Anthony Calfo
Well-known member
RFCOW4 Duncanopsammia axifuga
Whiskers Coral
Anthony Calfo
Duncanopsammia axifuga is a unique scleractinian in the aquarium hobby, and even within its own family. The family Dendrophylliidae has only four zooxanthellate genera, and most US aquarists only recognize the popular and common Turbinaria, like yellow scrolling or brown cup varieties (several species). On rare occasions, we get a glimpse of this Duncanopsammia (while the other two zooxanthellate genera are almost never seen), while hobbyists in Europe find it just about as uncommon as I understand it. For those seeking this hardy coral, it’s too bad they don’t live in Australia where it occurs along the northern coastal reefs! Some of the Aussies find it rather amusing that we covet this coral so dearly when it really is rather unremarkable in behavior and is very uniform in color and morphology (blue/grey or tan that gets greener with actinic). Nonetheless, we all tend to favor the uncommon varieties from half the world away while overlooking our local treasures. It reminds me of European friends regarding the Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum) as common while cherishing Hawaiian yellow tangs (Z. flavescens) or Caribbean fish and sea fans, which are so inexpensive to the American market. At any rate, even in its own habitat, Duncanopsammia is rather sporadic in occurrence, limited in distribution, and usually only found below 65 feet (20 meters).
Duncanopsammia axifuga has been called “Whisker’s coral†in hobby literature through the years and some confusion has surrounded it due to misidentified images shared among aquarists. In some ways this coral resembles Euphylliids, like torch (Euphyllia glabrescens) or perhaps more so its kin, Turbinaria peltata, with large fleshy polyps and stubby tentacles. Looking at the corallum (“skeletonâ€), though, clears it right up. Unlike large branching (phaceloid) Euphylliids, Duncanopsammia is clearly dendroid like the azooxanthellate cup or sun corals (Tubastrea). Polyp and tissue color differences aside, this coral overall looks very much like its famous orange-polyped congener. With just a little familiarity and time spent keeping the coral, though, it really becomes distinct to the eye.
The genus is monotypic (only one species) yet really present no special challenges in captivity. It is another prime example of the scientific mantra that “form follows function.†Any coral with such large polyps and a distribution in low light realms is going to be a very hungry coral. It should be no surprise, either, that the polyps of Duncanopsammia have no specific cycle and can (often do) stay out by day or night. They feed organismally (on solid particles and prey) heavily, and lean towards the carnivorous side (zooplankton). In captivity, they can easily eat whole amphipods and thawed frozen mysid shrimps. A wide variety of minced meats of marine origin are also recommended like superba krill, squid, and pacifica plankton. Smaller food matter is also readily accepted, like roe (flying fish eggs from the Asian market, or DT brand’s nifty new oyster egg product). If fed well, Duncanopsammia will grow very fast in captivity! Be careful not to offer prey that is too large though (always feed particles under ¼â€/6mm). Like anemones and other coral, oversized prey my be stung and ingested but regurgitated later (often at night) and lead to the animal’s slow death by attrition, much to the surprise of the keeper that thought it was eating well. For basic maintenance of the colony, feed small portions several times weekly. For strong growth or farming possibilities, feed tiny portions daily.
If Duncanopsammia is anything like its Tubastrea kin, it should have great potential as a candidate for coral farming. Perhaps we will hear of regular events of asexual planulation in the future. Until then, simple fragmentation to share pieces of this coral are easy enough to manage. The corallites of Duncanopsammia are conspicuously tubular and new branches form irregularly among the colony (bifurcating corallites). To fragment the coral, take a sturdy blade (stainless steel or diamond coated for tile or glass) and saw clean through the corallum between branches. A hobby rotary tool, like Dremmel, works just fine for the purpose. For tight spots, a cutting drill-bit can be used instead. If you prefer, a single polyp can be lopped off a branch and superglued to start a new colony (see picture). With fast tools and clean cuts, the process is not difficult or risky to the parent specimen at all. Arguably, it’s no different than the trauma and injury of being cleaved from a reef and then carried for days in shipping bags and vessels upon import. On the contrary, propagation in home aquaria is easier as the strong donor is (or should be) established and well fed for at least six months prior. And both parent and division are immediately placed back into healthy aquariums with good water flow and close attention afterwards.
As for lighting, like other corals collected at depth, they are highly adaptable to a very wide range of light in aquaria. Even bright reef systems sustain Duncanopsammia, so long as new specimens are given diffused or filtered light for some weeks in advance in a waxing intensity before full exposure. Don’t let higher light fool you into believing you can feed less though. It just doesn’t work that way with corals! There is a maximum threshold (saturation point) where the coral cannot derive any more nutrition/production from symbiotic algae with an increase in light. The balance of its needs not met by symbiosis every day need to be met by (filter) feeding, instead. There is simply no way around feeding weakly autotrophic corals.
Beyond feeding and lighting issues, remaining aspects of their husbandry are rather typical. Moderate to strong (turbulent) water flow will work best. Stable mineral levels are much better than infrequent spikes towards unrealistic ideals (ahem… that means relax on the freaky dosing targets: a steady Alk of 10 dKH and Calcium of 400 ppm will grow this and most corals much faster than the chemical rollercoaster most folks ride trying to get over 12 dKH or near 500 ppm Calcium with spikes). And despite its general hardiness and durability, I must say that my experience in keeping this coral through the years (and that of friends) leads me say that this coral is a bit of a beacon to water quality. When pressures like overfeeding, lack of water changes or falling pH take their toll, Duncanopsammia is one of the first corals to retract its polyps and act “grumpy.†The observation is purely anecdotal, but recurs often enough among aquarists that it is worth mentioning. Maintain a regular weekly partial water exchange for best results keeping this unique coral.
As for locating a specimen, aquarists abroad have it and spread it locally. A couple of US coral farmers are trying to get production numbers up and will likely have regular releases to market in just a few years. I do not presently engage in the sale of corals for profit, but instead donate what pieces I can when available to aquariums, hobby clubs and conferences for raffles and fund-raising.
Best of luck and life to you… in shared admiration of the sea.
Anthony Calfo
January 25, 2005 USA
IMAGES: young fragmented colonies...
Pic 1) polyps nicely expanded and colony encrusting down the nylon bolt used for a substrate
Pic 2) polyps retracted... notice the new buds on bifurcating corallites? The larger and more conspicuous bud is on the left side crown of the top polyp
Pic 3) a single polyp sawed off a colony and glued to a new substrate
Whiskers Coral
Anthony Calfo
Duncanopsammia axifuga is a unique scleractinian in the aquarium hobby, and even within its own family. The family Dendrophylliidae has only four zooxanthellate genera, and most US aquarists only recognize the popular and common Turbinaria, like yellow scrolling or brown cup varieties (several species). On rare occasions, we get a glimpse of this Duncanopsammia (while the other two zooxanthellate genera are almost never seen), while hobbyists in Europe find it just about as uncommon as I understand it. For those seeking this hardy coral, it’s too bad they don’t live in Australia where it occurs along the northern coastal reefs! Some of the Aussies find it rather amusing that we covet this coral so dearly when it really is rather unremarkable in behavior and is very uniform in color and morphology (blue/grey or tan that gets greener with actinic). Nonetheless, we all tend to favor the uncommon varieties from half the world away while overlooking our local treasures. It reminds me of European friends regarding the Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum) as common while cherishing Hawaiian yellow tangs (Z. flavescens) or Caribbean fish and sea fans, which are so inexpensive to the American market. At any rate, even in its own habitat, Duncanopsammia is rather sporadic in occurrence, limited in distribution, and usually only found below 65 feet (20 meters).
Duncanopsammia axifuga has been called “Whisker’s coral†in hobby literature through the years and some confusion has surrounded it due to misidentified images shared among aquarists. In some ways this coral resembles Euphylliids, like torch (Euphyllia glabrescens) or perhaps more so its kin, Turbinaria peltata, with large fleshy polyps and stubby tentacles. Looking at the corallum (“skeletonâ€), though, clears it right up. Unlike large branching (phaceloid) Euphylliids, Duncanopsammia is clearly dendroid like the azooxanthellate cup or sun corals (Tubastrea). Polyp and tissue color differences aside, this coral overall looks very much like its famous orange-polyped congener. With just a little familiarity and time spent keeping the coral, though, it really becomes distinct to the eye.
The genus is monotypic (only one species) yet really present no special challenges in captivity. It is another prime example of the scientific mantra that “form follows function.†Any coral with such large polyps and a distribution in low light realms is going to be a very hungry coral. It should be no surprise, either, that the polyps of Duncanopsammia have no specific cycle and can (often do) stay out by day or night. They feed organismally (on solid particles and prey) heavily, and lean towards the carnivorous side (zooplankton). In captivity, they can easily eat whole amphipods and thawed frozen mysid shrimps. A wide variety of minced meats of marine origin are also recommended like superba krill, squid, and pacifica plankton. Smaller food matter is also readily accepted, like roe (flying fish eggs from the Asian market, or DT brand’s nifty new oyster egg product). If fed well, Duncanopsammia will grow very fast in captivity! Be careful not to offer prey that is too large though (always feed particles under ¼â€/6mm). Like anemones and other coral, oversized prey my be stung and ingested but regurgitated later (often at night) and lead to the animal’s slow death by attrition, much to the surprise of the keeper that thought it was eating well. For basic maintenance of the colony, feed small portions several times weekly. For strong growth or farming possibilities, feed tiny portions daily.
If Duncanopsammia is anything like its Tubastrea kin, it should have great potential as a candidate for coral farming. Perhaps we will hear of regular events of asexual planulation in the future. Until then, simple fragmentation to share pieces of this coral are easy enough to manage. The corallites of Duncanopsammia are conspicuously tubular and new branches form irregularly among the colony (bifurcating corallites). To fragment the coral, take a sturdy blade (stainless steel or diamond coated for tile or glass) and saw clean through the corallum between branches. A hobby rotary tool, like Dremmel, works just fine for the purpose. For tight spots, a cutting drill-bit can be used instead. If you prefer, a single polyp can be lopped off a branch and superglued to start a new colony (see picture). With fast tools and clean cuts, the process is not difficult or risky to the parent specimen at all. Arguably, it’s no different than the trauma and injury of being cleaved from a reef and then carried for days in shipping bags and vessels upon import. On the contrary, propagation in home aquaria is easier as the strong donor is (or should be) established and well fed for at least six months prior. And both parent and division are immediately placed back into healthy aquariums with good water flow and close attention afterwards.
As for lighting, like other corals collected at depth, they are highly adaptable to a very wide range of light in aquaria. Even bright reef systems sustain Duncanopsammia, so long as new specimens are given diffused or filtered light for some weeks in advance in a waxing intensity before full exposure. Don’t let higher light fool you into believing you can feed less though. It just doesn’t work that way with corals! There is a maximum threshold (saturation point) where the coral cannot derive any more nutrition/production from symbiotic algae with an increase in light. The balance of its needs not met by symbiosis every day need to be met by (filter) feeding, instead. There is simply no way around feeding weakly autotrophic corals.
Beyond feeding and lighting issues, remaining aspects of their husbandry are rather typical. Moderate to strong (turbulent) water flow will work best. Stable mineral levels are much better than infrequent spikes towards unrealistic ideals (ahem… that means relax on the freaky dosing targets: a steady Alk of 10 dKH and Calcium of 400 ppm will grow this and most corals much faster than the chemical rollercoaster most folks ride trying to get over 12 dKH or near 500 ppm Calcium with spikes). And despite its general hardiness and durability, I must say that my experience in keeping this coral through the years (and that of friends) leads me say that this coral is a bit of a beacon to water quality. When pressures like overfeeding, lack of water changes or falling pH take their toll, Duncanopsammia is one of the first corals to retract its polyps and act “grumpy.†The observation is purely anecdotal, but recurs often enough among aquarists that it is worth mentioning. Maintain a regular weekly partial water exchange for best results keeping this unique coral.
As for locating a specimen, aquarists abroad have it and spread it locally. A couple of US coral farmers are trying to get production numbers up and will likely have regular releases to market in just a few years. I do not presently engage in the sale of corals for profit, but instead donate what pieces I can when available to aquariums, hobby clubs and conferences for raffles and fund-raising.
Best of luck and life to you… in shared admiration of the sea.
Anthony Calfo
January 25, 2005 USA
IMAGES: young fragmented colonies...
Pic 1) polyps nicely expanded and colony encrusting down the nylon bolt used for a substrate
Pic 2) polyps retracted... notice the new buds on bifurcating corallites? The larger and more conspicuous bud is on the left side crown of the top polyp
Pic 3) a single polyp sawed off a colony and glued to a new substrate
