by Joe Rowlett | Aug 27, 2018 | Corals
Merulinid level = expert by Saltwater Smarts | Nov 6, 2015 | Corals, Reef, Science
Symphyllia spp. coralSymphyllia are some of the most colorful large-polyp stony corals out there. Their bodies resemble Lobophyllia in many ways, but unlike lobos, they have a much more diverse color arrangement. I’ve seen them come in just about every color imaginable, and it is very common for them to have large bands of colors. Unfortunately, I don’t do very well with Symphyllia. As colorful and amazing as these corals are, they’re a no-go for me until I learn more about why they might be struggling in my system. by Joe Rowlett | Sep 19, 2015 | Corals, Eye Candy
Merulinidae: Astrea Four extant species (and two extinct) species make up this newly recognized genus. The species are mostly former Montastraea (plus one Plesiastrea) that are identifiable by their symmetrically-round polyps and intracalicular... by Joe Rowlett | Sep 18, 2015 | Corals, Eye Candy
Merulinidae: Favites With twenty species, this is the second most speciose genus of merulinid coral. As discussed above, Favites shares most of its morphological characters with Dipsastraea, differing most visibly in the nature of the corallite arrangement (typically... by Joe Rowlett | Sep 17, 2015 | Corals, Eye Candy
Coral identification is a challenge for every aquarist, and few groups pose as many difficulties as the “closed brain corals”. Well known aquarium references (Sprung 1999, Borneman 2001) are rife with erroneous generalizations and outdated...
