Goniopora, also known as "flowerpot" or "daisy" coral, are Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals characterized by their distinctive, daisy-like polyps and intense colors. These corals, often found in lagoons and turbid water conditions, are known for their vibrant hues of green, yellow, pink, or purple. Their polyps extend outward from the base, with each tipped by 24 stinging tentacles. While they can be stunning additions to reef tanks, Goniopora are considered delicate and can be challenging to keep in captivity.
Key Features and Characteristics:
Appearance: Goniopora corals have a characteristic flowerpot or daisy appearance due to their polyps, which are often brightly colored.
Color: They come in a range of colors, including green, yellow, pink, and purple.
Habitat: Found in lagoons and turbid water conditions.
Polyps: Numerous daisy-like polyps extend outward from the base, each with 24 stinging tentacles.
Sensitivity: Considered sensitive corals and can retract when disturbed.
Feeding: Avid feeders and can be susceptible to nutritional deficiencies if not properly fed.
Care Difficulty: Generally considered delicate and can be challenging to keep long-term in a reef tank.
In a Reef Tank:
Goniopora can be a beautiful addition to a reef tank, adding movement and elegance.
They are moderate in care requirements and adaptability, making them suitable for intermediate reef keepers.
Proper care, including stable water parameters, regular feeding, and moderate lighting and water flow, is crucial for their survival.
Goniopora can be difficult to maintain in a home aquarium and are best suited for experienced reef keepers
Trachyphyllia, commonly known as the open brain coral, is a free-living coral species in the Merulinidae family. They are large polyp stony corals (LPS) characterized by a flabello-meandroid growth form, meaning they have distinct valley regions separated by walls, resembling an inverted brain. These corals are often brightly colored and found in inter-reef environments and on soft substrates around continental islands.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Appearance and Features:
Shape: Trachyphyllia are free-living, meaning they can move around and are not anchored to rocks. They have a flabello-meandroid growth pattern, with distinct valleys separated by walls.
Size: They are relatively small corals, typically not exceeding 20 cm in diameter.
Color: Trachyphyllia come in a wide variety of colors, including yellow, brown, blue, green, and red.
Tentacles: They have short tentacles that are often extended during feeding.
Mouth: They have one to three separate mouths within their valleys.
Habitat and Distribution:
Location: Trachyphyllia are found in inter-reef environments and on soft substrates around continental islands.
Substrate: They prefer to rest on soft substrates like sandbeds.
Water Conditions: They thrive in moderate to strong lighting and moderate water currents.
Care and Maintenance:
Lighting:
They generally prefer moderate lighting (100-150 PAR), but can tolerate lower light conditions.
Water Flow:
They do not like strong currents and should have moderate, indirect water flow.
Feeding:
They are voracious feeders and can be supplemented with various foods like brine shrimp and mysis, according to Tidal Gardens.
Placement:
They should be placed on the sand or substrate bed, allowing for proper movement and feeding.
Aggression:
Trachyphyllia can be a bit aggressive and should be placed with ample space from other corals
Trachyphyllia, commonly known as the open brain coral, is a free-living coral species in the Merulinidae family. They are large polyp stony corals (LPS) characterized by a flabello-meandroid growth form, meaning they have distinct valley regions separated by walls, resembling an inverted brain. These corals are often brightly colored and found in inter-reef environments and on soft substrates around continental islands.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Appearance and Features:
Shape: Trachyphyllia are free-living, meaning they can move around and are not anchored to rocks. They have a flabello-meandroid growth pattern, with distinct valleys separated by walls.
Size: They are relatively small corals, typically not exceeding 20 cm in diameter.
Color: Trachyphyllia come in a wide variety of colors, including yellow, brown, blue, green, and red.
Tentacles: They have short tentacles that are often extended during feeding.
Mouth: They have one to three separate mouths within their valleys.
Habitat and Distribution:
Location: Trachyphyllia are found in inter-reef environments and on soft substrates around continental islands.
Substrate: They prefer to rest on soft substrates like sandbeds.
Water Conditions: They thrive in moderate to strong lighting and moderate water currents.
Care and Maintenance:
Lighting:
They generally prefer moderate lighting (100-150 PAR), but can tolerate lower light conditions.
Water Flow:
They do not like strong currents and should have moderate, indirect water flow.
Feeding:
They are voracious feeders and can be supplemented with various foods like brine shrimp and mysis, according to Tidal Gardens.
Placement:
They should be placed on the sand or substrate bed, allowing for proper movement and feeding.
Aggression:
Trachyphyllia can be a bit aggressive and should be placed with ample space from other corals
Acanthophyllia, often called a "doughnut" or "meat" coral, is a large, solitary stony coral. It's characterized by a single, fleshy polyp that hides a strong, calcium-based skeleton. These corals are known for their vibrant colors, patterns, and intense fluorescence.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance: Acanthophyllia are large, single polyp stony corals with a fleshy, meaty appearance, hence the names "meat" or "doughnut" coral. They are not transparent and have a large, solid base.
Skeleton: Underneath the polyp is a thick, hard skeleton made of calcium.
Color and Patterns: They come in a wide range of colors and patterns, including greens, reds, blues, purples, and combinations of these.
Size: Acanthophyllia are known for their large size, making them a prominent centerpiece in reef aquariums.
Growth: They are considered slow-growing stony corals.
Care: They generally require moderate lighting and low water flow. They can also benefit from supplemental feeding of meaty foods like mysis and krill.
Acanthophyllia, often called a "doughnut" or "meat" coral, is a large, solitary stony coral. It's characterized by a single, fleshy polyp that hides a strong, calcium-based skeleton. These corals are known for their vibrant colors, patterns, and intense fluorescence.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance: Acanthophyllia are large, single polyp stony corals with a fleshy, meaty appearance, hence the names "meat" or "doughnut" coral. They are not transparent and have a large, solid base.
Skeleton: Underneath the polyp is a thick, hard skeleton made of calcium.
Color and Patterns: They come in a wide range of colors and patterns, including greens, reds, blues, purples, and combinations of these.
Size: Acanthophyllia are known for their large size, making them a prominent centerpiece in reef aquariums.
Growth: They are considered slow-growing stony corals.
Care: They generally require moderate lighting and low water flow. They can also benefit from supplemental feeding of meaty foods like mysis and krill.
Gorgonia, or sea fans, are a genus of soft corals found in marine environments, particularly in areas with strong water currents. They are characterized by their fan-like shape and often have a purple hue, though other colors like brown or yellow can also occur. Sea fans are colonial invertebrates, meaning they are made up of many individual polyps, which are small, fragile, white "flower-like" structures.
Key Features:
Colonial Nature:
Gorgonians are colonies of polyps, which are attached to a central axis composed of gorgonin and calcite.
Fan-like Structure:
The polyps are arranged in a fan-like pattern, creating the distinctive shape of sea fans.
Color Variation:
While often purple, sea fans can also be brown, yellow, or even pink, depending on environmental factors and the presence of pigments in their spicules (needle-like parts of calcium carbonate).
Filter Feeders:
Sea fans are filter feeders, meaning they capture small particles of food from the water current using their tentacles.
Geographic Distribution:
Common sea fans (Gorgonia ventalina) are found in the Caribbean Sea and tropical western Atlantic, including areas like the Florida Keys, Cuba, Belize, and Venezuela
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.
Bubble-tip anemones, scientifically named Entacmaea quadricolor, are sea anemones known for their distinctive, bulbous tentacle tips. These anemones display a range of colors, including greens, tans, browns, and maroons. They have a sticky foot called a "basal disc" that they use to attach to surfaces, and their bodies consist of a cylindrical stalk topped with an oral disc surrounded by tentacles.
Key features of Bubble-tip Anemones:
Bulbous Tentacles:
The most prominent feature is the bubble-like or pear-shaped tips on their tentacles, which give them their common name.
Color Variation:
They can be found in various colors, including green, tan, brown, and maroon.
Sticky Foot:
They have a basal disc (or pedal disk) that helps them anchor to surfaces.
Symbiotic Relationship:
Bubble-tip anemones can host clownfish and other anemonefish, forming a beneficial symbiotic relationship.
Growth:
They can grow up to a foot in diameter, but typically remain smaller in aquariums.
Location:
They are found in oceans around the world, including the Indo-Pacific area and the Red Sea.
In essence, the Bubble-tip Anemone is a vibrant, adaptable creature with unique characteristics, making it a popular choice for marine aquariums
Sarcophyton is a genus of soft corals, commonly known as toadstool or mushroom leather corals, belonging to the family Alcyoniidae. They are popular in reef aquariums and are known for their fleshy, soft, and often ruffled appearance, resembling toadstools or mushrooms.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
Sarcophyton corals typically have a stalk and a flat, often ruffled or folded cap (capitulum). They come in various colors, including brown, white, and gold.
Soft Coral:
Unlike stony corals, Sarcophyton corals lack a hard, stony skeleton. They are made of soft tissues and do not contribute to reef building.
Habitat:
They are found in various reef environments, particularly in the Indo-Pacific and tropical to subtropical climates.
Care:
They are generally considered easy to care for and can thrive in a wide range of conditions, including moderate to strong water flow and light, and can tolerate some fluctuations in water parameters.
Symbiotic Relationships:
They host symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) that provide them with nutrients, contributing to their growth and coloration.
Growth:
Sarcophyton corals can grow rapidly, sometimes shedding some of their outer skin as they mature
The Ciliopagurus strigatus, commonly known as the Halloween hermit crab, is a brightly colored hermit crab with a vibrant orange and black striped appearance. They are popular in marine aquariums due to their distinctive colors and usefulness as algae eaters and scavengers.
Key features and characteristics:
Appearance:
The Halloween hermit crab is easily recognizable by its bright orange and red striped "stockings". They also have a small claw on the left side.
Habitat:
They are found in the Central Pacific region, and are often associated with reef environments.
Diet:
They are omnivores, feeding on algae, detritus, leftover food, and sometimes other small creatures.
Behavior:
They are scavengers, sifting through the substrate to clean up detritus and algae. They also help aerate the substrate by moving the sand.
Reef-safe:
Generally considered reef-safe, they do not pose a threat to reef corals or other reef inhabitants.
Shells:
They live in borrowed shells, usually abandoned snail shells, and may even attack and consume snails to obtain a shell.
Maintenance:
In aquariums, they should be provided with a variety of shells to choose from, and their diet may need to be supplemented with algae and other food items if necessary.
In short, the Halloween hermit crab is a visually appealing and useful addition to a marine aquarium, known for its vibrant colors, algae-eating habits, and cleaning skills
Protula bispiralis, commonly called a red fanworm or mopworm, is a marine polychaete worm. It's known for its distinctive, feathery branchial crown (the "fan" or "mop") and its calcareous tube. The worm lives within this tube, secretes it, and can attach it to hard surfaces like rocks or coral reefs.
More details about Protula bispiralis:
Size:
The worm itself can reach 6-10 cm in length, and the branchial crown can be up to 20 cm wide when fully extended.
Branchial Crown:
The crown is made of white radioles (feathery branches) and has a base that can be red to pink.
Tube:
The calcareous tube is white and can have a diameter of up to 1 cm.
Habitat:
Protula bispiralis inhabits shallow waters, typically 3-10 meters deep, often attaching to hard surfaces or under rocks.
Feeding:
It's a filter feeder, capturing small plankton and organic particles in the water column.
Sensitivity:
The worm is sensitive to movement and will retract into its tube when disturbed
Sabellastarte spectabilis, commonly known as the Indian feather duster worm or feather duster worm, is a tubicolous marine polychaete worm. These worms are characterized by their beautiful, feathery tentacles, which they use to filter feed and breathe. They live in leathery tubes, often covered with mud, and are found in tropical and subtropical waters.
Appearance:
Color: Vibrant colors can range from reds, oranges, to purples.
Tentacles (radioles): The tentacles are feathery and arranged in a fan-like structure, creating a striking display when the worm is active. They are striped in dark and pale brown bands.
Tube: The worms secrete a leathery tube that protects them.
Size: Can reach up to 80 millimeters in length and 10-12 millimeters in width.
Habitat and Behavior:
Location: Native to tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific but have spread to other regions.
Tube: The tubes are typically buried in the sediment.
Filter Feeding: They use their tentacles to capture small particles of organic matter from the water.
Sedentary Lifestyle: They primarily live within their tubes and do not move much.
Reproduction and Other Characteristics:
Asexual Reproduction: They can reproduce asexually by fragmentation.
Regeneration: They can regenerate body parts if damaged.
Aquarium Popularity: They are popular in aquariums due to their beauty and helpfulness in removing organic particles from the water.
