Pectinia (spiny cup, alien cup)

[TonyEnr]

Anyone have any experience growing Pectinia in their reef tank?

 

[kay-bee19]

I have one and it appears to be a fairly hardy coral so far (I've had it since 2007).

When I acquired it from a $5 assorted coral frag tank I though it was a nickel-sized light-green mushroom coral at first when I selected it:

...except that it was evidently a stony coral when I handled it.

It developed into this: (these photos are a few years old it's a lot bigger now, with a lot of ridges but I do not have any recent photos of it as of yet):

Pectinia seems to fair well in moderate lighting. I've since moved it to a higher position in the tank and upgraded my lighting and it appears to doing well under greater lighting conditions as well.

It accepts food readily at night (mysis shrimp) when its tentacles are extended but does fine without feeding.

Speaking of its tentacles, pectinia can cast some fairly long sweeper tentacles nightly. In the last photo they extend clear past the right boundary of the photo:

 

[mr_X]

Great pics! Yes, Pectinia is a LPS. Many websites have copied and pasted that it's an SPS, which we can clearly see from the pictures that this is not true. I've kept a couple of these here and there and find them to be a very interesting addition.

 

[TonyEnr]

Yeah it's definitely an LPS. I'm just hoping its doing ok I've had it for months now and it seems fine. I have it under a 120w Blueline VHO Led(the lights about foot above my tank) and I had the pectinia at the top of my rock work for a while and then moved it more towards the middle and just yesterday i loved it to another middle area off to the side where there is some decent flow. I'll try to post some pics.

 

[TonyEnr]

Great feedback btw i really appreciate the info guys!

 

[Webguy_12]

Pectenia

I also have a pectenia, just wondering why mine has never extended tenticals at night? I've had it almost 5 years. I added a tru lumen deepwater blue led light and it started bleaching a little. Moved it to a shady spot hopefully it will get its color back

 

[TonyEnr]

I also have a pectenia, just wondering why mine has never extended tenticals at night? I've had it almost 5 years. I added a tru lumen deepwater blue led light and it started bleaching a little. Moved it to a shady spot hopefully it will get its color back

Yeah man mine recently start receding and bleaching at the tips. I have completely covered now hoping it recovers. But i have also never seen tentacles at night....it extends tiny feeding tentacles that are very tiny.

 

[Webguy_12]

Pectenia cup

I've never seen any tenticals, but the mouths of each piece do open up during the day. Idk if bleaching is the correct term for mine it just looks a little more pale than usual. Almost as if there is a white haze over the coral. It's deeper greens have lightened up

Here is a pic with good color

 

[Webguy_12]

Trying this again...before and after pic. Didn't attach the first try

 

[Webguy_12]

This is the before pic...they keep loading upside down

 

[TonyEnr]

This is the before pic...they keep loading upside down

Yeah see yours still looks pretty healthy...mine's flesh is slowly receding now but i dont know why!
Do you feed yours at all? Like do you target feed it any mysis shrimp or anything like that that? And where in your tank are you keeping it?
....just out of curiosity because it looks to be doing rather well(better than mine) and I've never even able to find any concrete info on pectinia care. I had it for months and now it's slowly taking a poop..I really want to save it

 

[Webguy_12]

Pectenia cup

I would suggest a lugol's solution dip just in case of any infection. Depending in your lighting move it to a shaded area. With t5HO 2 10000k white and 2 actenic mine did just fine mid to lower level in the tank. when i added the led strip it must have been too intense even though it was only the blue spectrum. im trying it in a well shaded area now where it gets more difuse light. also if you notice any debris laying on it such as food or anything else be sure to remove that manually or adjusting the water flow. they seem to do well with low to moderate flow. Mine has always been a pretty hardy coral but make sure your water parameters are in check.

 

[Webguy_12]

Oh and as for feeding I believe they are mostly photosynthetic but I target feed reef snow or DT's live phytoplankton a couple times a week. Both work well you can also broadcast feed the tank everything will benifit from it. Just don't over do the DT's or u will get an alge bloom. Think of the system as a minimalist if that makes sense...in other words it should be on the edge of starvation feed it only what it needs do not over do it. Target feeding this coral with phytoplankton may be the best way to go

 

[mr_X]

A pectinia is not going to eat phytoplankton. You would be wasting your time and water quality. Big mouths= big food. Mysis, chopped fish, something like that would be ideal.

 

[Webguy_12]

Big mouths big food is very true but since ours do not extend tenticals like others I have seen I feed phytoplankton. When I feed the mouths open up, I've never seen mine eat a mysis shrimp but its worth a try. If it works do it. Mine has always been happy and has grown to almost 10 inches across from about 3 when I got it. Very slow grower and slow to recover

 

[Animal-Chin]

I have one that i had to move to the sandbed when I upgraded to LED lights. The only spot feeding I've ever done is with cyclopese and it seems to be doing great. It's one of my older corals and I've never had an issue with it until the intense light bleached the tips, I moved it down and its nice and green again. Great looking coral IMO...

 

[TonyEnr]

I have one that i had to move to the sandbed when I upgraded to LED lights. The only spot feeding I've ever done is with cyclopese and it seems to be doing great. It's one of my older corals and I've never had an issue with it until the intense light bleached the tips, I moved it down and its nice and green again. Great looking coral IMO...

Yeah I have mine under an over hang on the sandbed now...and I'm gonna dip It. I have vho LEDs I've fed it mysis in the past and it always ate but never like progressed. I'm really just having a problem with all my chalice-related corals right now all bleaching and/or receding. The lights just too much. I've moved it up at least 6 inches in the past few days and it hasn't seemed to make a difference so far

 

[mr_X]

It will take more than a few days for something like that to make a visible difference. A few weeks maybe.

 

[TonyEnr]

It will take more than a few days for something like that to make a visible difference. A few weeks maybe.

Yeah it's just a waiting game now I just have a bad feeling. It's a cool coral and I paid a good price for it..I'd hate to see it die