by Felicia McCaulley | Feb 7, 2017 | Eye Candy, Invertebrates, Reef
There are two genera of coral guard crabs commonly found in the aquarium trade – Trapezia and Tetralia – that are symbiotic with small polyp stony corals such as Acropora, Pocillopora, Stylophora, and Seriatopora... by ReefBum | Sep 2, 2016 | Corals, Reef, Science
SPS Deep Dive – ORA Red Planet The ORA Red Planet is one of my favorite SPS for a number of reasons. Number one, it is red and who doesn’t love a splash of red in their reef to color things up. Number two, it is a tabling acropora so it looks like it is a natural part of a reef and number three is its fast growth rate. The last one I had was about a foot and a half wide and it didn’t take too long to get there! The ORA Red Planet was acquired by ORA in May of 2006 and quickly became a popular coral among SPS enthusiasts once it became available for sale. There was certainly an excitement when ORA released it and by ReefBum | Jul 17, 2016 | Corals, Fish, Reef, Science
SPS Deep Dive – Tyree Lime in The Sky If you are a stag collector then you will want a Tyree Lime in The Sky, an electric lime green staghorn that is much sought after by SPS collectors. I do favor stags since they can be fast growers, have far reaching branches and remind me of what you would see in a natural reef with fish swimming in and out of coral. Stags can also attract non-swimming fish. I used to have a HUGE Green Bali Slimmer (not uncommon for this coral) in my old 225 gallon tank and my Flame Hawkfish used to just plant itself up high and observe its domain below. According to the Reeffarmers website, Greg Carroll of Southern California originally acquired this by Saltwater Smarts | Jul 14, 2016 | Corals, Reef, Science
Stylophora are a less-challenging SPS coral that still provides a similar aesthetic to more difficult speciesStylophora are branching small-polyp stony corals from the Family Pocilloporidae. Stylophora shares that family with Pocillopora and Seriatopora, and the three together are the only genera in the family. As a result of their close relationship to one another, all three of these genera share quite a lot in common. What is immediately obvious is that their appearance is very similar. They are all bushy, branching corals, and even on close inspection, their polyps are nearly indistinguishable. So, this is one of the rare instances where observing the whole colony is more helpful than taking a close look. Stylophora vs. Pocillopora vs. by ReefBum | Apr 2, 2016 | Corals, Reef, Science, Tanks
SPS Deep Dive – Tyree Red Dragon Limited edition corals generate a lot of buzz when released and the Tyree Red Dragon was at the top of the LE hit list a few years ago. Why did this coral grab so much attention? Well, it was unique due to its red/fuchsia color, white color polyps and growth pattern. The coral’s uniqueness and limited availability did translate into a very high price tag back then but today it is more readily available and can be had for a much more reasonable price. The Red Dragon is a deepwater Acropora with smooth skin, a low density of polyps and delicate, open branches. The coral requires good flow and does well in the middle part of the tank under
