My Mystery Acro

[RCS]

Still a mystery, but the color has changed drastically since I've had it. It's started to put on some good growth with the new 250w bulbs as well. These are under the EVC 14K.

This is when I first got it:

And this is this evening.

With Flash:

Without Flash:

And a close-up polyp shot:

 

[RCS]

And FWIW, that's the difference between 440w of 50/50 VHO lighting and 250w of 14k metal halide lighting.

 

[EvilMel]

That's mighty purdy Fred. Which is which? Are you saying it looks better with VHOs?

 

[RCS]

Probably my favorite coral I have, and I've got no clue what it is!

Personally, I like the colors and look that halides bring out. There's many people out thre with very nice, successful tanks and VHO lighting...but I'd rather have the solid blue and green than the pale-ish purple and brown myself.

Under regular room lighting (yellow) it's a deep, solid purple. I know that different spectrum lighting brings out different colors, but it still weirds me out to see all my blue corals be purple. I have another small blue-tipped frag that's purple as well. What's even stranger is my purple cap I got from Dave is now really, really purple...and it's still purple under room lighting (for some reason, I feel it should be blue, just to be fair).

 

[LeftCoast]

I say A. austera. Lookin' good!

 

[RCS]

Sorry, I should clarify:

The first picture is under my old 150w 10K halides after having come from the guy I bought it from in Cincinnati, who kept them under VHOs. The color different going from the VHOs the the 14k halides has been amazing. It was always a nice piece, but now, IMO, it's absolutely striking.

 

[RCS]

You know, now that it's put on some size, I think austera it is. I've still never seen one this color, and hopefully I can keep it growing and spread it around a little.

You can see in the first pic that the tips were blue, so I think it really has wanted to be blue all along!

 

[reefdadx2]

Fred, after it grows some for you I would'nt mind if you spread it around my way. Salem Va. I have T5s and would be happy to show how it looks under them. Michael R

 

[RCS]

If it gets that far, gladly. We're moving back to WI in a few weeks, but I can ship too! I'm hoping it will keep these colors as it gets larger. I've got one other colony I need to get some good pictures of an post. Picked it up as a $30 brown Acro and it's grown and colored into a deep forest green with purple highlights and blue growing tips. I think it's still got a ways to go too!

The blue one here is only about an inch and a half right now, so it will be a while.

 

[Stinky2426]

Yes RCS, it looks really good. Can u put me on the list for a frag. please...

 

[RCS]

Don't get too eager quite yet. What you're looking at there is already 4 months worth of growth! Most of it in the last couple weeks after upgrading the lights though, so I'm holding out hope it will pick up. When it gets big and huge someday, I'll have frags to go around!

 

[EvilMel]

I'm with you on waiting to frag it til it gets big and huge. I've been doing that with my PHEs. I haven't fragged them yet because hell...I've only got like 15 polyps myself.

 

[LeftCoast]

Could it be A. parahemprichii?

 

[RCS]

Very well could be...growth form looks similar. When it gets larger, maybe it will be more obvious!