Carnation tree coral
Scientific name: Dendronephthya sp.
Description: A very brightly colored soft coral, the carnation tree coral, is highly branched with multiple groupings of polyps. The polyps open up at night and filter feed on passing micro-organisms such as phytoplankton. This soft coral is found at depths of about 30-45 feet amongst strong currents in the tropical Western Indo-pacific reefs.
Fun Facts:
- They do not have symbiotic photosynthetic algae like most corals
- There are over 200 species of soft coral, dendronephthya, and Indonesia is the largest exporter to the U.S.
