MarineSniper
New Member
Old thread; I know, but came across it researching some supposed black branching "dendros". All of these are actually cladopsammia gracilis vs dendrophyllia gracilis. Very similar in appearance and were only classified as a separate species in 1994
So, other than throwing big words, showing they have different names, there are some major differences for those of us who keep nps/azoox corals. These; I call them branching dendros, are far slower to open, when you first get them but are fairly resilient and I've yet to see one with healthy looking skeletons that don't come around fully, even after many weeks of neglect. They do; however, require far more food than a true dendro, once they do come out of what seems to be a type of torpor or hibernation. They require feedings of larger foods like mysid every 2 or 3 days; at most, to thrive long term. Where they can survive that initial "hibernation", they can quickly slip and have tissue and skeletal die off in a matter of a couple weeks, once they open up in our tanks. Compared with their initial resilience, after harvesting, it's apparent that tank life just fits their needs, with little to nothing to spare. A week vacation taught me that and I'm still nursing that colony back to health. My rhizos, suns, spirals, true dendros and even terrazoanthids all were fine but my branching dendros looked terrible. These also prefer a lot of flow. I can place them directly in front of a 3200gph pump and they open up completely. Normal dendros can do fine in lower flow but not these. The more, the better
I don't usually open old threads but there are definitely more of these available in today's market. I've rescued a couple from hobbyists but have actually received more from hobbyists who have basement coral selling businesses. They don't dare dump the amount of food needed, to get the colony to open, people don't buy the colony because it's not open and the ethical sellers call me, rather than watch these beautiful corals starve. These are incredibly beautiful corals for reef tanks and stay open far more than sun corals, if you are able to balance their nutritional needs with an acceptable nutrient level in your system. The polyp extension and growth is unbelievable if you're able to feed them daily and you can purchase a 100 head colony for about the same price as 2 or 3 traditional, "fathead" dendros would cost. If you have one and are having trouble with the nutrient level, a good option is to feed it outside the tank; in a tupperware bowl, every other feeding, or so. This isn't optimal but better than choosing between your coral starving or dealing with unacceptable nutrient levels
So, other than throwing big words, showing they have different names, there are some major differences for those of us who keep nps/azoox corals. These; I call them branching dendros, are far slower to open, when you first get them but are fairly resilient and I've yet to see one with healthy looking skeletons that don't come around fully, even after many weeks of neglect. They do; however, require far more food than a true dendro, once they do come out of what seems to be a type of torpor or hibernation. They require feedings of larger foods like mysid every 2 or 3 days; at most, to thrive long term. Where they can survive that initial "hibernation", they can quickly slip and have tissue and skeletal die off in a matter of a couple weeks, once they open up in our tanks. Compared with their initial resilience, after harvesting, it's apparent that tank life just fits their needs, with little to nothing to spare. A week vacation taught me that and I'm still nursing that colony back to health. My rhizos, suns, spirals, true dendros and even terrazoanthids all were fine but my branching dendros looked terrible. These also prefer a lot of flow. I can place them directly in front of a 3200gph pump and they open up completely. Normal dendros can do fine in lower flow but not these. The more, the better
I don't usually open old threads but there are definitely more of these available in today's market. I've rescued a couple from hobbyists but have actually received more from hobbyists who have basement coral selling businesses. They don't dare dump the amount of food needed, to get the colony to open, people don't buy the colony because it's not open and the ethical sellers call me, rather than watch these beautiful corals starve. These are incredibly beautiful corals for reef tanks and stay open far more than sun corals, if you are able to balance their nutritional needs with an acceptable nutrient level in your system. The polyp extension and growth is unbelievable if you're able to feed them daily and you can purchase a 100 head colony for about the same price as 2 or 3 traditional, "fathead" dendros would cost. If you have one and are having trouble with the nutrient level, a good option is to feed it outside the tank; in a tupperware bowl, every other feeding, or so. This isn't optimal but better than choosing between your coral starving or dealing with unacceptable nutrient levels
