kueytoc

A much coveted coral. Hope to color up to an intense BLUE . This coral favors bright lighting and moderate to strong water movement.

Pulsing Xenia - Pulse Coral The Pulsing Xenia or Pulse Coral, is a fascinating soft coral because of the pulsing action of the polyps. Pulsing Xenia can be fairly hardy once acclimated to your tank and provided that you can provide a suitable environment, they grow rapidly for a coral. Their polyps will pulse or, in other words, open and close. Picture your hand slowly opening and closing and you'll get a good idea of what we're trying to describe. There are many species of Xenia with many different colors such as white, pink, brown and cream colored. Lighting is important with Xenia. They get most of the nutrients they need via the photosynthesis in their zooxanthellae. They will also feed on the dissolved nutrients in your tank and actually seem to do even better in tanks with higher than normal dissolved nutrients. If you keep these corals in tanks with lower lighting levels (such as power compacts) you may need to place them in the upper half of the tank. Metal Halide, VHO and HO light owners could get by with keeping them in the lower part of standard depth (36 inches or less) aquariums. There are many theories out there regarding the pulsing action of the Pulsing Xenia. Some think it is related to oxygen/gas exchange and some feel that it is for the filter feeding. Whatever the reasoning is, they are neat to watch. Slower flowing water usually provides better pulse rates. One thing you don't want to do is keep a steady blast of current on them. They may fail to open their polyps and stay retracted. The good thing to know is that just because it's not pulsing doesn't necessarily mean that they are on the decline health wise. You'll usually read that natural seawater levels of iodine (0.03 - 0.06 mg/L) is needed for this pulsing action, but please have an iodine test kit on hand before you start a dosing regimen. The xenia species you see in your local reef store are usually captively propagated or aquacultured. However, even given their relatively quick growth rates, Pulsing Xenia can still be expensive to acquire. One idea for getting some of the more expensive corals is to join a local aquarium or reef club. These clubs usually have frag swaps where you can trade or buy corals from club members inexpensively. A word of caution is worth noting here. Some xenia corals can release chemicals that are thought to cause "significant damage to stony corals" (E. Borneman, Aquarium Corals). Given this information, you may want to reconsider keeping them in your tank if you also keep stony corals.

QUICK STATS Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons Care Level: Easy Temperament: Peaceful Reef Compatible: Yes Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025 Max. Size: 3½" Color Form: Orange, Red Diet: Carnivore Origin: Indonesia Family: Labridae Overview The Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse originates from the eastern Tomini Bay, Sulawesi, and occurs in small groups on the reef. The Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse has a brilliant orange colored back with a magenta colored stripe covering the head and extending the entire length of the fish to the tail. The male of this species develops a dark red crown marking on the head. Colors may vary depending on the fish's mood. When courting, the male will display increased color intensity. The Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse is a very peaceful, active fish that will bring both color and activity to a fish-only or reef aquarium of 75 gallons or larger. They will not bother any corals or invertebrates making them a perfect fish for the reef aquarium. These wrasses like to jump, so a tight fitting canopy is recommended. The Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse diet should include vitamin enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other meaty foods along with a high quality marine flake and marine pellet food. Approximate Purchase Size: 2" to 4"

The Purple Plume is a beautifully colorful morph of a gorgonian that looks great in an aquarium with a wavemaker or surging water movement. This gorgonian is not particularly demanding and relatively non-aggressive. However, it shouldn't be allowed to come into contact with other gorgonians, corals, or anemones to minimize inter-species aggression. Purple Plumes prefer medium to high lighting and prefer decent water flow.  This purple Pseudopterogorgia bipinnata is a rare and collectible color morph of a striking photosynthetic gorgonian that grows feather-like secondary branches off of a main axis. In the wild colonies can be over one meter in height, but in the aquarium they can be trimmed to whatever size is most appropriate. The gorgonian tissue is an ultra purple color and the polyps are very small and tan in color.

QUICK STATS Care Level: Moderate Temperament: Peaceful Lighting: Moderate Waterflow: Medium to Strong Placement: All Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025 Color Form: Purple, Tan Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Iodine, Trace Elements Origin: Florida Keys Family: Plexauridae Overview The Purple Tree Gorgonian is also known as Knobby Candelabrum, and is prevalent throughout the Caribbean. It is a thick-bodied gorgonian that takes on a fuzzy appearance when the polyps of the coral are expanded. The base of this gorgonian is purple in color and the branches grow in a vertical fashion. The Purple Tree Gorgonian is peaceful, but it should be given adequate space away from neighboring corals or anemones. Underwater epoxy is commonly used to anchor its base to a piece of live rock in the reef aquarium. It is more challenging to maintain this species, as they require supplemental feeding several times per week. This sea fan is photosynthetic and requires a moderate amount of light depending on the amount of filter feeding food that is available. In order to inhibit algae and cyanobacteria growth, it is important that this gorgonian is provided with a medium to strong, constant or intermittent water flow. If in the event that it does begin to become covered with algae or cyanobacteria, remove it from the coral immediately, as this will cause rapid tissue deterioration. Algae can be removed gently with the use of a soft brush; combat cyanobacteria by soaking the coral in fresh water of the same temperature for approximately 1 minute. These corals will also benefit from the addition of iodine, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. The Purple Tree Gorgonian should be fed a few times a week with a filter feeding food. Provide a varied diet of live or frozen baby brine shrimp, Marine Snow, PhytoPlan and other suitable micro foods. Approximate Purchase Size: 8" to 12"

Acropora echinata SPS Coral The A. echinata is a species of Acropora that vary from different shades of white, blue, green and purple. Like most other SPS Coral, they require a well established reef aquarium in order to thrive along with strong lighting. This coral does best with high lighting and strong intermittent water flow. In order to keep their bright colors, it's best to keep them under Metal Halide or any other High Intensity lighting. Other lighting such as T-5 may suffice, though it is not recommended, and if used the coral should be placed very high in the tank to maximize light reception. SPS such as these maintain good growth rates when they are in a tank which maintains good alkalinity and calcium levels with little to no phosphates and nitrates. Water quality is important for the growth of SPS and they should only be kept in tanks which can provide this, otherwise they will not only show little to no growth, but they may also die off eventually. This coral receives a majority of it's nutrients from photosynthesis, as they contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae, a photosynthetic algae living symbiotically within it. Although it is photosynthetic, it is still beneficial to have an addition of brine shrimp, microplankton, phytoplankton, and other filter feeding foods designed for filter feeders added to your reef tank. As their nutrients are received mainly by light, it is important to have adequate lighting to your reef tank in order to exhibit good growth for the coral. The addition of Calcium, Strontium, Iodine and other trace elements to the water is beneficial to this coral.

QUICK STATS Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons Care Level: Easy Temperament: Peaceful Reef Compatible: With Caution Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025 Max. Size: 5" Color Form: Black, Blue, Orange, Yellow Diet: Carnivore Origin: Indonesia Family: Labridae Overview Bold, beautiful, and brimming with personality, the elegantly-striped Adorned Wrasse makes the perfect addition to your showcase reef aquarium. This two-spotted beauty boasts iridescent tangerine stripes across a bluish green body. In the home aquarium, try to replicate seaward reefs of mixed coral and reef rock with sand patches. The Adorned Wrasse also prefers to inhabit reef crests and slopes on rocky or rubble-algae substrates. A 50-gallon or larger aquarium with a tight-fitting lid and a 2-3 inch sandy bottom to hide under if frightened makes an ideal environment. Stock with other peaceful wrasses. The Adorned Wrasse will eat fireworms and pyramidellid snails; protecting corals and clams. In addition, it may eat feather dusters, wild shrimp, tubeworms, and flatworms. It may also eat parasites off of tank mates. The Adorned Wrasse diet should include vitamin-enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin-enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other meaty foods. These fish should be offered small quantities of food several times per day. Approximate Purchase Size: Small: 1-1/2" to 2"; Medium: 2" to 3"; Large: 3" to 4-1/2"