Nephthea Information

Carl suggested that we start doing a Coral of the Week, with information to help us out.  The following information should be helpful to anyone with Nephthea, and I hope it will encourage discussion.  I found the following information on GENUS Nephthea in Eric Bourneman's Aquarium Corals, Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History written 2001 pp. 142-3.

Common species: N. brasilica, N. chabrolli, N. cornuta, and others.

Common names: tree coral, cauliflower soft coral.

Identification: Nephthia form upright bushy and treelike formations that are generally more squat than Litophyton.  They are monomorphic, with only nonretractile autozooid polyps. Robust sclerites are mainly present in the polyps, not in the main stalks. The few sclerites in the stalk are very near the surface. When contracted, the corals adopt a cauliflower-like appearance. 

Natural Location: Commonly found in reef zones that receive surge, back-reef slopes, and occasionally reef crests. Stronger flow conditions and exposure to deeper clear oceanic water are preferred. They are found in the largest sizes and greatest abundance on steep slopes at mid depths.

Colors: Usually dull cream to brown-colored, although there are occasionally brighter-colored specimens available.  One of the most common Nepthea in the trade is called the "neon green tree" coral (species unknown). It normally turns brown under intense lighting, indicating the presence of zooxanthellae.

Captive Care: Nephthea are notoriously delicate to ship and have a fairly poor record of survival in the aquarium. Feeding is reported to be imperative in these corals: small particulate foods should be regularly blown across their extended polyps.

Current flow: Moderate to strong, though not so strong as to displace the unsupportive stalk. 

Special info: Nephthea are one of the more toxic genera of soft corals in terms of their chemical defenses, producing some of the most diverse and unusual compounds of all soft corals.  Some, such as N. brasilica are able to move their colonies in the same way as Xenia in order to colonize new areas. 

Collection Impact: Widespread, common, and abundant in nature, natural populations are not likely to be diminished by collection for the aquarium trade.

Edited by Weimers

The few sclerites in the stalk are very near the surface. When contracted, the corals adopt a cauliflower-like appearance.Â

Not our Green Nepthea

  One of the most common Nepthea in the trade is called the "neon green tree" coral (species unknown). It normally turns brown under intense lighting, indicating the presence of zooxanthellae.

Not our GN. It keeps and even sometimes enhances its green zooxanthellae.

notoriously delicate to ship and have a fairly poor record of survival in the aquarium.

Not our GN

 Feeding is reported to be imperative in these corals: small particulate foods should be regularly blown across their extended polyps.

Not our GN

Moderate to strong current flow, though not so strong as to displace the unsupportive stalk.Â

Our GN likes low to moderate flow

one of the more toxic

Not our Green Nepthia

natural populations are not likely to be diminished by collection for the aquarium trade.

But we haven't seen this one brought in by the trade since the first one hit our tanks back in 1996.

What this says to me is that ours isn't your typical Nepthea.

My first thought on that question is that it depends on the type/color of zooxanthellae and the color of the intense light.

VHO lighting is much superior for overall color enhancement of a wider range of coral than any other lighting system yet devised.

And sometimes conditions are not conducive to a particular zooxanthellae algae and the coral replaces it with another! For example: Red Mushrooms are notorious for "bullying" other mushrooms until everyone in the tank is red!
I've also seen it go the other more desirable way where a nice color like the green zooxanthellae of our GN gets partially infused into neighboring coral!

My 2 cents

Cool - thanks for the info Mark!

Will the "real" Green Nepthia please stand up?

Just an observation.

How fast we mutate from the Nephthea to Nepthea to Nepthia.

Also the "Green Tree Nephthea" that we pass around does turn more brown the brighter the lights are (at least in my observation).  The lower lighted tanks seem to produce brighter greens.

Edited by Jake Pehrson

Mark,

Read Jake's quote again.  I think you said you disagree with him, but then you agreed with your pics.  The Bangerter tank has the greenest coral (what you said) yet it does have LOWER lighting than Asad's MH. 

This, along with some other junk, has always made me wonder why people want there corals to be nice and bright with lots of color.... maybe that isn't natural.  Another one of those "Adam Cringe" subjects so I'll go back to being quiet on this topic. 

Adam

The intensity of the green color has more to do with actinics then anything else, imo.  Without a lot of actinic light it's a bit on the drab side.  With lots of actinic it's like a neon sign.

All that writing to get our degrees must have been good for something, even if it's just More of the Same BS

For what it's worth, I never was certain that the fluorescent green came from algae. Seems that there is some info somewhere on fluorescence in coral and what causes it, something about the absorption of light energy and re-emitting it at a slightly different wave length. Actually sounds fascinating for a like me.

Weimers wrote: So d'ya think I could pursue a PhD in Biology or Marine Biology?  Serious question.  But you can laugh if you'd like!!  Totally allowed.

I can safely say that you don't want to do that.  You could turn out like me, and you don't want that.

Adam