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Hard Coral


Button Coral Bird's Nest Blue Coral Brain Coral Brain Coral, Favites Bubble Coral Cactus Coral Candy Cane Coral Cat's Paw Coral Cauliflower Coral Daisy/Flowerpot Coral Doughnut Coral Elegance Coral Elephant Nose Coral Flower Pot Coral Frogspawn Coral Galaxy Coral Goniastrea Brain Coral Hammer Coral Horn Coral Jeweled Finger Coral Lettuce/Cabbage Coral Lobophyllia Brain Coral Nemenzophyllia Fox Coral Pearl Bubble Coral Pineapple Coral Pipe Organ Coral Plate Coral LT Plate/Disk Coral Platygyra Brain Coral Slipper/Tongue Coral Spiny Cup/Lettuce Coral Staghorn Coral Torch Coral Tube Coral Turbinaria Coral Velvet Coral


Soft Coral


Sea fan Cabbage Leather Coral Tree Coral Christmas Tree Coral Clove / Glove Polyp Colt Coral Corky Sea Fingers Devil's Hand Coral Finger Leather (Cladiella) Finger Leather (Sinularia) Flexible Leather Coral Kenya Tree Coral Mushroom / Leather Coral Pipe Organ Coral Pulse Coral Purple Sea Blade Rough Sea Plume Sea Rod / Red Tree Star Polyp Strawberry / Pink Cauliflower Tree Coral - Yellow Tree Coral - Paralemnalia Waving Hand Coral Yellow Sea Blade


Mushrooms


Actinodiscus Mushroom Coral Bullseye Mushroom Coral Elephant Ear Mushroom Coral Giant Cup Mushroom Coral Hairy Mushroom Coral Ricordea Mushroom Coral


Zoanthids


Elegant Moon Polyp Palythoa Button Polyp Stick / Tree Polyp Zoanthus Button Polyp

Waving Hand Coral

The Anthelia Waving Hand Coral, depending upon the variety may also be referred to as a Glove or Pulsing Coral. It is a group of colonial animals with several individual polyps attached to a piece of solid substrate. Their polyps have the distinctive eight-leaved tentacles associated with all of the members of this family. Some varieties may pulse, and many scientists believe the pulsing action of the polyps slowly opening and closing is designed to either dispose of gasses and waste, or collect food from the water column, or both. The amount of pulsing will vary with various water parameters. In general, Anthelia sp. pulse less than their relatives, the Xenia sp., but they are more hardy. They are less likely to pulse in an aquarium than in the wild. Aquacultured specimens are currently available for purchase.

Predatory fish, crabs, snails, or the stings of other corals may damage the colony quite easily. Therefore, provide adequate space between them and sessile animals, especially other types of soft corals. They are difficult to maintain in an aquarium. They require a medium to high light level combined with a medium to strong water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, they will also require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water.

Anthelia sp.

Quick Stats:   Waving Hand Coral
Family: Xeniidae Range: Indo-Pacific Color Form: Blue, Brown, Tan, White, Grey Ideal Supplements: Iodine, Trace elements Reef Compatible: Yes Tank Conditions: 72-78ºF; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4 Water Flow: Medium to Strong Light: Medium to High Dominance: Peaceful Placement: Bottom Care Level: Difficult

Under ideal conditions, and once acclimated, they may reproduce in the established reef aquarium, forming a creeping mat, which will quickly grow over any adjacent rock work.

The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within their bodies provide the majority of their nutritional requirements through photosynthesis. Additional weekly feedings of micro-plankton or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates are also needed.

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