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.
Acanthurus pyroferus, also known as the chocolate surgeonfish or mimic surgeonfish, is a species of surgeonfish. Adults are typically dark brown or purplish-black with a yellowish tan anterior. They have a distinct orange patch at the gill opening and a prominent yellow band on the posterior margin of their caudal fin. Juveniles exhibit different color patterns that mimic other fish species like lemonpeel angelfish.
Key features of Acanthurus pyroferus:
Size: They can grow up to 29 cm (11 inches) in length.
Coloration: Adults are usually dark brown to purplish-black, sometimes with a yellowish tan anterior. They have an orange patch at the gill opening and a yellow band on their tail.
Fins: The dorsal fin has 8 spines and 27-30 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 24-28 soft rays. The tail fin edge is lunate in adults and round in juveniles.
Tail Spine: A single, depressible spine on the side of the tail base, which is part of their defense mechanism.
Diet: They are herbivores and primarily graze on algae.
Habitat: Found in reef environments, including the Indo-Pacific region, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean
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.
Archaster typicus, commonly known as the sand sifting starfish or common sea star, is a marine invertebrate with a flat, gray or brownish body. They have five long, slightly tapering arms, though variations with three, four, or even six arms can occur. These starfish are adapted to life on sandy seabeds, where they bury themselves during high tide and move on the surface during low tide.
Key Characteristics:
Shape and Size: Five-limbed star with long, slightly tapering arms. Adults reach 12-15 cm in diameter.
Coloration: Grey or brownish, often with darker and lighter patches, sometimes forming a chevron pattern. Underside is pale.
Habitat: Sandy seabed, where they burrow and move over the surface.
Feeding: They are detritivores, feeding on organic matter in the sand.
Behavior: Active in the top layers of the sand, stirring it to prevent sediment buildup and promote oxygenation.
In Marine Aquariums:
Beneficial: They are popular in reef aquariums for cleaning and aerating the sand bed.
Peaceful and Reef-Safe: They are peaceful and won't harm fish, corals, or other invertebrates.
Maintenance: Require a thick sandy bottom and proper water conditions (temperature, pH).
Deep Cleaning: They stir the top layers of sand (up to 3 cm deep) but don't clean deeply below that.
Conomurex luhuanus, commonly known as the Strawberry Conch or Tiger Conch, is a medium-sized sea snail. It's a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the family Strombidae, which includes true conchs. These snails are known for their vibrant shell interiors, typically colored orange, red, or pink, with a black or chocolate-brown inner lip border.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
The shell exterior can have a mottled, striped, or banded pattern, often with pink and white colors reminiscent of strawberries. The interior of the shell is the most striking feature, showcasing bright shades of orange, red, or pink.
Size:
Conomurex luhuanus can grow up to 8 cm (approximately 3 inches) in length.
Diet:
These snails are herbivores, feeding on algae, detritus, and organic matter. They also consume bristleworms and cyanobacteria.
Habitat:
They are found in the Indo-Pacific region, inhabiting sandy bottoms of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and coral rubble. They can also be found in coastal lagoons and other protected areas with clear bottom.
Behavior:
Conomurex luhuanus are known for their high visual acuity, with some studies suggesting they can resolve objects with high spatial resolution.
Ecological Role:
They play a vital role in marine ecosystems by consuming algae, detritus, and other organic matter, contributing to the overall health of the environment.
Social Behavior:
They can be found in colonies, both with juvenile and mixed age-class individuals.
Rochia nilotica, commonly called the commercial top shell, is a marine gastropod mollusk. It's a sizable, heavy, and conical sea snail, with a shell length ranging from 50mm to 165mm and a diameter of 100mm to 120mm . The shell is thick, has an off-white color with irregular axial reddish stripes, and is found in marine environments like tropical reefs.
Here's a more detailed description:
Shape: The shell is conical and subperforate, meaning it has a circular opening at the apex.
Size: It can reach lengths of 50mm to 165mm and diameters of 100mm to 120mm.
Color: The shell is off-white with large, irregular reddish stripes.
Surface: The body whorl is smooth, with concave sides above a protruding, acutely rounded, and thickened periphery .
Other features: The base of the shell is flat and marked with shallow spiral ridges. The aperture (opening) is square-shaped.
Habitat: It is found in marine environments, particularly tropical reefs.
Rochia nilotica is considered a commercially important species, both as a food source and a source of mother-of-pearl for jewelry and buttons. It is also known as a trochus shell or topshell
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.
The yellow prawn-goby, or Cryptocentrus cinctus, is a small, bottom-dwelling goby native to the Western Pacific. They are known for their symbiotic relationship with alpheid shrimps, sharing burrows and benefiting each other. The fish can range in color from bright yellow to gray or brown, and can grow up to 10 centimeters long.
Here's a more detailed look at the yellow prawn-goby:
Appearance:
They can have a brilliant yellow color.
They can also have gray or brown coloration.
They may have a combination of these colors.
They often have 4-5 dusky bars and fine blue or white spotting on their head and body.
They can reach a length of up to 10 cm (3.9 in).
Habitat and Behavior:
They are found in coastal bays and lagoons.
They inhabit depths of 1 to 25 meters (3.3 to 82.0 ft).
They are symbiotic with alpheid shrimps.
They share burrows with shrimps, with the shrimp digging and maintaining the tunnel while the goby acts as a watchman.
Other Notable Features:
They can change color based on their environment and comfort level.
In good conditions, they are a bright yellow.
Under stress, they can become gray or brown.
They are popular in saltwater aquariums.
They are often kept in aquariums as small as 20 gallons (75 L).
