Lets hear from the Kenya Tree Owners

[clown-lover]

I have the possibility to get a Kenya Tree from a friend and have been doing some reading.. But I have a question. I understand that they are a triple feeder - zooxanthellae- minerals - phytoplankton or marine snow..

Do any of you feed your Kenya Trees phyto and if so how? Where?

[salty420]

i feed phyto to the tank once a week or so, just dump it in for the dusters and softies. not that my kenya tree needs it tho, the thing is huge and i know it would be even if i never fed it.

[clown-lover]

Cool.. Thanks.. Just wanted to make sure they didn't need to be specially fed like dusters.. Thanks Salty.

[fsn77]

I never feed our Kenya trees... They grow fast enough on their own, dropping limbs regularly to make frags and all if you give them the opportunity. Trust me, they can get all they need from their photosynthetic capabilities.

I'm not trying to discourage you from getting one. I really like them, especially when they are small. I have a regular schedule of cutting them off our rock, getting them to attach to a piece of rubble, and then taking them to the LFS for credit at $10 a piece. Honestly, I've found them to be one of the easiest corals to grow for credit. The only thing is to not grow too many at one time, as most stores around me aren't interested in taking more than 1 or 2 at a time.

[Subliminal]

I moved my kenya tree around to the side and back of my tank. I don't feed it anything. ;)

[Catpicklesdog]

I never specifically feed mine but it probably gets something as I do target feed my sun coral so I'm sure bits float around, plus I do add Coral frenzy and cyclopeeze to my food mixture. I've now got about 7 different trees around the tank as the darn thing keeps reproducing left right and centre.

[salty420]

ha ya i always am checking to see if the kenya tree had any babies overnight ;)

[clown-lover]

Well ok so I picked it up and Salty, subliminal I've looked at your pictures and I don't think this is a Kenya tree as mine looks NOTHING like yours.. But here is a pick and if anyone can help me ID this it would be greatly appreciated.

[Subliminal]

Does it always look like that?

[clown-lover]

I just got it today, but yeah it looked somewhat like that in his tank.. I hasn't completley extended in mine yet.. But then it kind of got jostled around when I was trying to glue the rock piece down to a larger rock of mine..

Darn thing kept on tipping over in the current.

[Subliminal]

Well you just got it today! Sheesh, have a little patience! Mine will close up TIGHT if you blow water on it...it's very finicky.

Take another picture in 2 or 3 days and we'll see how you're doing. ;)

[clown-lover]

Actually here is another pic without the flash...

[clown-lover]

Well after doing some looking I'm thinking that Greg was wrong and that this is a really sick Colt Coral. I am hoping it will start to perk up over the next couple of days so I can be positive but from the looks of how the polyps are on the branches it really doesn't look like a Kenya..

Anyway thanks for the help..

[Subliminal]

Well you just got it today! Sheesh, have a little patience! Mine will close up TIGHT if you blow water on it...it's very finicky.

Take another picture in 2 or 3 days and we'll see how you're doing. ;)

:werd:

[salty420]

hard to say for sure since it's closed up so tight but looks like you maybe right. good luck, hope it turns around for ya :)

[clown-lover]

Well I thought I would post an updated pic.. No comments but it is streaching out more.. So I guess we'll see what it actually is??? :) But I'm still thinking it might be a Colt..

[Grins]

It looks much better.

[clown-lover]

Yeah.. I'm thinking its happer now than when I was trying to glue it to that rock... :)

[fsn77]

I think it looks more like a colt coral. It also looks much better than it did earlier.

[clown-lover]

Ok so last updated pic.. Again I'm sold on the colt coral as of this point unless someone can let me know otherwise.. I've told Rob that I think he was wrong already but he disagrees with me and says he bought it as a Kenya..

Ideas.

BTW sorry for the fuzzy picture but when I use the flash he looks completely different.. A LOT darker that what he looks in the tank. What you see here is what I see as far as coloration goes.

[salty420]

i still agree with colt coral

[cybrsufr]

That is definitely a colt. I have two Kenya Tees in my tank and they do not have the thick stalk and thy are like a bush with lots and lots of thin branches. Here is a picture of my Kenya Tree.

http://www.wreck-diver.net/gallery/Family%20Pictures/aquarium/sevenmonths/slides/IMG_2811.JPG


WreckDiver
aka: CyBrSuFr

[clown-lover]

Thanks for the pic as it gives a nice comparison to go by in the thread. Also very nice specimen...

[Mr.Firemouth]

Yours is a colt coral.
99% sure.

Kenya tree corals are usually purple Capnella sp. Like this one...
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k44/mrfiremouth/macros/capnella.jpg

Notice purple back ground and yellow polyps. Slow grower, photosynthetic filter feeder.

[clown-lover]

Thanks Mr. Firemouth. Its nice to know from a more experienced reefer that my supositions were correct. I just wish I could plug a USB cable into yours and others heads and do a direct download... :)