Versus said:
Hrm , could i ask a question .. I dont know why its labeled with his name on it and I could care less about that. I don't really want to get flamed but uhm , I really dislike "brand name" corals considering he didnt make the coral etc.
Anyway , What makes these his? Does he go diving and rips off a chunk of something he hasnt seen before and names it? I am confused on this.
Leng Sy is a pioneer of SPS keeping. If you want to see pics of his reef tanks, you will have to look in books, because the internet was still too young. He also came up with this:
http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/
This filtration system is centered around the now famous "Miracle Mud" Some claim his system is the best thing since sliced bread, while others believe it is just smoke an mirrors.
In the early days of reefkeeping, keeping SPS was considered a serious challenge. Keeping a brown acro alive was considered an accomplishment. As people became more interested in the more challenging corals, people turned to books and magazines for more knowledge (best source at the time).
Here, many old salts caught glimpses of reefers like Steve Tyree, Leng Sy, Wayne Shang, etc. not only keeping stony corals alive, but getting them flourish and exhibit colors once thought unimaginable in captive systems.
Of course, some corals stood out, and some of these corals became the coral that started a hobbyist's drive toward keeping SPS. It showed hobbyists that anything was possible. Much like seeing a mandarin goby was the trigger for wanting to get into reefkeeping.
These corals aquired their "brand names" because they became the corals everyone spoke about and wanted. People needed to address them as something because species ID wasn't done at the time. Frags of these corals became high in demand because they were able to survive in captivity and exhibit good coloration using the technology and methiods of the time. Wild SPS at that time had extremely dismal mortality rates, and forget about color.
For many that particular coral represents achievement, nostalgia, or a hobbyist's piece de' resistance.
For other's it's just a mere collectible, bragging rights, or a source of profit.