Coral of the Week: Tubipora musica (Pipe-organ Coral)

[Anonymous]

The coral of the week for this week is the Pipe-organ Coral, Tubipora musica.

The pipe organ coral looks superficially like green star polyps, except that it grows from a red skeleton of vertical "pipes" held together by horizontal stolons.

This is an interesting species as people have very differing results, some claiming they are easy to keep and some finding them impossible to maintain. Also they frequently appear to be in excellent health for six months or so before suddenly fading away. The decline frequently appears to follow a change in some parameter such as lighting or flow rates.

Personally, I had a large white one a few years back; it expanded beautifully and appeared healthy, although it did not grow. After some months, it stopped expanded and eventually died. Recently, I obtained a small frag of a green variety. Initially it receded somewhat, but has now started growing and seems to be doing well.

Let's hear your experiences, and if you have some pictures, please post them as well.

About the RDO Coral of the Week Discussion:

This discussion is meant to get at your experience and to share information that is in your head, so don't necessarily treat it as information gathering. State your opinion and, if available, use material, anecdotal or otherwise, that will back up your opinion. Past weekly discussions will be archived in our archives. If you have topics that you think would be helpful for the RDO community to discuss, please send me a PM.

 

[Anonymous]

Three weeks ago I recieved a frag of the white variety, as well as the green variety.

I placed both in the middle of the tank, in nice swift but not pounding current. I have three 175w MH bulbs and 4 6 foot VHO actinic bulbs.

The white one is not looking so hot, but the green one looks great! It is always fluffy and fully expanded, I have not seen the polyps retracted once since putting it in the tank.

I had tried a frag of the white variety before, a friend had one that they said was not doing well for them and they gave it to me. It did not do well for me and died soon after.

 

[brandon4291]

I kept a small frag of Tubipora for a couple months in the reefbowl when it was first setup. Thought they looked a lot like clavularia, save for the red calcareous skeleton. Mine went for a period without polyp emergence, so I traded it back in for some caulastrea which was better suited to my tank conditions for the long term. I feel that Tubipora Musica is better suited to tanks with some form of suspended plankton support, as in dripping greenwater/rotifers/amphipods/Dt's etc. I don't dose enough Dt's or phytoplankton variety to support these corals over the long haul IMO. Many people who have success with this coral also have well balanced systems that meet these particulate demands through natural mechanisms such as appropriately aged/productive sandbeds, varied feeding of the fish with both vegetable and meat/protein matter, and quality LR that is dense with growth and this also fosters various larvae that wind up suspended in the water column (as a food source for corals and other particulate feeders)

This is all purely a guess, was disappointed I couldn't keep this one alive very long. Maybe there are also stricter temp requirements (not as high)?

Brandon M.

 

[fungia]

i was sold a organ pipe coral by my lfs. they told me it was a hard coral but i have found out it is really a soft coral, i think the only soft coral with a skeleton base. way cool

i love my organ pipe. it sits a few inches from the bottom of my 29 gallon lit by 4 24 inch vhos. water current over it is medium to low and i use a wavemaker and 2 powerheads. it opens its polyps about a hour after the lights come on. mine has a green tint to it and i have seen many beautiful kinds of organ pipes. too bad my tank is too small . mine doest seem to grow too fast but it has only been maybe 4 or 5 months.

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, so no one else on this board has an organ pipe?

Any of you have any pictures?

I couldn't get a decent pic of mine.

I think the white ones are truly beautiful, I would love to see a nice picture of someone's white organ pipe that is doing well in their tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Since no one has a decent pic of thier organ pipe-I guess I will post one of my fuzzy ones.

You can't see the red skeleton underneth because it is so fluffy when expanded.

 

[chester]

Here a pic of mine,I have now had it year and a half and is still healthy although polyps are less white now

 

[Anonymous]

Gorgeous!!!! What a lovely coral!

Thanks for posting.

Any tips ?