Echinophyllia is a genus of large polyp stony corals (LPS), also known as chalice corals, found in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea. These corals are colonial and foliaceous, with thin, often plate-like or encrusting colonies. They are popular in reef aquariums due to their relatively easy care and various color variations.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Appearance:
Echinophyllia corals have a flat, encrusting growth habit, forming thin plates or laminae. They can have a central corallite or widely spaced radial corallites.
Color:
They come in various colors, including gray-blue, green, brown, and red.
Habitat:
They prefer sheltered reef environments, especially lower reef slopes and vertical surfaces.
Care in Aquariums:
Echinophyllia corals thrive in moderately lit aquariums with low to moderate current and are sensitive to high levels of phosphate
Scientific Classification:
Echinophyllia is a genus of large polyp stony corals, often sold under the name "Chalice Coral" due to their distinct shape and difficulty in precise species differentiation
Similarities:
Echinophyllia corals can resemble Oxypora, but Echinophyllia species tend to have more prominent central corallites.
Key Species:
Echinophyllia aspera (Flat Lettuce Coral): A common and encrusting type of chalice coral.
Echinophyllia echinata: Similar in appearance to Echinomorpha nishihirai, featuring a prominent central corallite.
Echinophyllia echinoporoides: Characterized by small, immersed corallites and exsert costae.
Echinophyllia patula: Distinguishable by its thin laminae with widely spaced, irregular corallites.
Echinophyllia tarae: Has a distinctive paliform crown and a compact, spongy columella.
Fox coral, also known as Nemenzophyllia turbida, is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral. It's a peaceful coral with no visible tentacles, making it easy to maintain and suitable for both novice and experienced reef aquarists. Fox corals thrive in moderate lighting and low water movement, and benefit from the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements in the water.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
Fox corals have a unique appearance with large, fleshy polyps that can extend significantly during the day. They lack visible tentacles and have a pale green or tan color.
Care:
Fox corals are relatively easy to care for, requiring moderate lighting, low water flow, and regular additions of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements.
Feeding:
They can benefit from additional food like micro-plankton or brine shrimp.
Fragility:
The fox coral's skeleton is quite fragile and needs to be handled with care.
Compatibility:
Fox corals are generally peaceful and don't typically pose a threat to other corals
Price per head
Euphyllia paradivisa, commonly called branching frogspawn coral, is a species of large-polyped stony coral native to the Indo-Pacific. It's known for its branching structure, where numerous polyps, each with large, hammer-shaped tentacles, extend from the main stem. These polyps typically display a pale greenish-grey or pink coloration, with lighter tentacle tips.
Here's a more detailed look:
Appearance:
Euphyllia paradivisa has a branching structure, resembling a small, delicate tree with multiple polyps. The polyps themselves are large and have tentacles with distinctive, hammer-shaped tips.
Coloration:
The coral's base color is often a pale greenish-grey, but it can also exhibit pink or even bicolor variations with purple tips and green stems. The tentacle tips are generally lighter than the main body of the polyp.
Habitat:
These corals are found in shallow reef environments, particularly in areas protected from strong wave action.
Care:
Euphyllia paradivisa is a popular species in the marine aquarium hobby, but it requires stable water parameters and moderate water flow. They are generally considered moderate to easy to keep, especially when provided with adequate light and a stable environment.
Fluorescence:
Many Euphyllia paradivisa corals on rockcorals.de exhibit fluorescence, particularly when illuminated with blue-dominated light.
Acropora corals are hard corals characterized by their branched or tabular morphology, fast growth rate, and high morphological plasticity. They are a vital functional group in coral reefs, creating complex habitats and covering hectares of reef surface.
Here's a more detailed look:
Key Characteristics:
Growth Pattern:
Acropora corals grow in colonies, with branches formed by axial and radial polyps.
Habitat:
They are typically found in shallow, clear, unpolluted water with ample light, temperature above 20°C, and constant salinity.
Morphology:
Their colonies can take on various forms, including arborescent (tree-like), table-like, corymbose (cushion-like), digitate (finger-like), hispidose, and encrusting.
Importance:
Acropora corals are crucial for building the structure of coral reefs and providing habitats for a variety of marine life.
Factors Affecting Acropora:
Water Quality: Clear, unpolluted water is essential for growth and survival.
Lighting: They require ample light for their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) to photosynthesize.
Temperature: Optimal temperatures above 20°C are needed.
Salinity: Constant salinity levels are important.
Price per one polyp
Euphyllia glabrescens, commonly known as Torch Coral, is a large-polyp stony coral characterized by its long, tubular polyps with knob-like tips and a range of colors, often bicolored with contrasting tentacle tips. These corals are colonial, with corallites (individual coral units) spaced apart and having thin, sharp-edged walls.
Key features of Euphyllia glabrescens:
Appearance:
Long, tubular polyps resembling a torch, with a variety of colors including brown, green, pink, and fluorescent shades.
Colony Structure:
Phaceloid (corallites arranged in a branching pattern), with corallites 20-30 mm in diameter and spaced 15-30 mm apart.
Tentacles:
Large, tubular tentacles with knob-like tips.
Color:
Can be found in various colors, often with contrasting colors on the tentacles and polyp tips.
Care:
Suitable for intermediate-level reef keepers, requiring stable water parameters, moderate to high lighting, and moderate water flow.
Feeding:
While they can photosynthesize, they benefit from supplemental feeding with small meaty foods like zooplankton or coral-specific foods.
Aggression:
Can have sweeper tentacles that may harm neighboring corals, so they should be placed away from other corals.
Compatibility:
Clownfish often use torch corals as their home
Price per one polyp
Euphyllia glabrescens, commonly known as Torch Coral, is a large-polyp stony coral characterized by its long, tubular polyps with knob-like tips and a range of colors, often bicolored with contrasting tentacle tips. These corals are colonial, with corallites (individual coral units) spaced apart and having thin, sharp-edged walls.
Key features of Euphyllia glabrescens:
Appearance:
Long, tubular polyps resembling a torch, with a variety of colors including brown, green, pink, and fluorescent shades.
Colony Structure:
Phaceloid (corallites arranged in a branching pattern), with corallites 20-30 mm in diameter and spaced 15-30 mm apart.
Tentacles:
Large, tubular tentacles with knob-like tips.
Color:
Can be found in various colors, often with contrasting colors on the tentacles and polyp tips.
Care:
Suitable for intermediate-level reef keepers, requiring stable water parameters, moderate to high lighting, and moderate water flow.
Feeding:
While they can photosynthesize, they benefit from supplemental feeding with small meaty foods like zooplankton or coral-specific foods.
Aggression:
Can have sweeper tentacles that may harm neighboring corals, so they should be placed away from other corals.
Compatibility:
Clownfish often use torch corals as their home
Price per 1 polyp
Euphyllia glabrescens, commonly known as Torch Coral, is a large-polyp stony coral characterized by its long, tubular polyps with knob-like tips and a range of colors, often bicolored with contrasting tentacle tips. These corals are colonial, with corallites (individual coral units) spaced apart and having thin, sharp-edged walls.
Key features of Euphyllia glabrescens:
Appearance:
Long, tubular polyps resembling a torch, with a variety of colors including brown, green, pink, and fluorescent shades.
Colony Structure:
Phaceloid (corallites arranged in a branching pattern), with corallites 20-30 mm in diameter and spaced 15-30 mm apart.
Tentacles:
Large, tubular tentacles with knob-like tips.
Color:
Can be found in various colors, often with contrasting colors on the tentacles and polyp tips.
Care:
Suitable for intermediate-level reef keepers, requiring stable water parameters, moderate to high lighting, and moderate water flow.
Feeding:
While they can photosynthesize, they benefit from supplemental feeding with small meaty foods like zooplankton or coral-specific foods.
Aggression:
Can have sweeper tentacles that may harm neighboring corals, so they should be placed away from other corals.
Compatibility:
Clownfish often use torch corals as their home
The Orchid Dottyback, Pseudochromis fridmani, is a small, vibrant purple fish known for its striking color and tendency to dart around in search of food. They are found in the Red Sea and are relatively easy to keep in aquariums, making them a popular choice for reef tanks.
Key Features:
Appearance:
These fish are typically a bright purple with a bluish hue on the head and a thin, dark stripe through their eyes.
Size:
They grow to a maximum length of about 6.3 centimeters.
Habitat:
In the wild, they are found near reefs, often sheltering in holes and under overhangs.
Behavior:
While generally peaceful, they can be territorial and may defend their hiding places from other fish, especially those with similar coloration.
Diet:
They are carnivores and primarily eat plankton and small crustaceans like brine shrimp and krill.
Aquarium Care:
They thrive in reef aquariums and prefer plenty of hiding places like live rock. They are also relatively easy to feed, especially with meaty foods.
Chrysiptera parasema, commonly known as the Yellowtail Blue Damsel or Goldtail Demoiselle, is a small, vibrant saltwater fish with a distinct blue body and bright yellow tail. It is a popular aquarium fish due to its hardiness and striking appearance.
Key Features:
Appearance: The body is a rich, velvety dark blue, with a bright yellow tail (caudal fin) and sometimes yellow on the back of the anal and dorsal fins.
Size: Reaches up to 2.8-3 inches (7.1-7.6 cm) in length.
Origin: Found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Behavior: Known for being semi-aggressive and territorial, especially in confined spaces.
Diet: Omnivorous, eating algae, invertebrates, and small crustaceans.
Reef Compatibility: Generally reef-safe.
Care: Requires a well-established reef aquarium with ample hiding places, stable water parameters, and a diet of high-quality foods.
Distinguishing Features:
The yellow tail is a key characteristic that distinguishes it from similar damselfish species, such as the Azure Demoiselle (Chrysiptera hemicyanea), which has more yellow coloration on its body.
It can also be distinguished from other similar species by the intensity of the blue coloration and the presence of yellow on the caudal peduncle.
In Summary:
The Yellowtail Blue Damsel is a beautiful, relatively hardy, and popular aquarium fish known for its striking colors and unique tail. It's important to note that it can be territorial and requires a suitable aquarium environment to thrive.
Cyphastrea are a genus of massive, reef-building stony corals, commonly known as brain corals or meteor corals. They are part of the Merulinidae family and are popular in reef aquariums due to their unique appearance and vibrant colors.
Here's a more detailed description:
Key Characteristics:
Growth Pattern:
Cyphastrea corals can grow in a variety of forms, including encrusting, branching, and plating. They are known for their ability to encrust surfaces and form massive colonies.
Polyps:
They have small, star-shaped polyps that are characteristic of Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals.
Color:
Cyphastrea come in a wide range of colors, from red and blue to green, and even more unique combinations.
Natural Habitat:
They are native to the Indo-Pacific region, where they are found in various reef environments, including shaded or low-light areas.
Care:
They are generally considered relatively hardy corals and can adapt to a variety of tank conditions, but they prefer low to moderate light levels.
Popular Varieties:
Meteor Shower:
One of the most popular color morphs is the red and blue "Meteor Shower" variant.
Other Color Morph:
Other vibrant color variations are also available, such as green, pink, and yellow.
In Summary:
Cyphastrea corals are attractive, hardy, and versatile reef corals that come in a variety of forms and colors. They are popular with reef aquarium hobbyists for their unique appearance, ability to grow in different areas of the tank, and their ability to adapt to a variety of tank conditions
Lobophytum is a genus of soft corals, also known as devil's hand or finger leather corals, found in the Indo-Pacific region. These corals are characterized by their fleshy, finger-like outgrowths forming an umbrella-like structure on a short stalk. They are often tan or purple, but can also be brightly colored.
Key features of Lobophytum corals:
Appearance:
They resemble Sarcophyton (toadstool leathers) but have thick-fleshed, finger-like outgrowths.
Distribution:
Found in shallow water throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific.
Identification:
Accurate species identification requires microscopic examination of sclerites (calcareous needles).
Care:
Lobophytum corals require moderate to high lighting to support zooxanthellae, filter-feed, and may benefit from plankton supplements.
Aggression:
They are moderately aggressive, potentially releasing a toxin that irritates other corals.
Propagation:
Lobophytum corals are known for easy propagation and "fragging".
Microbiome:
Research suggests that the soft coral microbiome is relatively resilient to short-term environmental stressors.
Lighting:
Lobophytum corals are not particularly picky about lighting, but low to moderate light is generally preferred.
Salinity:
Maintaining a salinity between 34/35 per mille (1.022 and 1.024 density) is crucial for their health.
Cynarina lacrymalis, commonly known as the flat cup coral, solitary cup coral, or cat's eye coral, is a large, solitary stony coral. It is cylindrical, with a diameter up to 10 cm and a height of 8 cm, and has a single polyp nestled in a corallite. The corallite is a stony cup that the coral has secreted.
Key Features:
Shape and Size: Cylindrical, with a round or oval upper surface.
Corallite: A stony cup secreted by the coral.
Attachment: Usually fixed to rock but can be embedded in sand or unattached.
Color: Various colors, including pale brown, green, pinkish, and bluish, depending on the species of zooxanthellae present.
Tentacles: Extended only at night.
Mantle: Translucent and inflated with water during the day, allowing visibility of the septa.
Habitat: Protected reef environments and deep sandy substrates.
Abundance: Not common, but conspicuous.
