Scolymia australis are attached to rock so it's kind of funny to see them on the sand bed in our tanks.
Most are collected midway up the Queensland coast (not right up north) and there's a huge variation in colours. Don't think there's a shortage of them except the very large ones which are not as commonly available as they were some years ago. These are slow growing corals - in terms of skeletal growth. If anything there's greater justification for higher prices on that basis, but I'm sure it's just to do with supply and demand. Some licensed collectors are taking boats out further, adding to the exorbitant costs of doing business here.
One collector described collecting these during a drift dive, chiselling out the coral as you move along. High current, but the scolys were protected in the rock from the full force of the current. Some are found closer to shore too, in a different and more volatile habitat.
In tank terms, moderate to low light and current. regular feeding of small frozen food will ensure the coral can recover easily in the unfortunate case of a tank crash etc...
(The above comments only apply to S. australis :beer: )
Hath
:wave:
Most are collected midway up the Queensland coast (not right up north) and there's a huge variation in colours. Don't think there's a shortage of them except the very large ones which are not as commonly available as they were some years ago. These are slow growing corals - in terms of skeletal growth. If anything there's greater justification for higher prices on that basis, but I'm sure it's just to do with supply and demand. Some licensed collectors are taking boats out further, adding to the exorbitant costs of doing business here.
One collector described collecting these during a drift dive, chiselling out the coral as you move along. High current, but the scolys were protected in the rock from the full force of the current. Some are found closer to shore too, in a different and more volatile habitat.
In tank terms, moderate to low light and current. regular feeding of small frozen food will ensure the coral can recover easily in the unfortunate case of a tank crash etc...
(The above comments only apply to S. australis :beer: )
Hath
:wave:
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