Diamond In The Rough

by | Nov 20, 2014 | Science | 0 comments

yellbluetenius2014
You just never know when you will find a gem.  This coral is a prime example of this premise when speaking about corals in captivity.  This Acropopra tenius started out very different then it appears today.  Even with the couple decades of keeping corals under my belt I did not see the potential in this specimen.  It was a small seed fragment I acquired from a hobbyist at one of the many frag swaps I attended.  The coloration was quite unimpressive so I did not give it much attention or prime real estate in any of my systems until recently.  After a few months in the original location it was placed I saw the yellow pigments and a hint of blue on the axial coralites.  I promptly decided it was worthy of some attention and better placement.  I positioned it to receive strong light and random flow in one of my most mature reef aquariums.  After several months in the new location the pigments began to develop into what you see now.  As each month passes the coral becomes more vibrant although  is not adding mass as quickly as I would anticipate.  The polyp extension and new active growth tips tell me I did the right thing.  Now I must have patience and watch my new gem grow into a mature colony with hopes of propagating this coral in the future.  I believe it has the genetics to be a worthy addition to my brood stock and only time will tell if I made the proper decision.  The moral of the story is you just never know.  Never assume a certain specimen will not become your next diamond in the rough.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Upcoming Events