On the Coral Spotlight blog posts I'm going to pick a few corals that are in store and online. Some will be new arrivals and some are just nice pieces that I like or think deserve a bit of the limelight for a minute. Either way, here's a few corals for this month that I think are worth a look at, just click the coral name and it will take you to the RockNCritters online listing, enjoy!
1. Rockin Redneck Favia. I don't think the photos really do this Favia any justice to be honest (the main picture is my attempt but in reality it's a lot brighter. I don't like photoshopped corals so neither RockNCritters.co.uk or myself will upload photoshopped pictures! Fact!). When you look over the coral tray which houses this Favia you could be forgiven for passing it off as just another Favia. But when you give it a little bit more than that initial 2 second gaze you can really begin to appreciate the vivid red and contrasting yellow green. This WYSIWG coral is a really great size as well, not too big that its cumbersome or would look out of place in your reef tank but just big enough that it is established enough to have an immediate impact on your reef that a frag just doesn't do straight away.
Favia are a relatively easy coral to care for too. They are an LPS coral so calcium and magnesium management will be important along with maintaining stable alkalinity. As for lighting and flow, these aren't especially demanding which makes them a great addition. The only thing to consider with Favia however is that they can be aggressive towards other corals so they are best placed a couple of inches away from other corals, out of reach from the Favias stinging tentacles that emerge when feeding or fighting.
2. Rainbow Acan Colony. I really like Acan lords or, if you want their proper name Micromussa Lordhowensis. I'm not sure what it is about them but to be honest I just really like them. Its probably no surprise then that this Rainbow Acan colony is on this months spotlight post. The rainbow colour set on each polyp is really eye grabbing and when you multiply this by the colony size of this WYSIWYG coral, it's really special I think. If you're not looking for a colony size coral then there is also a few frags in store too.
These Acans are also relatively easy to care for. Like the Rockin Redneck Favia they aren't particularly demanding when it comes to light but due to their polyps being quite fleshy, strong flow can cause them to not extend fully which will stop them from being happy. There should be just enough flow to push water over the polyps causing them to move slightly, this ensures that food is getting to the polyps and waste taken away. If the polyps look like they're getting battered with flow then either reduce the flow or reposition the coral. Some people report that the Acan is slow growing. I think it depends on the individual coral. I've had a red Acan that would grow new polyps like no-ones business whilst a green one would be a bit on the slow side. That could be down to a number of different factors though. You can easily feed Acans coral food, pellets and even Mysis or Brine shrimp to improve its health.
3. Neon Green Maze Coral. I've included this coral because colonies of Maze Coral are eye grabbers due to their maze like pattern of ridges. In the wild they are grouped into a type of coral called 'massive growth coral' on account of the boulder size colonies often found on the reef. The maze type pattern of ridges are quite different from many other corals on the reef and is instantly recognisable. These frags in store have a neon green base colour which really glows under blue light, so in the evenings this will really stand out in your reef tank. Whilst they are described as massive corals in the wild, I wouldn't worry too much about them getting out of hand in the reef tank, giving them a bit of space to grow into though is always a good idea.
As for care requirements, again this is a relatively easy and hardy coral. Good flow and lighting is important but they don't need intense levels of either. Like the Favia they can extend long sweeper tentacles for feeding and fighting. It's best to therefore put some space between this coral and others in your tank. You can also use the flow in the tank to make sure that sweeper tentacles sway away from other corals near by. They have been known to grown fast which is great news if you want the frag to spread out quickly but is also another reason to give it plenty of space.
