Sinularia sp. (Mushroom Finger Leather Coral)

Source: liveaquaria.com

QUICK STATS

• Care Level: Easy
  
• Temperament: Semi-aggressive
  
• Lighting: High
  
• Waterflow: Medium to Strong
  
• Placement: Bottom to Middle
  
• Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
  
• Color Form: Green
  
• Origin: Fiji
  
• Family: Alcyoniidae
  
• Insert Date: 19 February 2011

The Mushroom Finger Leather Coral, Green is also referred to as Sinularia Coral, Finger Leather, or Trough Corals. They are found in various shades of brown and green, with white or gold polyps. It is difficult to identify many species because they all have the similar appearance of long tentacle-like appendages, each with a distinct stalk and capitulum (cap). As they grow, their finger-like appendages get larger.
The Mushroom Finger Leather Corals are relatively peaceful, but adequate space should be provided between them and other corals in the reef aquarium. Some can produce toxins which are harmful to other reef inhabitants. The more plain Sinularia Leather Corals from Indonesia and Fiji are easy to maintain in the reef aquarium and make an excellent coral for the beginning through expert reef aquarist. Finger Leather Corals require medium to high lighting combined with medium to strong water movement. For continued good health, they will also require the addition of iodine, strontium, and other trace elements to the water.

Culturing by the experienced hobbyist is often accomplished by cutting off a portion of the Coral's branches and attaching that piece to live rock or placing it in the sandy bottom of the reef aquarium.

The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within its body provide the majority of its nutritional needs from the light driven process of photosynthesis. It will also benefit from additional food such as micro-plankton, baby brine shrimp, or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates.

During my drive around last saturday I got 2 unknown kind of soft corals. The colours are very nice, so that’s why I wanted them. Just need to find out what kind of coral it is. It looks a bit like Kenya Tree coral, but no polyps (yet) and different colour. Also this one is still not where I would want him.

Got a first response from Nico on the Nederlands en Belgisch Zeeaquarium Forum

Waarschijnlijk een sinularia. Maar hij ziet er niet zo super uit (erg bleek) Lijkt er op dat hij al lang niet meer heeft opengestaan en misschien te weinig licht heeft gehad.

In jou bak zal hij er wel snel bovenop komen

Translated:
Probably a Sinularia. But it doesn't look very good (very pale). Seems it hasn't been open for a long time and maybe had to little light.

But in your aquarium it should get beter soon

From another forum, Nederlands en Belgisch zeewater Forum I got 2 responses in my journal. One by Taurus and one by Rob Charite.

een ledertje, vinger ofzo gok ik.

A leather coral, finger or something I guess

Sinularia die een tijdje in het donker heeft gestaan
Groetjes Rob Charite

Sinularia that has been in the dark for a while.
Regards Rob Charite

Guess the Sinularia part is correct, was thinking about Sinularia flexibilis maybe, but then it would need to open up a bit first.

And moved his brother to the fragtank.

Moved this coral to where the Klyxum used to be, hopefully this one will fill the gap over there now that the leather coral is almost gone.