ORA red planet

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13753310#post13753310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Capt_Cully
Can I ask how guys like Leng Sy, Larry Jackson, and Tyree "make" their corals in differring colors? Is it lighting? Do they put 2 different corals of similar G. and species near each other, let them grow together and grow out?

I just don't get how all of these color morphs are created.

I don't know what Steve, Leng and Larry are doing in order to color up corals. I have an idea, though, and it probably involves lighting and nutrient levels.

IME color temp and intensity of lighting ALONE can affect both the apparent AND actual coloration of stony corals. (I'm thinking along the lines of Montipora/Acropora here). I say this because I've had frags from the exact same coral in the same aquarium together (ie: same water and other environmental conditions) yet under different lighting they turn different colors.
Nutrient levels can play a big part in coloration as well. Montipora is VERY susceptible to this phenomena IME. (DrTango's hot pink digitata turned into a regular orange digi in my aquarium years ago.) Josh Brown's green encrusting monti went from green on green to baby blue (polyps...pokerstar or whatever) to army green and now back to bright fluorescent green.
Just wait until Mark Klier sees the "brown out" Acro I got from him a few months ago... (you were there when I got it, Cully).

I'd be interested in hearing what Nate and DrTango say on this.
(These guys have been growing SPS for many years.)

 

[nwrogers]

Well it is my and others opinions that these corals with the beautiful colors exist naturally in the wild and their "beauty" is brought out even further in captivity. The reason I put beauty in quotes is because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many of these beautiful colors you see are in many ways artificial or unnatural. As reef keepers we run very nutrient poor systems in comparison to the natural reef which is a high import/high export system. We also blast the corals with artificial lights and unnatural water movement in order to get the colors we want. There is nothing wrong with this IMO but some people would say that it is these stress factors that cause the coral to exhibit the intense colors that they do, aka "beauty". I have seen first hand how a normal orange digitata will turn bright pink under stressful conditions or a normal tricolor will take on a baby blue appearance. While these colors may be "beautiful" at first glance there is only so long that a normal person with a normal tank can keep these colors. What will ultimately end up happening is the coral will die or darken up and take on the appearance of a healthy coral as it would have been in the wild. I am not saying that this is the case will all corals that have dramatic colors but I am just warning you to watch out for "neon pink cap" and other pastel colors that just don't exist in the wild.

On the other side of the fence you do truly have some naturally occurring amazingly colored corals that will keep those colors in captivity. Most all nice "SPS" corals that I am aware of come in thru one city and that is LA. Guys like Tyree don't do anything magical except live in LA and have relationships with the importers of these beautiful corals. Tyree gets to cherry pick all of the nice stuff before anyone else and he has an amazing eye for corals that will become even more beautiful in captivity. That is the trick there.

As for Leng Sy the only thing I know of his is the cap and is there actually someone named Larry Jackson that keeps corals or is that just the name of a coral? I thought Larry Jackson was just a tricolor acropora.

Anyway to get to my point if you want to get the color that Tyree gets it is not that hard but you need to adjust your reef keeping ideas a little bit. In order of importance for maximum "SPS" coral coloration this is my list...

1) Flow
2) Water Quality
3) Light
4) Everything else

Most people think it is...

1) Light
2) Water Quality
3) Flow

There is too much emphasis on lighting IMO and not enough on flow. The reason I put flow before water quality is because I think flow is a very important part of water quality and without good flow you can't have excellent water quality. Anyway Tyree is not a magician he just gets to the corals before we do. And these color morphs either exist in the wild or they are created artificially by stress factors. Hopefully some of the above makes sense

 

[nwrogers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13753423#post13753423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
I don't know what Steve, Leng and Larry are doing in order to color up corals. I have an idea, though, and it probably involves lighting and nutrient levels.

IME color temp and intensity of lighting ALONE can affect both the apparent AND actual coloration of stony corals. (I'm thinking along the lines of Montipora/Acropora here). I say this because I've had frags from the exact same coral in the same aquarium together (ie: same water and other environmental conditions) yet under different lighting they turn different colors.
Nutrient levels can play a big part in coloration as well. Montipora is VERY susceptible to this phenomena IME. (DrTango's hot pink digitata turned into a regular orange digi in my aquarium years ago.) Josh Brown's green encrusting monti went from green on green to baby blue (polyps...pokerstar or whatever) to army green and now back to bright fluorescent green.
Just wait until Mark Klier sees the "brown out" Acro I got from him a few months ago... (you were there when I got it, Cully).

I'd be interested in hearing what Nate and DrTango say on this.
(These guys have been growing SPS for many years.)

Haha. I didn't get to read your post before typing mine but it looks like we are on the same wave length here. That is cool that you have seen the pink digi turn orange again. The same thing happened to me. I think nutrient levels play a big part in coral coloration as well. I personally prefer the orange color to the pink because to me it seems that is a more natural color for the coral IMO.

 

[Capt_Cully]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13753587#post13753587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nwrogers

There is too much emphasis on lighting IMO and not enough on flow. The reason I put flow before water quality is because I think flow is a very important part of water quality and without good flow you can't have excellent water quality. Anyway Tyree is not a magician he just gets to the corals before we do. And these color morphs either exist in the wild or they are created artificially by stress factors. Hopefully some of the above makes sense

Thank you both for those explainations.

Nate, I am a true believer in flow vs light. Of course light is important, but as my reef has grown out, I feel enlightened to this. My corals grow into the flow pattern I've created. And they grow well. My corner Tunzes are now truly cornered. The corals surrounding them grow directly toward them. I cannot say the same for the position of the halides.

The other thing that I feel supports this is not the coloration, but the shape corals take in one system vs the next. My A. youngei was very long and sporatically branched in the system it came from. In my tank it grows in a tight branching formation. I would say flow is directly responsible vs lighting.

Thanks again guys!

 

[RyanEG]

This thread is a breath of fresh air! These are the threads that brought me to this site and this one makes me happy to be back.

 

[nwrogers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13753912#post13753912 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RyanEG
This thread is a breath of fresh air! These are the threads that brought me to this site and this one makes me happy to be back.

I was just thinking the same thing! I wish I had a photo of my URS Red Planet to share. I will try to get one soon.

 

[Piazzon12]

Nate, I think that for the sake of science, we should put a frag of your red planet in my tank, and we can see how it responds to my conditions

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

again- same coral in my aquarium

again- same coral in my aquarium

showing more metallic blue green under Radium 20k

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Ryan- good to have you back.

now here's some real crazinessfor those interested:
go re-read the press release from ORA on page one of this thread.
It mentions a metallic green base on the red planet (even though their photo shows none). It also mentions how this coral grows well under a wide range of lighting conditions. (Unusual for a table coral for those unaware.)
These are two of the marketing facts I used when selling frags of this table Acro many years ago.
Now purely for kicks: what's the red planet.... Mars, right?

my last name is pronounced Mars' ack

hmmm... mars acro = the red planet acropora :wildone:

 

[tmz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13753169#post13753169 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
FWIW + 3

IME even though this coral might appear pink, red or brown under lower kelvin halides it will still glow green under actinics.

What lighting are you running, Tom?

2 x 250 SE 14 k with two vho actinic over a 120g. The coral is about6 inches from the surface to the side and back of the bulb. I have a frag in another tak further sown and it also has a good bit of pin/red and green.The colony has been in the same place for about 18months.

 

[tmz]

Now purely for kicks: what's the red planet.... Mars, right?

my last name is pronounced Mars' ack

hmmm... mars acro = the red planet acropora

__________________Nice try Gary not bad either. But something like Martian sea or Red rapture would be twice or three time the price of a mars acro.

 

[tmz]

Personally. I think water quailtiy , light and flow are all very critical. The one that will discolor and crash them the quickest in my opinion is water quality particulary high phosphate and/or high organics. While nitrates may/may not affect coloration I don't think they harm the coral much. After that If lighting is at least adequate for the species I would go with flow.

 

[RyanEG]

Now you are stretching Gary lol.

 

[tmz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13752878#post13752878 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drtango
I've wondered the same about "Nathan's Green Millipora". I've fragged the "Green Monster" more times than I can count.

It would seem more than likely frags of longstanding URS mother colonies have spread beyond WNY--or to the mariculture industry.

John

I bought a piece that looks just like that from Salt Water Paradise a few years ago. I understood Salty Dave brought it in for sale. It grew huge and then partially crashed a few months ago due In large part to an RO/di faliure. I saved several nice three inch colonies though which are growing well again.

 

[Capt_Cully]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13754793#post13754793 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
Now purely for kicks: what's the red planet.... Mars, right?

my last name is pronounced Mars' ack

hmmm... mars acro = the red planet acropora :wildone:

I smell conspiracy:smokin:

 

[drtango]

Tom-

I'm sure that came from me. The original colony was a browned out wild colony bought from Salt Water Paradise probably around 2001-2002.

Funny, I finally lost the mother colony after getting lazy checking my RO...it was big as a pizza and tabliing. Weighed a good 5 lbs.

John

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I need another frag of the green monster- that dang CS saltmix killed the last colony after it had grown out nice and big. (Didn't kill the red table, though!)
What I really need to see is some pix of ORA's red planet fully grown out into a large colony in high flow. (If grown in low flow it will look like a stag.)

 

[gary greguire]

I was just thinking about that coral a few days ago it was an amazing red/ pink color when I got it in Vermont It colored more like the red planet in my tank I had it down lower in the tank.

I would really like to get a frag of this one back.

 

[tmz]

I can get one for you Gary . Let me know when you're in town again.

 

[tmz]

John and Gary M. Same thing happened to my green hairy millie. Piched RO seal .TDS at 60 for a week post di. The marsacro didn't seem affected at all but he mille which was the size of a volley ball was.I did save a few 2 to 3 inch colonies though.