I found that Yellow Fiji Leather has long sweepers!!

[aeroreefs]

2 days after I put the Yellow Fiji Leather into my reef reef tank, I saw many sweepers like a 3-4 inch long comb with very thin shape.
What does the sweepers do? I am afraid that they could attack other corals.
And let me know what kind of food Yellow Fiji Leather need to thrive.

TIA

[ August 13, 2001: Message edited by: aeroreefs ]

 

[JeremyR]

If it's a strand that furls out, then contracts.. like a string with feathers on the sides, it could be a comb jellyfish, which is not part of your leather, but a hitchhiker.. pretty common on soft and LPS corals. Harmless filter feeder. It's in one of the TRA books, I forget what page tho.

 

[pathos]

yeah I was going to say... because I have never seen 3-4 inch sweeper tentacles on my Fiji Leather! very cool if it is a JF!

 

[Anonymous]

It is probably a ctenophore as Jeremey said. It's in Volume 2, page 434-5.

 

[aeroreefs]

Its too slender to tell its shape easily.
It's like a transparent thread with a shape of comb.
Is that stuff really a comb jellyfish?
Anyway, thanks all for replies.

 

[MattM]

Yes, a thin transparent thread with a shape of comb is exactly how these guys would be described.

Besides, soft corals don't have sweeper tentacles, they defend themselves by releasing irritating compounds into the water (terpenoids), they don't have stinging cells.

 

[Chris Lucia]

We have had comb jellies colonize the glass in some of our tanks after receiving corals from Tonga and Fiji. They seem to multiply in a small area, then die off. (Unless a predator got them) They must be commonly attached to South Pacific corals, i.e. Yellow Leather. But Matt is definitely correct, Leathers do not possess nematocysts. Add some extra DT's, see if it grows or "unfurls"