Andrey Ryanskiy, Russland
Info
Special thanks for the first photo of Melithaea delicata to Andrey Ryanskiy, Russia.
Melithaea delicata was formerly known as Acabaria delicata.
This gorgonian has very fine, bifid branches with small, regularly spaced, not densely packed tubercles from which small white polyps emerge.
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
The majority of 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.
The colour of the coral is white with yellow-orange, reddish-pink at the intersections, the colouration can spread over the branch, it is found on coral reefs, under overhangs and in caves.
Reproduction: The anthozoan class is gonochoric or hermaphroditic.
Mature gametes are secreted in the coelenteron and appear through the mouth, fertilisation is external.
Larvae are planktonic before settling and developing on the substrate.
To complete the identification, it is necessary to analyse the sclerites (small calcareous structures that give some rigidity to the soft tissues of the gorgonians, internal element of the skeleton) with a microscope
Synonym: Acabaria delicata Hickson, 1940
Melithaea delicata was formerly known as Acabaria delicata.
This gorgonian has very fine, bifid branches with small, regularly spaced, not densely packed tubercles from which small white polyps emerge.
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
The majority of 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.
The colour of the coral is white with yellow-orange, reddish-pink at the intersections, the colouration can spread over the branch, it is found on coral reefs, under overhangs and in caves.
Reproduction: The anthozoan class is gonochoric or hermaphroditic.
Mature gametes are secreted in the coelenteron and appear through the mouth, fertilisation is external.
Larvae are planktonic before settling and developing on the substrate.
To complete the identification, it is necessary to analyse the sclerites (small calcareous structures that give some rigidity to the soft tissues of the gorgonians, internal element of the skeleton) with a microscope
Synonym: Acabaria delicata Hickson, 1940
