Soft Corals
 Soft bodies made up of a large number of
polyps connected by fleshy tissue.
 Lack the limestone skeleton and do not
produce calcium carbonate
 Some contain zooxanthellae and appear brown
in color
 Thrive in depths varying between 15-95 feet
 Does the amount of force and direction of the power head’s
current effect the movement pattern of the soft corals?
Hypothesis
 Original Hypothesis: The increasing
and decreasing of the current from
the power heads directly effects the
movement of the soft corals. The
stronger the current, the further the
soft coral will move.
5 Questions
 1. How is the growth of algae effected by the currents of the
power heads?
 2. How do soft corals adapt based on the different currents
of the power heads?
 3. What is the difference of algae growth in corners versus
high flow areas?
 4. When the current of the power heads are directed straight
on the Xenia and Nepthea do the corals change positions
faster?
 5. When the power heads are not directed straight toward
the Xenia and Nepthea will they move?
How we got started?
 Repositioned the power heads to have the current
directed onto the Xenia.
 Traced the Xenia on the glass. (See Wiki)
 Set up a bi-weekly schedule to measure the movement
of the Xenia.
 Then we hit a bump in the road.
Data
This was the starting position of the Xenia before it was killed off
by the charcoal bag
Data
This was the tank after the coral had died and had been
removed from the tank
Dead Coral
 Unfortunately after we added a new charcoal bag all of
the Xenia in our tank died off. (See Wiki)
 "Along with the removing of unwanted organic and
inorganic chemicals, activated carbon also removes
essential trace elements vital to the health of marine
livestock. The amounts removed are of unknown
quantity and significance, but nonetheless a
precautionary approach towards offsetting them by
performing regular water changes is recommended"
(Adam Jenkins).
Re-Model Ideas
 The death of the Xenia in our tank has caused us to
think of new project ideas such as:
 Buy new Xenia and continue with the same project
concept
 Re-design our tank by moving corals around, trading
corals, and scrubbing rocks for new organisms to grow.
The Make-over
 Cleaned live rock
 Built a bridge/reconstructed the live rock.
 Built a Xenia corner
 Introduced new corals, purple sea fan, Button coral,
________.
Button Coral
 Family: Zoanthidae
 They are a colonial animal with multiple individual
polyps attached to a piece of live rock or coral rubble.
 They are very easy to maintain in the reef aquarium
Other coral
Sea Fan
 Phylum: Cnidaria
 A colony can be several feet high and across but only a
few inches thick.
 Usually colorful
 Purple (ours)
 Red
 Yellow
Bibliography
1- "Aquarium Filter and Fish Tank Filtration." Tropical Fish,
Aquarium Fish, Care for Saltwater and Freshwater Fish,
Aquarium Setup. Web. 19. Oct. 2011.
2- Davis, Ernst M., and E.F Gloyna. "The Role of Algae." JSTOR.
JSTOR, 8 Nov. 1969. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
3- Jenkins, Adam. "Activated Carbon." Wetwebmedia, Aquarium, Pond, Marine
and Freshwater Fish,
Reef Tanks, and Aquatics Information. Web. 01 Dec. 2011.
Bibliography
4. Kuhlmann, Deltrich H.H. "The Sensitivity of Coral Reefs to
enviormental Pollution." JSTOR. JSTOR, 1 Nov. 1988.
Web. 17 Oct. 2011.
5. Logan, Lara. "Pulsating Xenia." Home Page. Web. 05 Dec. 2011.
6. Viola, Roberto, and Pi Nyvall. "The Unique Features in Red
Algae. "JSTOR. JSTOR. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
Bibliography
7- "Water Movement; Placement of Powerheads." The
Reef Tank.
Web.18 Oct. 2011
8. McFadden, Catherine S. "Contributions of Sexual and
Asexual Reproduction to Population Structure in the
Clonal Soft Coral.”