Peer Aquatic Biology
Info
Myriopathes lata is a rather large growing black coral, which is so far only known from the Sea of Japan between Korea around the island of Ulleungdo (Korea) and around Misaki, Japan.
Although the coral lives in shallow, light-penetrated ocean depths, it has not formed a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, but specializes in capturing drifting zooplankton.
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
Gorgonians do not have zooxanthellae and do not live off light. Azooxanthellate gorgonians do not host symbiotic algae that produce nutrients and energy through photosynthesis.
The pumps should be switched off before feeding. In order for the gorgonian to survive in the aquarium, each individual polyp must be fed sufficiently, i.e. daily or 3-4 times a week. Without feeding, the gorgonian will not survive in the aquarium. The polyps need a certain amount of time to absorb the food (granules or dust food (Ultramarin, Cyclop Eeze) or frozen food (lobster eggs, mysis)). If shrimp and fish are present, they will try to steal the food, so it is essential to feed these cohabitants beforehand.
Newly introduced gorgonian sticks can be stimulated with a liquid food, e.g., PolypLab Polyp, to encourage the individual polyps to open. Only then can feeding be carried out.
The better the individual polyps take up the food provided, the better the growth and reproduction rates will be.
Azooxanthellate corals eat suspensions, marine snow, microplankton, and other organic matter, which is their natural food.
This species settles on rocky substrates in varying sizes and colors and is the most common species on Jejudo Island (Korea).
Only one colony was found where there is very little light, on the surface of a canyon between large rocks on Ulleungdo Island.
Synonym: Antipathes lata Silberfeld, 1909
Source:
Park J, De Grave S, Park T. 2020.
On the genus Mesopontonia Bruce, 1967 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) in Korea, with the description of a new species.
PeerJ 8:e10190 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10190
Although the coral lives in shallow, light-penetrated ocean depths, it has not formed a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, but specializes in capturing drifting zooplankton.
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
Gorgonians do not have zooxanthellae and do not live off light. Azooxanthellate gorgonians do not host symbiotic algae that produce nutrients and energy through photosynthesis.
The pumps should be switched off before feeding. In order for the gorgonian to survive in the aquarium, each individual polyp must be fed sufficiently, i.e. daily or 3-4 times a week. Without feeding, the gorgonian will not survive in the aquarium. The polyps need a certain amount of time to absorb the food (granules or dust food (Ultramarin, Cyclop Eeze) or frozen food (lobster eggs, mysis)). If shrimp and fish are present, they will try to steal the food, so it is essential to feed these cohabitants beforehand.
Newly introduced gorgonian sticks can be stimulated with a liquid food, e.g., PolypLab Polyp, to encourage the individual polyps to open. Only then can feeding be carried out.
The better the individual polyps take up the food provided, the better the growth and reproduction rates will be.
Azooxanthellate corals eat suspensions, marine snow, microplankton, and other organic matter, which is their natural food.
This species settles on rocky substrates in varying sizes and colors and is the most common species on Jejudo Island (Korea).
Only one colony was found where there is very little light, on the surface of a canyon between large rocks on Ulleungdo Island.
Synonym: Antipathes lata Silberfeld, 1909
Source:
Park J, De Grave S, Park T. 2020.
On the genus Mesopontonia Bruce, 1967 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) in Korea, with the description of a new species.
PeerJ 8:e10190 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10190
