Red Blastomussa
The red blastomussa is a specific kind of blastomussa that features a unique red/green color combination surrounded the polyps intense green centers. Although the name of this type of blastomussa is red blastomussa the coloring is actually a combination of red and green in most versions.
Origins Of Red Blastomussa
(Some types of the red blastomussa wellsi will be monochromatic hues of red, but this is not as common.) Red blastomussa inhabit waters all over the world, but specifically from the Central Pacific to Indian Ocean and occasionally the Red Sea. Sometimes called Branched Cup, Pipe, or Pineapple Coral, the red blastomussa can be found in both species of blastomussa wellsi and Red Blastomussa Nickblastomussa merletti.
Differentiating Red Blastomussa Species
Identifying between the two is an easy surmise- simply analyzes the size of the polyps, as the blastomussa merletti has significantly larger polyps than its relative, the blastomussa wellsi. There are other differences between the two as well. The red blastomussa wellsi polyps will be shaped asymmetrical and contain large corallites (8-15mm diameter), versus the red blastomussa merletti polyps symmetrical shape and small corallites (6-8mm diameter). The polyps of the red blastomussa are nocturnal, and its tentacles will extend nightly for feeding.
Red Blastomussa & Feeding Methods
Red blastomussa acquire food in two ways- through relationships with tissue-based algae and plank tonic matter. The first process is photosynthesis, which this minute algae, called zooxanthellae, create from light, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The energy developed from this process is transferred to the red blastomussas polyps and consumed by the coral, whose waste products in turn feed the algae. This cycle continues repeatedly and is a mutually beneficial relationship for both the zooxanthellae and the red blastomussa coral. Red Blastomussa Colony.
Red Blastomussa Secondary Feeding
As a secondary and supplemental food source, the red blastomussa coral consumes a variety of organisms that pass through the colonies via the ocean currents. The red blastomussa coral is covered in a sticky layer of skin tissue that traps the floating plankton, similar to flies and other insects in a spiders web. Because the skeleton of the red blastomussa coral is extremely flexible, it will use this attribute to contort their body in many directions in order to push these trapped organisms into its mouth in the center of the polyp. In a home tank, the red blastomussa will need to be fed a regular diet of zooplankton to make up for the lack of true photosynthetic opportunities it may get in the wild.
Red Blastomussa In The Home Aquarium
Many hobbyists enjoy adding a red blastomussa to their home aquarium because it can be a striking centerpiece for a tank with its attractive red coloring.
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