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Pectinia
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What You See Is What You Get
Pectinia
Pectinia, commonly referred to as spiny cup corals, are a variety of large polyp stony corals from the family Merulinidae. Pectinia have a plate-like shape but then send up spire-like growths from that plate. It is a very interesting growth form that differentiates it aesthetically from other plating LPS.
Speaking of aesthetics, there are relatively few color morphs of Pectinia. Every now and again a new color morph pops up, but typically they are a variant of some basic strains. Here at Tidal Gardens we are constantly on the lookout for new and interesting varieties to add to the coral farm.
Location
Lighting
While Pectinia is a photosynthetic coral, it isn’t a particularly light demanding coral. I recommend moderate lighting levels around 100 PAR and that will be more than sufficient for its photosynthetic needs. Most types of Pectinia are adaptable to different lighting intensities but the first priority should be to avoid overexposure. It does not take very long to do serious damage with light that is too bright, especially for a newly introduced Pectinia. Providing the coral with too little light for a week or two is no big deal at all. Too much light for a few days on the other hand is going to be a serious problem.
Also, Pectinia are pretty consistent with their coloration. There is always some degree of variability and color shift, but there is not a lot to be gained by increasing light intensity. It is not like some corals that only express peak coloration under intensely bright light. The appearance of Pectinia will depend a great deal more on the color temperature and quality of the light compared to the intensity of that light. Here is where personal preference plays a huge part.
Low light |
Low light is between 30 - 50 PAR per unit area |
Medium light |
Medium light is between 50 - 150 PAR per unit area |
|
Intense light |
Intense light is above 150 PAR per unit area |
Water Flow
Water flow is one of the most important aspects of keeping a healthy reef aquarium as it carries nutrients to and waste away from corals. Pectinia do not need very powerful flow. In fact, flow that is too strong can be a problem either by putting too much force on its flesh against its skeleton or dislodging the coral causing it to topple down from the aquascape. We look to provide just enough flow to prevent detritus settling in the valleys of the Pectinia’s body.
If you like to provide stronger flow in your tank, having pumps with variable speed control is a luxury. Variable flow helps in this regard because you can send periodic strong flow to the coral without fear of damaging the colony with too much flow from a single direction. You can also find ways to direct strong flow over the top of the aquascape so that no corals get hit directly.
Feeding
In addition to photosynthesis, Pectinia can catch and consume food for nutrition. Pectinia are surprisingly active feeders that can grab and consume a wide variety of foods ranging from coral-formulated sinking pellets to frozen food such as brine shrimp, mysis, and krill. Pectinia are much more active at night however, they are very reactive to food in the water during daylight hours and can be trained to feed at a time that is a little more convenient for the hobbyist.
What we do first is shut off the water flow. We then entice the coral with a small amount of food to elicit a feeding response. You only need to put a little bit of food around them to get a reaction. Once you start to see the tentacles extend you can put a small amount of food on the coral and give it a few minutes to consume it. After that short period of time you can turn the flow back on to blow away any excess food. We like to feed 2-3 times a week when we have time. If you have no desire to target feed, honestly the coral will probably do just fine with proper lighting from photosynthesis, but we have noticed an improvement in growth and appearance with the occasional target feeding.
Alert
Pectinia as a whole are not a particularly aggressive coral with one big exception. For whatever reason, the Space Invader color morph is very aggressive and it regularly sends out sweeper tentacles. As a precaution you may want to give ANY type of pectinia a little extra room because they are all capable of sending out sweepers and though most of them keep them tucked away during the day, it may be a whole lot more aggressive at night when you aren’t looking. If you see neighboring corals looking a little rough mysteriously, it may be because your Pectinia is stinging them at night.
