May article potentials......................

Here is our first submission for May COTM............ I'm accepting more articles for COTM, FOTM, and IOTM. Here is a thread with some more details on how to go about writing/submitting an article.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/3reef-f...otm-article-up-date-w-minor-change-63416.html
Here is our first submission for May COTM............




Scientific name: caulastra curvata, cited also as caulastra echinulata, caulastra sp., and caulastra furcata.
Phylum: cnidaria
Class: anthozoa
Subclass: zoantharia, hexacorallia
Order: scleractinia
Family: faviidae
Genus: Caulastra
Common names: trumpet, candy cane coral.
General: The faviidae family contains the brain corals, honeycomb, and star coral. Trumpets tolerate varying water flow and lighting, but are best suited for lower flow, and medium to strong light. Like many marine invertebrates and corals that contain a mouth, the mouth of this coral does double duty both eating and excreting wastes. The mouth is quite large, and as evidenced by the skeleton, enters into a cavernous cavity where digestion takes place. The trumpet lives in colonies where food for one often ends up as food for others; although each polyp is individual. It is a photosynthetic coral. Zooxanthellae, cells in coral tissue, provide food through photosynthesis, where light is utilized to produce food, and carbon dioxide is turned into oxygen. Trumpets will also readily accept meaty food when feeder tentacles are present, usually at night. Their tentacles sting live prey, paralyzing them and enabling the coral to swallow and digest. Brine shrimp are a favorite food of this coral in the wild.
Color: Beige, brown, blue, greenish, purplish, yellowish.
Origin: Indo Pacific, Fiji, Bali, Jakarta.
Appearance: Getting its name for the similarity in appearance to the bell of the musical instrument, the trumpet is striking in appearance. The coral exhibits diverse variations within the family. Some are of single color, and others are painted with stripes almost like a barber pole. They have long, translucent, fragile looking feeder tentacles which emerge at night.
Temperament: non aggressive. They have no means to hunt or actively seek prey, but as cnidarians, their feeder tentacles do sting. Their stalks provide hiding places for smaller animals like fish fry and copepods.
Water quality: require typical reef-quality water, parameters outlined as follows.
Reef parameters and recommended/desired levels:
Salinity/specific gravity-1.025ppm or 35ppt
temp.-78-82
PH-8.1-8.3
Ammonia/NH3-0
Nitrite/NO2-0
Nitrate/NO3-0
Phosphate/PO4-0
Magnesium/Mg-1400-1500ppm
Alk/dKH/KH-7-14.
Calcium/Ca-380-500ppm
Hardiness:Very hardy. Is an excellent beginner coral.
Current/flow: low to moderate
Foods/feeding: Mysis, minced table shrimp, brine in the wild--most any meaty marine food.
Lighting requirements: low to moderate, strong light cited as well.
Fragging difficulty: Easily propagated by breaking or cutting stalk well below fleshy tissue and gluing to a plug or disk.
Personal observations: Target feeding is best accomplished during the lights-out period when the tentacles readily accept small meaty foods. They are not fast growing corals, but will reward you with splitting when conditions are favorable. Keeping this coral out of high flow is best, as the flesh is very thin and delicate.

 

Anyone interested in doing fotm or iotm? I welcome challengers for another cotm potential. Send your articles to me via pm............