Acro Valida, need help.

[skyler78]

Need some advice about lighting and placement please. I recently purchased this small colony of what I think Acropora Valida but I am not sure. I'm just trying to be certain on placement and lighting. I have read many mixed opinions on this, some say GARF bonsai needs to moderate even low lighting. Although I've read in many places Acro Valida needs very high lighting just as most other acros. Here is a picture of the coral in question, the purple is really light. I'm guessing when it starts getting the correct light the colors will improve.

Really excited there was a small acro crab living in the colony. For $55 coral and crab seems like a good deal.

 

[dixiedog]

Looks like Garf to me.

Like you, I've heard wildly varying stories about placement. I can only say that one of the two I have sits sort of at the edge of the "really good" light in my tank, and on the dimmer side of the coral, it has STN'ed and never grown back. The colony is healthy overall, and growing, but on the side where it sensed insufficient light, it just died off, and grew toward the light on the other side.

 

[dunk373]

that looks like a bonsai my bonsai looks like that under high light under lower light the bas is a darker purple. now the tri color valida to me has been tricky it seems to like lower light to get the green tint with dark purple tips. in high light mine gets tan with tiny purple tips who knows

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

if I had to guess I would say garf bonsai as well. however I have a tri color that looks a like that.

 

[skyler78]

Ok, I guess I'll just experiment with different placements. Right now it is directly below my AI SOL Blue - only 4 70º optic lenses, very bright in the center. The light is 15" AWL and my tank is 18" tall. The coral has good polyp extension but the very top polyps on the tips have not been opening fully. It seems like it might have gotten a little more tan / brownish since I put it in, but I can't be sure.

 

[Bizzle Wizzle]

Looks like a tri colour to me... Valida has green base and pink tips mate.

Mine is half way up under 8 tube Ati and growing well. It was washed out purple/ lilac, three weeks in its got extremely deep purple tips and based over the plug 15mm...:spin3:

 

[emerald crab]

I keep my tricolor at 270µmol/m2s and about 4-6"/s water current.