Green Galaxy Coral with Long Tentacles

[ashmiester]

Hello Everyone!,..........I recently purchased a nice green galaxy coral. It's a hard coral with short1/2 long tentacles coming out of each polyp. All have nice bright green tips on them. When they're all open, it's very nice looking. I noticed that there was about 4-5 longer tentacles in various spots on the coral waving around in the current. Anyone have any clues to what these are? They're identical to the smaller ones on the coral itself. The only thing I could figure out is are these able to sting with the loger tentacles to keep other corals from encrouching upon them, or are they like feeder extensions? Thank for any help. Gary

[jimhobbs]

Or
You'd think so by the way they attack and KILL anything they touch!:D...
Be careful of having ANYTHING close to them...Mine will get SWEEP HAPPY and shoot them out 6-8inchs at times;)

Beautiful coral, but deadly sweepers:D

[ORIGIONAL REEFMAN]

Like Jim said they are "Sweeper Tentacles". Some of the ones on mine are about 10" long. They will destroy anything they come in contact with. They need a lot of room.

[signu459]

Yup all is true, my galaxia has what I call the "CIRCLE OF DEATH". As a result I have baracaded all around the coral to protect the near by innocent and not as heavily armed corals.

[Wolverine]

I've seen them get well over a foot long on some colonies. If you reduce the flow around the coral, even if the sweepers are still formed they won't go very far, and you can protect your other corals that way. We have our's set up so that there's nothing crucial downstream of the Galaxea. It's taken out a few colonies of xenia, but that wasn't a big concern.

Dave

[hcs3]

you can direct the water flow such tht it carries the sweepers into the open water.

or, as i've seen others do,place the glaxaxy up high next to the overflow. the water current going into the overflow will carry the sweepers into the overflow.

beautiful coral. place small rocks alongside the skeleton and tissue will jump across and form another colony.

HTH

henry

[ashmiester]

Guys!!!,.....thanks again! This board's great. I posted my question on my lunch hour, and VOILA!,...instant answers.
Thanks for the input. Henry,...I like your idea of putting up by my overflow box. I think I'll relocate it there. This might sound stupid, but if the tentacles got real long, what would happen if you clipped em'? Gary

[Wolverine]

If you cut them they'll grow back, and usually in bigger numbers. The act of cutting them will basically signal the coral that there is an enemy in the area from which they are being cut. The coral will react by increasing it's attack to that side.

I like the overflow idea. If I had an overflow or a sump I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

Dave

[hcs3]

plus cutting may stress the animal and the open wound could be subject to the start of a bacterial infection. i wouldn't do that.

henry

[ashmiester]

Thanks again guys!,......... I relocated him this morning before taking off to work. He's surrounded by a good 8-10 inches of coralline rock only. I have him in the back butted up against the glass on the top of my live rock. He's far enougn now from my shrooms, Yellow polyps & my green star polyps. There's a couple of small feather dusters that are on the live rock, but would they be ok? Will they only sting corals?.....Gary