Care
Clove Polyps, also known as Eight-TentaclePolyps, Fern Polyps, Glove Polyps, or Palm Tree Polyps, are members of the Clavularia genus of mat-forming soft corals. There are more than 40 members of this stoloniferus genus, the majority from the Indo-Pacific region, with only a sole representative in the Atlantic. Identification of Clavulariaspp. to species level is extremely difficult, even for experts in the field, which is why most in the trade are simply labelled with a descriptive common name. These corals are fairly easy to maintain in the home aquarium and naturally occur in many different morphological forms and colours, from beige, brown or purple-grey mats with cream, green, orange, purple, white, or yellow polyps. Oftentimes the centre of the polyp is a contrasting colour to the tentacles, and the tentacles themselves can vary in thickness, but each polypalway possesses a distinct eight tentacles. Clove Polyps form clumps connected by stolons (root-like growths which connect to the substrate), supported by unused sclerites, and from which tube-like calyces, 1-5cm (0.5-2") tall, arise uniformly. The solitary polyps are auto-zooids, and extend from the calyx; many species have attractive, feathery tentacles which look all the world like tiny ferns or palm trees because of their pinnate appearance. In the wild, Clove Polyps grow on reef slopes, rubble areas, and tidal lagoons. They are usually quite hardy in the home aquarium, but they will require moderate to bright lighting and decent current if they are to thrive; like many species, they are prone to detritus collection and filamentous algae growths if the water flow around them is not strong enough. Likewise, lighting must be bright enough for them to produce sufficient zooxanthellae, as they are poorly equipped for prey capture and also lack well-developed means of digestion. Exact levels of lighting are hard to determine as there are so many different Clavularia species in the trade, all with slightly differing requirements (due to the depth and clarity of the water they were collected); place yours in an area with good lighting and observe carefully to ensure that it is flourishing in its current position. Due to their colonial nature, Clove Polyps will spread to adjacent live rock quite easily, so allow plenty of room for growth. However, they are quite unusual in the fact that they are not easily damaged by the stings of other corals, and generally do not attack other corals themselves. Having said this, they are not totally immune from attack by particularly aggressive species, and some aquarists report that their Clove Polyps have had an adverse effect on some nearby zoanthid species (this problem should not manifest if sufficient space is left between them). Nonetheless, they do appear to have sufficient chemical defences to ward off any potential grazers. Please be aware that Clavularia spp. can be sensitive to some phosphate removers that contain aluminium oxide.
Feeding
This is a zooxanthellate species that requires good lighting to sustain the photosynthetic algae living symbiotically within its cells. Some experts believe that it may also benefit from the absorption of micro-particles from the water, so additional feeding with microscopic foodstuffs such as plankton and foods for filter-feeding invertebrates could be advantageous.
Propagation
Very easy " simply allow to spread to surrounding pieces of rockwork. Daughter polyps are produced from theedge of the stolons.
