Attn: All Larry Jackson Acro Fans !!!

[Curtis1]

Ok, you guys may think that I'm wierd, but I regularly get up in the middle of the night for a bowl of cereal and a Marlboro !!! While I'm having my midnight 2:30 to 3:00 AM smoke, I head for the tank with the flashlight and a red lens, almost everynight I find out something new, or something in there that I didn't know was there. Anyway, have any of you guys that have just bought the Larry Jackson Acros, noticed the tenticles coming from the polyps at night ??? Gotta wait 2-3hrs after lights off,,, check it out, mine really comes alive, so does my Candy Cane. Check it out and let LMK, later, Curt.

[LowCel]

Next time I wake up in the middle of the night I'll make sure I check it out.

Oh, I'm not sure if you are aware of this or not but the Larry Jackson frag is the reason that I originally contacted Greg Hiller. :)

BTW, have any pics of your frags?

[1package]

Are you sure those were Marlboros? Did you notice the cereal doing anything strange?

[Curtis1]

Will try to get some pics, of the frags and the events. My Aqua-Blue tips does it too. 1 Pack, now that you mention it, I was wanting another bowl after the smoke LOL !!!!

[MiddletonMark]

Yup, mine does the same ... one of the most different day/night Acropora I have [rest are at least partly polyped in day].

Pretty cool, I catch mine at `first light' as my actinics come on right around now/sunrise :)

[MattG]

thats normal for acros. they have large polyps that they typically extend from the tips only at night. i dont know the official name for them i just call them night time polyps :D

sounds like you have a healthy acro!

[LowCel]

Checked mine out this morning. Mine had polyps probably around 1/4" or so. I had noticed it before just hadn't thought much of it. Most of my acro's have their polyps out at night but just not quite as long.

I just wish I could have seen it with more light than a flashlight, I imagine it was beautiful with all the polyps out. Maybe those extremely large polyps are the reason the Larry Jackson is such a fast grower.

BTW, if you want to see some beautiful Larry Jackson acro's check out this thread. Click here! (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=462197&highlight=larry+jackson)

[firefish2020]

All of your scleractinians should be displaying longer tentacles at night it's a comon practice and used for prey capture in the wild. Zooplankton is most abundant at nightime and most acros are well aware of this fact. Curts not the only one who likes a midnight snack :) However the extra long tentacle from the tip of the axial corallite can be observed both day and night in some coral species. By the way I didnt get a LJ Acro I got the purple tip instead so I'll see if I can see any longer tentacle extension tonight on it as they are prob the same species.

[firefish2020]

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/longpolyp.jpg

[Curtis1]

Matt, JEN Veron calls them tentacles. I'll try to get some shots of it. My purple M. Digitata has already grown almost 1/4" in a couple spots. I really need to take some pics of everything to compare it later.

[odoprelude]

(looking for Larry Jackson acro frags here!) heheh...

[MiddletonMark]

Well, there are the long tentacles that come off some [1/2" +] that would be messenterial filaments.

The large polyps, I dunno. But all that surface area probably helps with respiration and gas-exchange as well [esp at night when the zoox are no longer consuming co2].

I do know polyp extension seemed to increase when I've added more flow. Anyway, time for me to get back to my own reef clubs and but out of yours.

Great coral though :)

[firefish2020]

MiddletonMark your welcome here anytime, we can use as much info as we can get at times :)