how do i get all SPS names?

PasserAngelfish

New member
as title...such as the following.
5293425578_12aefd7e05.jpg
 
Last edited:
common SPS species will be given made up names by the larger aquaculture dealers.

that looks like a montipora digitata but was probably given a name like ORA purple digitata (if it was grown by ORA) another grower may call teh same coral something different. So unlss it's a real solid name in the hobby like an Oregon Blue Tort I'd just call it a blue digitata

sorry not much help but just felt it was important to point out most hobby names are not the true scientific names rather made up to comercialize a product to make more money
 
That's a tough question. A couple of years in the hobby helps. I still don't know how to tell apart some of the acros. I'm not the only one. Lots of acros are sold as Acropora sp. since the exact species isn't known.

Not helping the matter is that corals of the same species can look different depending on where it is (wavy water near the surface or calm water) and from region to region. There can also be different morphs of the same species which doesn't help either.

If anybody has a list that states the latin names for all of the common corals I'd love to see it.

By the way, using epoxy to glue the coral down can supposedly cause tissue to die because epoxy gets very warm when it is curing. I haven't seen it happen myself but have been warned by a couple people not to do it. You can use it to glue down a plug but it looks like you pulled the coral off the plug first. If you do that then you should use super glue gel.
 
Corals of the World by JEN Veron

398072-L.jpg

Got it for Christmas actually. They're great books but the books don't provide a comprehensive cross reference. There is a short list in volume 3. Still looking for a list that provides scientific names for common hobby corals as the Red Planet.
 
I have been keeping sps since I started in salt water, almost 5 years now. I am just starting to be able it id some so the more common sps. There are so many different species of Acroporidae and so many more sub species and color morphs that getting a real name or ID can be very hard. Some sps we get as wilds or cultured many not even be well known and studied by science. However many cultured sps are very well know and have been around for many years.
 
By the way, using epoxy to glue the coral down can supposedly cause tissue to die because epoxy gets very warm when it is curing. I haven't seen it happen myself but have been warned by a couple people not to do it. You can use it to glue down a plug but it looks like you pulled the coral off the plug first. If you do that then you should use super glue gel.

Using epoxy to mount corals is perfectly fine, and very widely done. You will not have any excessive tissue damage, no more that using super glue.
 
as title...such as the following.
5293425578_12aefd7e05.jpg

it takes plenty of experience to properly identify corals, and even then they can be wrong. The more common ones can be more quickly identified (like torts, tenius, millis -- but even then there can be confusion as what is id'd as a milli might actually be a prostrata...). you have to examine the coralite structure and growth pattern, colors tend to be morphs and do not change the species name (ex. yellow millepora versus blue millepora) of course this is not always the case, just to keep you on your toes....
 
Last edited:
I have the same problem, i have a couple of sps id books but most are reffered as Acropora sp.

Could be a good idea for a new topic, people post pics of different sps with names and possible latin names, as long as people dont double post the same coral.....'The Reef Central SPS ID Guide'?

I would certainly find it useful :thumbsup:
 
Could be a good idea for a new topic, people post pics of different sps with names and possible latin names, as long as people dont double post the same coral.....'The Reef Central SPS ID Guide'?

I would certainly find it useful :thumbsup:


I definitely would find that extremely helpful.



PasserAngelfish,

where did you find aquamend? I remember it being sold at homedepot but I can't seem to find that stuff anymore.
 
The coral pictured is a common Purple Montipora digitata.
It's a fast grower and will hold it's purple color well, in the right light.

As for identifying corals, down to a species level, that is very difficult, even for scientists, without examining the dead skeleton. Cross referencing common coral names, down to their species name, is, at best, just a guess.
 
Back
Top