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soft corals live deeper water than hard corals because soft corals do not create a hard outer skeleton as the hard corals do.
The difference is in the name; soft corals have a soft body, with no bony or hard parts. In contrast, hard corals have a hard endoskeleton made of calcium carbonate.
The difference is in the name; soft corals are soft have body ; with no bony or hard Parts
Usually 72 - 76 degrees F, but most corals prefer different temps, when answering this question it depends on if it is soft corals or hard corals, but this is the average temp
no corals do not catch plankton even though they are an animal Actually, both hard and soft corals do catch plankton. A coral polyp (the individual coral animal) has a mouth surrounded by stinging tentacles. Hard corals stretch out their tentacles at night, when the plankton are drifting in the water. (Soft corals may catch plankton both at night and in the daytime.) The corals use their tentacles to sting the plankton and stuff it into their mouths.
Hard Corals and Soft Corals are not so easily defined because some corals which fall into the Soft Coral category are not actually soft. The basics are like this: Corals start out as free-floating larvae. The larva eventually attaches itself to a hard surface and becomes a polyp (individual coral). The polyp is a very tiny animal (a few millimeters in diameter) looking something like a sea anemone. Coral polyps live side by side in colonies. The Hard coral (such as Brain Coral) polyp secretes a limestone skeleton cup around itself and lives inside for protection. When a polyp dies, its skeleton or "house" remains intact. The name "hard coral" comes from skeleton around the polyp. Hard corals are the reef builders Soft coral (such as gorgonians or sea fans) are more tree-like and flexible. The skeleton of soft corals is located within their bodies, giving them form but allowing them to move with the waves. When you look at a coral formation you are looking at a colony of corals or lots of polyp "houses" (in the case of hard corals). Many identical coral individuals next to each other, forming a texture, pattern or structure. The pattern's characteristics are determined by the coral's species. Besides the skeleton location, most hard corals have 6 tentacles where most soft corals have 8.
Hard Corals and Soft Corals are not so easily defined because some corals which fall into the Soft Coral category are not actually soft. The basics are like this: Corals start out as free-floating larvae. The larva eventually attaches itself to a hard surface and becomes a polyp (individual coral). The polyp is a very tiny animal (a few millimeters in diameter) looking something like a sea anemone. Coral polyps live side by side in colonies. The Hard coral (such as Brain Coral) polyp secretes a limestone skeleton cup around itself and lives inside for protection. When a polyp dies, its skeleton or "house" remains intact. The name "hard coral" comes from skeleton around the polyp. Hard corals are the reef builders Soft coral (such as gorgonians or sea fans) are more tree-like and flexible. The skeleton of soft corals is located within their bodies, giving them form but allowing them to move with the waves. When you look at a coral formation you are looking at a colony of corals or lots of polyp "houses" (in the case of hard corals). Many identical coral individuals next to each other, forming a texture, pattern or structure. The pattern's characteristics are determined by the coral's species. Besides the skeleton location, most hard corals have 6 tentacles where most soft corals have 8.
I have seen may blue soft corals in my 35 years of scuba diving in the carribean. As for hard corals, I am not certain. Hi Pootie!
Fan corals are a group of soft corals in the order Gorgonacea. They are soft corals that form colonies that look like fans.
Hard Corals and Soft Corals are not so easily defined because some corals which fall into the Soft Coral category are not actually soft. The basics are like this: Corals start out as free-floating larvae. The larva eventually attaches itself to a hard surface and becomes a polyp (individual coral). The polyp is a very tiny animal (a few millimeters in diameter) looking something like a sea anemone. Coral polyps live side by side in colonies. The Hard coral (such as Brain Coral) polyp secretes a limestone skeleton cup around itself and lives inside for protection. When a polyp dies, its skeleton or "house" remains intact. The name "hard coral" comes from skeleton around the polyp. Hard corals are the reef builders Soft coral (such as gorgonians or sea fans) are more tree-like and flexible. The skeleton of soft corals is located within their bodies, giving them form but allowing them to move with the waves. When you look at a coral formation you are looking at a colony of corals or lots of polyp "houses" (in the case of hard corals). Many identical coral individuals next to each other, forming a texture, pattern or structure. The pattern's characteristics are determined by the coral's species. Besides the skeleton location, most hard corals have 6 tentacles where most soft corals have 8.
The Great Barrier Reef is made up of both hard corals and soft corals. The term 'soft coral' is the name given to the coral group with the scientific name of Alcyonacea. They are different from hard coral polyps, which have multiples of six tentacles, by the fact that the soft coral polyps always have eight tentacles.
Hard Corals and Soft Corals are not so easily defined because some corals which fall into the Soft Coral category are not actually soft. The basics are like this: Corals start out as free-floating larvae. The larva eventually attaches itself to a hard surface and becomes a polyp (individual coral). The polyp is a very tiny animal (a few millimeters in diameter) looking something like a sea anemone. Coral polyps live side by side in colonies. The Hard coral (such as Brain Coral) polyp secretes a limestone skeleton cup around itself and lives inside for protection. When a polyp dies, its skeleton or "house" remains intact. The name "hard coral" comes from skeleton around the polyp. Hard corals are the reef builders Soft coral (such as gorgonians or sea fans) are more tree-like and flexible. The skeleton of soft corals is located within their bodies, giving them form but allowing them to move with the waves. When you look at a coral formation you are looking at a colony of corals or lots of polyp "houses" (in the case of hard corals). Many identical coral individuals next to each other, forming a texture, pattern or structure. The pattern's characteristics are determined by the coral's species. Besides the skeleton location, most hard corals have 6 tentacles where most soft corals have 8.