Does each type of SPS have exactly the same color potential?

[tetris]

I've been wondering about specific coral types, and their color and growth potential.

For instance, is a Red Planet just the same as any Red Planet from anywhere in the world? If you took 10 different Red Planet corals out of random reef tanks across the world, some from very well kept reef tanks, and others from terrible tanks, and put them into a TOTM caliber tank, would all 10 Red Planets color up and grow the same eventually? Or would some still exhibit slower growth or less vibrant colors?

Sometimes I get concerned shopping at the LFS where none of the corals there exhibit any kind of attractive color. I don't want to purchase corals where, at their best, are brown or just generally unattractive. I have purchased brown or poor looking corals in the past from the LFS and they have colored up well. I just don't know if that's always going to happen, or if I'm just getting lucky.

 

[GhostCon1]

It's been my experience that corals will grow kind of however they want. Two frags of the same coral can have different growth patterns. Color mainly depends on your lighting conditions.

I bought an entirely brown 3/4" frag of acro (only $10) and it turned into the most beautiful sps I've ever seen under my metal halide. A royal/ice blue mix. Color depends on light, spectrum, and placement. Oh, and nutrients.

 

[Allmost]

"red planet" is a commercial name.

ORA's Red planet, are all the same.

but not all "Red planets" are same specie as ORA's. but there is a chance that they could me the same specie.

the Scientific name of corals, are based on what you described, growth pattern, and corallite and color and so on....

http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/factsheets.jsp

for example, all pink Acropora abrolhosensis's are the same ...

now .... all Acropora abrolhosensis will grow the same way in the OCEAN, but not in our tanks, factors like lighting, flow, and many other factors can attribute to its growth pattern, in some situations it may grow up, some situations it may start tabling [not true table like efflo though]

Hope that made sense

 

[watchguy123]

Corals color according to all the variables that exist in the tank, lighting, filtration, flow, alk, mag, cal, nitrates, phosphates, on and on. Colors also display variation on tank placement primarily because of flow and lighting.

Comparing different colonies from different tanks not only includes all the above differences but also the photography skills, white balance correction (good, bad and dishonest), and tank lighting (mh, t5 vs LEDs, each one looks a little different and can be tricky to represent accurate color rendition)

In Southern California, there are a number of wonderful LFS that have beautifully colored colonies so you can appreciate the color potential. And some are even willing to frag from the mother colony. Brown corals can and do color up but it can take many months sometimes.

If your LFS does not have colored up colonies then perhaps your best choice is to choose among the many sponsored online vendors. They are generally professional, knowledgable and a great resource for awesome coral. You can also try fellow hobbyists who are willing to share or sell. Asking fellow reefers who have great tanks is a wonderful way to get referrals to good sources. All the various coral conventions and gatherings are a great place to find beautiful frags as well, RAP, Macna, coral farmers, etc.

 

[AdamDeMamp]

I think sps color has a big influence on water chemistry and lighting. I have the same exact sps that a few of my local reefers have, and they all look different in each tank. Some look completely different in color and growth. Even though they came from the same source.

 

[Constrictor6090]

Most Red Planet (acropora anthocercis) seems to grow a lot thinner branches in a reef tank vs. the ocean. http://coral.aims.gov.au/factsheet.jsp?speciesCode=0008