I don't think they are 'easy' like a soft coral per say... just not NPS difficult.

Ya, UC is where I first seen it.I bought one of their Capnella sp. Neon Kenya trees and that thing is growing like a weed for me. I'm going to wait to buy the Koji until I lower my nitrates,in a new set-up.

MixedFruitBasket · Sep 12, 2020

Ulee said:
I read an article where it explains how Unique corals got it from koji himself...I bought one from UC but died and ended sourcing one locally

maybe liveaquaria got it from them..it's definitely a pink nepthea

Tamberav said:
The one I got from UC doubled in size and then randomly died. I got one from Divers Den now and it hasn't died yet... it is indeed the same thing as the UC one. I don't think they are 'easy' like a soft coral per say... just not NPS difficult.

They don't do well if there are aggressive corals in the tank. Most stereo doesn't, which is why I've pretty well cut mine down to a species specific tank. Any non stereo or Lito colonies are at the opposite end of the tank. I have had things touch (coral, substrate, a rock) either stereo (koji or not) and it's reaction is to melt. However, I've also found that when these guys melt (at least the non koji stereo) they come back in tiny polyps somewhere in the tank.

I've learned that if koji or any other stereo, becomes damage or ill, to cut off the damaged areas and dispose of it. It's not worth trying to save because it could trigger the whole thing to melt. When I've done this, even the smallest cuttings have survived.

Tamberav · Sep 12, 2020

MixedFruitBasket said:
They don't do well if there are aggressive corals in the tank. Most stereo doesn't, which is why I've pretty well cut mine down to a species specific tank. Any non stereo or Lito colonies are at the opposite end of the tank. I have had things touch (coral, substrate, a rock) either stereo (koji or not) and it's reaction is to melt. However, I've also found that when these guys melt (at least the non koji stereo) they come back in tiny polyps somewhere in the tank.

I've learned that if koji or any other stereo, becomes damage or ill, to cut off the damaged areas and dispose of it. It's not worth trying to save because it could trigger the whole thing to melt. When I've done this, even the smallest cuttings have survived.

That's good to know. There wasn't any aggressive stinging type by it but there are big leathers on that side so perhaps something chemical happened to the first one or maybe a leather shed and the shed it touched it.

What kind of lighting do they like? I read it likes bright light but curious if that is true.

Saltyreef said:
I have a piece of the koji wada pink nepthea I got from @Maximus . It looks just like this but the photo you provided has nicer polyp extension than mine.
The body gives it away honestly with the cross hatch flesh fibers.

+1 It's an easy keep and relatively hardy.
But, does not like being superglued (body melts around the exposed glue)
Survived a bad nitrate overdose. Shrank up to almost nothing but bounced back where others have perished.

I removed the old frag and glued it to a new one...the survivor I have. I guess I got lucky.

Saltyreef · Sep 12, 2020

Tamberav said:
That's good to know. There wasn't any aggressive stinging type by it but there are big leathers on that side so perhaps something chemical happened to the first one or maybe a leather shed and the shed it touched it.

What kind of lighting do they like? I read it likes bright light but curious if that is true.

I removed the old frag and glued it to a new one...the survivor I have. I guess I got lucky.

I ended up putting mine in a hole on a piece of liverock with superglue going about 1/2" up the stalk. It didnt really like it and receeded around the superglue but ended up holding after i wrapped a rubber band around it.
Its about 1/2 the size of what i recieved now and still.
Waiting for my tank to restabilize after ceasing nitrate and phosphate dosing.
Ran a much more successful tank not worrying about nutrient ratio.....

Tamberav · Sep 12, 2020

Saltyreef said:
I ended up putting mine in a hole on a piece of liverock with superglue going about 1/2" up the stalk. It didnt really like it and receeded around the superglue but ended up holding after i wrapped a rubber band around it.
Its about 1/2 the size of what i recieved now and still.
Waiting for my tank to restabilize after ceasing nitrate and phosphate dosing.
Ran a much more successful tank not worrying about nutrient ratio.....

Ahh mine was just a small dab on the underside so not much glue. Good to know though.

MixedFruitBasket · Sep 12, 2020

Tamberav said:
That's good to know. There wasn't any aggressive stinging type by it but there are big leathers on that side so perhaps something chemical happened to the first one or maybe a leather shed and the shed it touched it.

What kind of lighting do they like? I read it likes bright light but curious if that is true.

I removed the old frag and glued it to a new one...the survivor I have. I guess I got lucky.

In my experience, and from what I've read and talked to biologists about, it depends on where they are collected. But in the end, they are found in both clear and turbid water. Some places they are so close to the surface they are exposed to air during low tide.

My tank is rather shallow, and I have them at all heights and haven't seen any real difference.

bakana · Sep 17, 2020

weelo111 · Nov 12, 2022

From my experience they do well in all environment. From heavy flow & high par to minimal flow & light. Just never direct flow. They are finicky to changes and will retract for days at a time, but are one of the hardiest corals I have and will open up once everything is stable or once done acclimating to changes.

OSFF · Nov 15, 2022

weelo111 said:
From my experience they do well in all environment. From heavy flow & high par to minimal flow & light. Just never direct flow. They are finicky to changes and will retract for days at a time, but are one of the hardiest corals I have and will open up once everything is stable or once done acclimating to changes.

Wow that’s the most I’ve ever seen. Do you know your NO3/PO3 levels in that tank?