Oct 2007 "frag of the month"

glennb · 10/07/2007, 01:18 AM

Hi there,

Can whoever edits these articles correct some inaccuracies in Oct 2007 edition?

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/fotm/index.php

There shouldn't be any mistaking the featured coral for Nephthea, it's not even from the Nephtheidae family. If you wanted to take a stab at a genera, you might say Sinularia. Consult a coral biologist if you remain unconvinced.

The author also appears to have confused the order Alcyonacea for the family Alcyoniidae. Coral of the order Alcyonacea are generally lumped under the common name "soft coral". Coral of the family Alcyoniidae are generally lumped under the common name "leather coral".

Regards

Glenn

Agu · 10/07/2007, 10:28 AM

Glenn,

I don't pretend to be a coral biologist.

The first green coral was sold to me as probably a nepthea, with that disclaimer, it's a best guess.

In Fenners "Conscientious Marine Aquarist " p361 he identifies the order Alcyonacea as "Among the best choices for beginners are the finger, leather, cabbage, and colt corals (Sinularia, sarcophytum, Lobophytum, and Alcyonium or Cladellia respectively). "

Tullock in "Natural Reef Aquariums" p196 has "Soft Corals(Order Alcyonaria)........They generally fall into three groups, the leather corals, the pulse corals, and the stoloniferans."

However, in your defense, Calfo in "Book of Coral propagation" p288 identifies Alcyoniidae to include "Alcyonium, Cladiella, Lobophytum, Sarcophytum, and Sinularia............ Alcyoniids are mostly called Finger and Leather corals. "

So much for common names and my ability to identify corals, however this should not overshadow the point of the article. Many corals are easy to propagate and as conscientious aquarists we can reduce the dependency of the hobby on captive collected corals by propagating corals whenever possible.

Thanks for the feedback ...........

glennb · 10/08/2007, 07:24 AM

I understand the reasons for the information you put forward and appreciate that it's not supposed to be a scholarly article, but still see every reason to amend it.

A majority of reefers on RC seem to refer to that coral as Nephthea, as does the GARF site, and for all I know the online stores do too. I don't know who started labelling it that way, but it's obviously become common usage in the U.S. and will continue to be until the cycle's broken, which is why it's important that your article's amended.

The reference to the order Alcyonacea is understandable too if that's how hobbyist authors are describing it, but it also needs to be amended. Alcyonacea is the grouping for all octocoral. In the tropical Indo-Pacific this includes 22 families, of which the coral in only one, Alcyoniidae, are typically referred to as "leather corals". As your article stands it suggests that every coral with eight tentacles is a leather coral, which I'm sure wasn't the intention.

Regards

Glenn

10/07/2007, 01:18 AM	#1
glennb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 38	Oct 2007 "frag of the month" Hi there, Can whoever edits these articles correct some inaccuracies in Oct 2007 edition? http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/fotm/index.php There shouldn't be any mistaking the featured coral for Nephthea, it's not even from the Nephtheidae family. If you wanted to take a stab at a genera, you might say Sinularia. Consult a coral biologist if you remain unconvinced. The author also appears to have confused the order Alcyonacea for the family Alcyoniidae. Coral of the order Alcyonacea are generally lumped under the common name "soft coral". Coral of the family Alcyoniidae are generally lumped under the common name "leather coral". Regards Glenn

10/07/2007, 10:28 AM	#2
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Glenn, I don't pretend to be a coral biologist. The first green coral was sold to me as probably a nepthea, with that disclaimer, it's a best guess. In Fenners "Conscientious Marine Aquarist " p361 he identifies the order Alcyonacea as "Among the best choices for beginners are the finger, leather, cabbage, and colt corals (Sinularia, sarcophytum, Lobophytum, and Alcyonium or Cladellia respectively). " Tullock in "Natural Reef Aquariums" p196 has "Soft Corals(Order Alcyonaria)........They generally fall into three groups, the leather corals, the pulse corals, and the stoloniferans." However, in your defense, Calfo in "Book of Coral propagation" p288 identifies Alcyoniidae to include "Alcyonium, Cladiella, Lobophytum, Sarcophytum, and Sinularia............ Alcyoniids are mostly called Finger and Leather corals. " So much for common names and my ability to identify corals, however this should not overshadow the point of the article. Many corals are easy to propagate and as conscientious aquarists we can reduce the dependency of the hobby on captive collected corals by propagating corals whenever possible. Thanks for the feedback ........... __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

10/08/2007, 07:24 AM	#3
glennb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 38	I understand the reasons for the information you put forward and appreciate that it's not supposed to be a scholarly article, but still see every reason to amend it. A majority of reefers on RC seem to refer to that coral as Nephthea, as does the GARF site, and for all I know the online stores do too. I don't know who started labelling it that way, but it's obviously become common usage in the U.S. and will continue to be until the cycle's broken, which is why it's important that your article's amended. The reference to the order Alcyonacea is understandable too if that's how hobbyist authors are describing it, but it also needs to be amended. Alcyonacea is the grouping for all octocoral. In the tropical Indo-Pacific this includes 22 families, of which the coral in only one, Alcyoniidae, are typically referred to as "leather corals". As your article stands it suggests that every coral with eight tentacles is a leather coral, which I'm sure wasn't the intention. Regards Glenn