Rare Corals and Steve the 20 yr Old Coral. *Pics 56K Beware

[asonitez]

One of my favourite places to hang out is my LFS called the Pet Shanty on Route 22, New Jersey right near Bowcraft. Charlie the manager and Chichlid specialist is a fantastic guy to deal with and he always has the lowest prices in the area. I started my Saltwater tank mainly because of seeing (1) tank and its 2/3 corals that looked absolutely FANTASTIC under no super special lighting just regular acitinics and halides. I don't know the names of the 2 corals below (Charlie told me but I completely forgot at this time of posting) but they are probably the most beautiful corals I have ever seen in person. Especially the bubble one.

Since putting The coral in there "Steve the Big Guy" has never been fragged though he split and fragged himself 6 times in his 20 year life span. The other blue bubble looking coral was put in there as a 3 inch frag and has been left to grow wild. Charlie says he has never encountered another mutation of that coral quite like it. I told him when my tank is prepped would he consider fragging it and he told me yes its about time it can be fragged. I have first dibs on it as soon as my tank is cycled and alge storms go away.

So can anyone indentify them ?

 

[metalac]

My LFS has an anemone that's HUGE, kind of like that coral above. It fills up their 45 gallon tank.

I'd like to know what is that blue bubble one as well. I'd like to look it up.

 

[mr_X]

that's a hammer. like a frogspawn.

 

[Anonymous]

Now I might be going out on a limb here, but I think Steve is a little overcrowded in that tank

If I was content on keeping that coral in that tank I'd pull out a lot of that rock, it looks like Steve is smooshed against the glass.

That being said I have Fred, a 6-7 year Toadstool, granted he's no where as close to steve's size but in the past few years I've made a few fred clones.

Also they have a huge comforter sized sarco, Matt can back me up on this... but in the mean time here's a picture of it, bear in mind this tank is on the order of 20 feet tall (20,000 gallons)

 

[metalac]

... bear in mind this tank is on the order of 20 feet tall (20,000 gallons)

Only?

 

[Anonymous]

Yup!

 

[mr_X]

what lighting reaches 20 feet deep?
is there a skylight above it or something?

 

[ChrisRD]

Now I might be going out on a limb here, but I think Steve is a little overcrowded in that tank

...a bold statement, but I think I have to agree...

 

[Anonymous]

what lighting reaches 20 feet deep?
is there a skylight above it or something?

A few thousand watt bulbs that are focus the light rather than spread it out, like our reflectors do.

 

[Anonymous]

what lighting reaches 20 feet deep?
is there a skylight above it or something?

Mike has got it, right on.

There is an interesting diagram of this tank in The Reef Aquarium Volume 3 by Delbeek and Sprung in the lighting chapter. If you look at the PAR readings in the tank you'll see there are levels sufficient to grow stony corals even at the bottom of the tank, 18 feet down. We have several 1kW fixtures over the tank but no natural light.

 

[bleedingthought]

One of my favourite places to hang out is my LFS called the Pet Shanty on Route 22, New Jersey right near Bowcraft. Charlie the manager and Chichlid specialist is a fantastic guy to deal with and he always has the lowest prices in the area. I started my Saltwater tank mainly because of seeing (1) tank and its 2/3 corals that looked absolutely FANTASTIC under no super special lighting just regular acitinics and halides. I don't know the names of the 2 corals below (Charlie told me but I completely forgot at this time of posting) but they are probably the most beautiful corals I have ever seen in person. Especially the bubble one.

Since putting The coral in there "Steve the Big Guy" has never been fragged though he split and fragged himself 6 times in his 20 year life span. The other blue bubble looking coral was put in there as a 3 inch frag and has been left to grow wild. Charlie says he has never encountered another mutation of that coral quite like it. I told him when my tank is prepped would he consider fragging it and he told me yes its about time it can be fragged. I have first dibs on it as soon as my tank is cycled and alge storms go away.

So can anyone indentify them ?

Just make sure that he doesn't overcharge you on that euphyllia (the one you referred to as the "bubble looking coral"). From the looks of that picture, it doesn't look any more special than the common ones I see everywhere. Frags of it here (one head) go for around $5-$15.

 

[Anonymous]

what lighting reaches 20 feet deep?
is there a skylight above it or something?

Mike has got it, right on.

Well I occasionally pay attention at meetings I go to

 

[brandonberry]

I agree that there is nothing special about that Euphyllia. While it is a cool coral, it is not rare. I have about 5-6 different strains in my tanks. They are relatively easy to keep. "Steve" is a Sarcophyton, commonly called a toadstool leather. I wasn't sure if you were able to pick up on that from the posts above.