Tropical Zone Gardening: Nature's Underwater Gardens II, 1 by Islandshari

Islandshari wrote:
Oh boy! Reef biology 101. LOL!! There are hard corals, and soft corals. Some hard corals look like soft corals when its polyps are fully extended, and vice versa. Sea Fans and Whips are generally listed as soft corals, even though they have a more rigid horny skeleton like the harder corals. It is all an amazing adventure! Corals eat planktonic food that is gathered by the tiny hairs on the polyps. Many forms of algae live in and on coral heads, which is what little "Nemos" and other fish eat when they are around the coral. The most dangerous predator for coral is the "crown of thorns" starfish. I'm sure that many people, more knowledgable than I will take exception to what I have said here - but that is just a real quick identifier. Here is a picture of a Red Whip Coral -