Advice re: Cup Coral Please.

[Virginia Reef]

My LFS has a specimen about 5" in diameter. It has nice polyp extension around the outer inch or so of the cup. The center portion is a beautiful green with just a couple of stray polyps. I'd love to get this but am a bit concerned that the lack of polyps in the central portion of the cup may mean problems.

Do any of you have any experience with a cup coral like this? Any random thoughts?

[Geoff]

i had/have one for the past 3 years or so. right now only about 6 polyps have survived the Xmas freeze of 2002. they like a fair amount of light, my 175MH were not enough to keep the underside of the cup really happy. so i would suggest a pagoda/tower shape for this amount of lighting. from what i have read the cups form close to the surface and the the towers are deeper down. it does like a fair amount of current in the cup shape to keep the interior polyps free of detritus. they are slow growers.

i am hoping to nurse mine back, but am not to optimistic.

G~

[David Grigor]

As far as the number of polyps not unusual.

As long as your not seeing any dead tissue or exposed skeleton then there is no need for concern.

[Alice]

I agree with a fair amount of light; but mine did very well under 440w of VHO. They can be real oinkers and like to be fed, although they need a little training to be ready to eat when it's feeding time. "Tease" them into being ready to feed with the water left over from thawing frozen food, wait a bit and then turn the pumps off. Mine not only catches small bits of food directly in the polyps but also in the mucus web it produces to reel food into the polyps.

Alice

[RWD]

I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of polyps. Like the others have said, keep the cup clean beause they tend to trap a lot of detritis and sand which can lead to rotting tissue. Mine likes a lot of current. Bob

[Virginia Reef]

Thanks for your comments. Looks like I'm going to be making a stop on the way home tonight.