You may have heard of how soft corals are considered one of the best ones for reef aquarium enthusiasts. Now, you can get these soft colors in various options and colors like Green Star Polyp or GSP, Pink Star Polyp, and many more.
So, if you specifically have a Pink Star Polyp, there are certain things that you need to take care of to keep them healthy and to increase their lifetime.
If you are a beginner at this, then you might want to read on to know everything about Pink Star Polyps care.
What is Pink Star Polyp?
Knowing what kind of coral you have and their characteristics can help you understand how to take care of them.
First of all, you need to know that a Pink Star polyp is typically a kind of soft coral. Now, what are soft corals? Well, the answer is simple. As the name suggests, soft corals have a soft and bendable body. Hence, these corals do not consist of a hard skeleton. Instead, they have cores and fleshy rinds that help in support and protection.
Now, as most of the soft corals grown in a colony, your Pink Star polyps are colonial too and require similar care. These don’t form a reef.
How to Take Care of Pink Star Polyp?
You’re pretty much aware of the general characteristics of Star Polyp. Yet, the question remains about how to take care of them. Keep in mind that as these polyps are soft corals, most of the time, they require similar care as the other soft corals.
Given below is everything that you need to know.
1. Tank Lighting
For your polyp coral, lighting is quite necessary. It is because of the presence of algae inside them that require lighting to synthesize proper nutrients for your Pink Star Polyp.
The lighting requirements for this coral are quite simple. You just need to ensure that you provide moderate lighting to them. When the lighting is too much, your polyp will end up removing the algae due to over synthesis of nutrients.
On the other hand, poor lighting can inhibit the growth of the coral as the nutrient requirements aren’t met.
Hence, it is best to go for moderate lighting around 50 to 150 PAR.
2. Water Flow
The tank’s water plays a major role in your coral’s growth. Just like most other soft corals, the water flow for a Pink Star polyp should be around low to moderate.
Hence, take care of the water flow as it can affect everything from the nutrient flow to the gas exchange in your reef tank.
3. Nutrient and Food Requirements
Pink Star Polyps, like other Star Polyps, contain algae inside them known as zooxanthellae. These photosynthetic algae are in a symbiotic relationship with your coral.
Hence, using the PAR light, these algae synthesize and provide the polyp with the necessary nutrients. So, Star Polyps don’t specifically have any necessary nutrient requirements.
Yet, we should always try to remember that they are still animals. So, owing to their faster and healthier growth, you can always try providing them with additional food. Now, you can either go for target-feeding or provide them with the same food as given to the tank fishes, crabs, etc.
4. Placement
It is extremely important to place your pink Star polyps properly. It is because they are capable of colonizing their surroundings. This could easily damage the organisms around them.
Hence, it is suggested that this soft corals are kept away from organisms like hard corals and living rocks.
Moreover, it is also suggested to not keep these polyps near to organisms having nematocysts. These nematocysts can definitely hamper the growth of your Pink Star polyp. Additionally, star polyps can also cause harm to the organism bearing nematocyst by draining their energy.
So now, the question arises where to keep these corals?
It is always a better idea to place your corals on little rocks such that they don’t colonize the surroundings.
5. Water Requirements
Now that you are aware of the water flow, let’s talk about the other water requirements.
First of all, talking about the tank temperature, It should be anywhere between 78° to 82° Fahrenheit. When it comes to water hardness, keep in mind that Pink Star polyps require basic water. Hence the pH of the water should be near about 8.1 to 8.4.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if the alkalinity and pH of the water are not proper, then, you will notice that the Pink Star polyp is not spreading properly.
6. Shedding in Pink Star Polyps
You will sometimes notice that your Pink Star polyp is shedding. Know that this kind of phenomenon is not common and happens due to some or other problem.
For instance, it may happen that the water flow of your tank is not proper. Additionally, sometimes these polyps might shed the slime too. This helps them in the removal of any algae present on it.
7. Nutrient Requirements
Let’s talk about the mineral nutrient requirements of a Pink Star polyp.
Your reef tank requires about 400ppm of Calcium. Additionally, you also need to check on the concentration of nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia as they may harm your polyp.
Lastly, to ensure that your reef tank has proper mineral nutrients, always go for the best quality reef salt mix. This will balance the amount of minerals in the tank.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, just like many other soft corals, taking care of Pink Star polyps isn’t that hard either.
There are certain set conditions that you need to keep the water flow as well as the lighting moderate. Moreover, ensure that the placement of the polyp is proper due to its colonizing properties.
Once you follow the above care tips, you wouldn’t have to worry about your soft coral!
