So, for the time being, exactly why pulse corals pulse will have to remain a mystery. However, no single explanation seems to satisfy this long-standing question. Others speculate that pulsing might be the coral’s attempt to regulate the amount of light reaching its tissues. Some suggest that the pulsing might help to promote water movement around the colony, which facilitates waste export. Could it be that the polyps pulse in order to trap tiny organisms or particulates in their feathery tentacles? While this explanation might seem plausible, it’s most assuredly not the case, since pulse corals are known to derive their sustenance from symbiotic zooxanthellae and the uptake of dissolved organic compounds from the water-not the capture of planktonic organisms. At first blush, it would seem to have something to do with feeding. Many possible reasons have been offered to explain why pulse corals pulse, but the experts can’t seem to agree on a purpose for this behavior.
As a general rule-though there are exceptions-the truly pulsing species belong to the genus Xenia, while most Anthelia species do not exhibit pulsing behavior in the aquarium. Members of these two genera can be easily distinguished from one another because with Xenia species the polyps arise from individual fleshy stalks, while the polyps of Anthelia species arise from a shared encrusting mat of tissue-similar to briareum (so-called encrusting gorgonians) and many zoanthid polyps. These corals belong to the family Xeniidae, which consists of numerous genera, including two that should be familiar to most reef keepers: Xenia and Anthelia. Visitors to my home, upon looking over the aquarium and observing the rhythmic motion of the pulse corals, typically “ooh and ahh” for a few minutes before asking questions like, “Are they actually moving on their own, or is the current doing that?” For some reason, most of them are genuinely impressed when they learn that the corals are moving all by themselves.įor those readers who are unfamiliar with pulse corals, they get their name from the pulsing-or continuous opening and closing-of the feathery tentacles of some species. Non-hobbyists seem to find pulse corals irresistible, as well. There’s just something about their pulsating action that I find utterly captivating For many years now, my 75-gallon reef tank has been home to a thriving (usually) population of pulse corals Xenia sp., and I must confess that I derive more joy from these little beauties than from any other inhabitant of my aquarium.
If you’re interested in our similar content, check out our magic power accent VFX.This month’s “Salt Creep” topic is one near and dear to my heart-pulse corals. Not only can these be great for motion graphics, but also for visual effects, such as in meteor impacts, sci-fi weapon muzzle flashes, or explosions!ĭownload these particle shockwave VFX assets today, and access the thousands of other assets available from ProductionCrate’s digital asset library.
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This will allow you to import these particle shockwave effects into almost any video editing software, including After Effects, Hitfilm, Nuke, Vegas Pro and more. In some of our file formats, the particle shockwaves have the alpha channel built-in. These are best composited using a screen or additive blending mode.
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