Favia are a genus of reef-building stony corals, known for their massive or thickly encrusting colonies, often dome-shaped or flat. They are commonly referred to as brain corals or closed brain corals, and are part of the family Mussidae. Favia corals are characterized by having individual walls for each corallite, and they have sweeper tentacles which can extend and sting other corals.
Here's a more detailed description:
Growth Form:
Favia corals can grow in various shapes, including massive, dome-shaped, or encrusting.
Corallites:
The corallites, which are the individual cups where the polyps live, are plocoid (placing them in a cone shape) and often have their own walls.
Septa and Costae:
These structures are well-developed and covered with fine teeth, contributing to the coral's intricate structure.
Polyps:
Favia polyps extend and feed at night, using their tentacles to capture prey and assess their surroundings.
Sweeper Tentacles:
These tentacles are used to "sweep" the water and detect nearby corals, potentially leading to aggression and "coral wars".
Habitat:
Favia corals are found in various reef environments, including shallow water and deeper slopes.
Color:
They can display a wide range of colors, including pale grey, green, brown, and often have calices of contrasting colors
Leptastrea is a genus of stony corals, often described as "encrusting" or "plocoid," meaning they grow in a flat, dome-like shape by covering the substrate. They are relatively beginner-friendly corals, known for their diverse color variations and a tendency towards slower growth compared to some other encrusting corals. Leptastrea colonies typically have small, barrel-shaped corallites with distinct grooves and tubercles.
Key features of Leptastrea corals:
Growth Form: Encrusting or plocoid, forming flat or dome-shaped colonies.
Corallites: Small, barrel-shaped corallites with grooves and tubercles separating them.
Color: Available in a wide range of colors, including cream, green, yellow, and variations of these.
Growth Rate: Generally slow-growing, making them suitable for smaller tanks or aquascapes where rapid growth is undesirable.
Lighting: Can tolerate a range of lighting conditions, from lower to moderate.
Current: Often found in areas with moderate to high water movement.
Care: Considered beginner-friendly, but proper feeding (small food particles) and adequate water parameters are important.
Stinging: Leptastrea have a stinging power, so spacing them appropriately from other corals is recommended.
Lithophyllon is a genus of stony corals belonging to the family Fungiidae, also known as mushroom corals. They are encrusting corals that can grow as colonies, though they are now more commonly found as solitary polyps. Lithophyllon are typically found in shallow reef environments and are considered uncommon.
Key Characteristics:
Colony Formation: Lithophyllon can form colonies, with some species having a central corallite distinguishable in smaller colonies.
Appearance: They are often tan in color and can resemble other corals like Cantharellus jebbi.
Habitat: They inhabit shallow reef environments.
Tentacles: Their tentacles are usually extended only at night.
Species:
Lithophyllon repanda (Oval mushroom coral), Lithophyllon undulatum (Stone leaf coral), Lithophyllon ranjithi, and Lithophyllon lobata.
Cycloseris tenuis, a coral species, is characterized by its circular, thin, and flat polyps with a small central dome. The septa are in markedly different orders, but each septum is uniform throughout its length. The undersurface of the polyp exhibits thick, irregularly arranged costae. Its color is typically pale brown or yellow. This species is found in soft inter-reef substrates and is considered rare. It can be confused with Cycloseris costulata, which has thinner, more regular costae
Homophyllia bowerbanki orange is a coral known for its encrusting growth form, often with a central, prominent corallite. Red Bowerbanki, a variety of Homophyllia bowerbanki, typically displays shades of pale gray, brown, or rust, often with a marbled or mottled appearance. It's not fleshy and has irregularly shaped, cerioid corallites. While typically smaller, they can grow to over 1.5 meters in diameter.
Homophyllia bowerbanki is a coral known for its encrusting growth form, often with a central, prominent corallite. Red Bowerbanki, a variety of Homophyllia bowerbanki, typically displays shades of pale gray, brown, or rust, often with a marbled or mottled appearance. It's not fleshy and has irregularly shaped, cerioid corallites. While typically smaller, they can grow to over 1.5 meters in diameter.
Ricordea yuma is a vibrant, soft coral species known for its distinctive, often bright colors and irregular, bubble-like tentacles. They are a popular choice for reef aquariums due to their relatively easy care and beautiful appearance. Ricordea yuma are native to the Pacific Ocean and are known for their ability to thrive in a variety of lighting conditions. They can reproduce both sexually and asexually through budding.
Key Characteristics:
Shape: Ricordea yuma typically have a rounded or lobed shape, with a large mouth disk.
Color: They come in a wide range of colors, including neon greens, oranges, and blues.
Tentacles: Their surface is covered with an irregular mat of short, bubble-like tentacles.
Care: They generally prefer moderate to high lighting and moderate water flow.
Growth: They can spread by budding, allowing them to colonize areas quickly.
Hardiness: They are relatively hardy and suitable for both beginner and experienced reef keepers.
Distinguishing Features from Ricordea Florida:
Ricordea yuma tend to have a higher concentration of tentacles around the mouth, while Ricordea florida have a more random distribution of tentacles.
Ricordea yuma also tend to have alternating rows of large and small tentacles radiating outwards from the mouth.
Anthelia coral, also known as Waving Hand or Glove Coral, is a soft coral genus characterized by long, thin, and often purple or bluish polyps that wave gracefully in the current. These corals form a creeping mat, with their polyps extending from the base. They are known for their light appearance and constant movement, resembling an underwater field of seagrass.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance: Anthelia corals have a distinctive appearance with long, thin polyps that resemble gloves or waving hands. They often have a creeping mat base, with the polyps extending upwards.
Color: They can come in various colors, including pink, blue, brown, or tan.
Movement: The polyps of Anthelia corals wave in the water current, giving them their common name "Waving Hand Coral". They are not known for the pulsing behavior seen in Xenia corals, but rather a gentle swaying.
Growth: Anthelia corals are fast-growing and can quickly cover adjacent rock work.
Care: They are relatively easy to care for, requiring medium to high lighting and a medium to strong water flow.
Invasive: They can be a bit invasive and should be placed with plenty of space, as they may overgrow other corals.
Other names: They are also referred to as "Glove Coral," "Pom-Pom Coral," or "Anthelia Waving Hand Coral".
Nutrient requirements: While they rely on symbiotic zooxanthellae for photosynthesis, trace elements like iodine are beneficial.
Anthelia corals are a popular addition to reef aquariums, adding a visually appealing and dynamic element with their waving polyps and graceful movement
Pulsing Xenia (Heteroxenia fuscescens) is a soft coral known for its rhythmic, pulsing movement and feathery polyps. It has long, sturdy stalks adorned with feathery tentacles that pulse, opening and closing in a "pumping" fashion, adding movement to the reef tank. Pulsing Xenia is a fast grower and a popular choice for reef tanks, both for beginners and experienced hobbyists.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
Stalks:
Pulsing Xenia features long, sturdy stalks.
Polyps:
The stalks are topped with feathery polyps (tentacles) that pulse in a rhythmic, opening and closing motion.
Colors:
Pulsing Xenia can come in a variety of colors, including lavender, cream, pink, and purple.
Growth:
It's known for its rapid growth rate, which can quickly cover rock surfaces.
Movement:
Pulsing:
The most distinctive feature of Pulsing Xenia is its rhythmic pulsing movement of the polyps, which can reach up to 40 pulses per minute.
Water Movement:
The pulsing action helps to create water movement around the coral, aiding in nutrient exchange.
Other Notable Features:
Fast Growth:
Pulsing Xenia is a fast-growing coral, making it a good choice for beginners who are looking for a coral that will quickly fill up the tank.
Easy Care:
It's relatively easy to care for, thriving in a variety of reef tank conditions.
Photosynthesis:
Pulsing Xenia is a photosynthetic coral, meaning it can produce its own food through sunlight, but it also absorbs nutrients from the water.
Propogation:
It can be easily propagated in captivity
Price per 1 polyp
Ricordea florida, a type of corallimorph, is a popular and hardy "false coral" known for its bright colors and ease of care in saltwater aquariums. They are characterized by a small, disc-like body with short, bubble-like tentacles and come in various shades of purple, orange, green, blue, and yellow. While they are not true corals, they are still considered a popular addition to many reef tanks.
Key characteristics of Ricordea florida:
Appearance: They have a disc-like body with a smooth, sometimes ruffled edge, and a central oral disk where the mouth and tentacles are located.
Tentacles: Short, rounded tentacles cover the body, and these can be various colors, including the mouth.
Coloration: They exhibit a wide range of colors, including purple, orange, green, blue, and yellow.
Ease of Care: Ricordea florida is known for being easy to care for, making it suitable for beginners.
Habitat: They are native to the Caribbean and are found in shallow, turbid waters.
Feeding: They are primarily suspension feeders and can also photosynthesize, making them relatively easy to maintain.
Growth and Reproduction: They can grow quickly and often reproduce by splitting or budding.
Water Conditions: They prefer a moderate water current and light.
Price per polyp
Metarhodactis is a genus of corallimorpharian, specifically the genus Metarhodactis, belonging to the family Discosomidae. It's a monotypic genus, meaning it contains only one species, Metarhodactis boninensis. These organisms are known for their large, oval-shaped oral discs with curled edges and unbranched papilliform tentacles. They are also characterized by having a high density of zooxanthellae in their tentacle gastrodermal tissue.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Classification:
Metarhodactis is a corallimorpharian, falling under the phylum Cnidaria, subphylum Anthozoa, class Hexacorallia, order Corallimorpharia, and family Discosomidae.
Description:
Studies on Thai specimens of Metarhodactis have shown they possess oval-shaped oral discs with curled edges and unbranched papilliform tentacles.
Zooxanthellae:
These corals have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, which are photosynthetic organisms that provide them with nutrients.
Nematocysts:
Metarhodactis possesses a variety of nematocysts, with holotrichs III and microbasic p-mastigophores being the most abundant.
Reproduction:
Male and female reproductive organs are found in separate individuals.
Distribution:
The species Metarhodactis boninensis is found in various parts of the world, including Thailand and Japan.
price per polyp
Rhodactis, commonly known as mushroom corals, are a type of corallimorph that are easily recognizable by their large, individual polyps that resemble mushrooms. They are related to stony corals but do not form a stony skeleton. Rhodactis are popular in reef aquariums for their easy care and adaptable nature.
Key Characteristics of Rhodactis:
Appearance:
They are soft, fleshy, and have a jelly-like texture. Their individual polyps can be quite large, often reaching 1-18 inches in size.
Color and Texture:
They come in a wide variety of colors, including green, brown, tan, pink, and purple, and can have different textures, some even resembling hairy mushrooms.
Habitat:
They are found in the Indo-Pacific region, including Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef.
Care:
Rhodactis are known for being easy to care for and can thrive in a variety of aquarium environments.
Feeding:
They are photosynthetic and can also feed on particulate matter and small invertebrates.
Lighting:
Rhodactis generally prefer low to moderate lighting, ideally in the range of 75-150 PAR.
Flow:
They prefer low to moderate water flow.
Rhodactis in Reef Aquariums:
Rhodactis mushrooms are a popular choice for both beginner and experienced aquarists.
They can be placed in a variety of reef tank environments, making them a versatile choice.
They can be propagated (fragged) by experienced hobbyists.
Some species, like the Elephant Ear variety, can even be aggressive feeders and may consume smaller fish.
