Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q3 2007

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FALL 2007 | Volume 1

A SCORPION IN YOUR REEF?

ZEN PART 3: THE SEARCH FOR PERFECT FLOW

Image by Richard Ross

AWESOME OLD SCHOOL STONIES

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Features

SB

Fall 2007 | Volume 1

RHM Staff President

Harry Tung

Executive Editor Jim Adelberg

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Zen Part 3: The Search For Perfect Flow.

Jim Adelberg is an advanced hobbyist and industry professional from the San Francisco Bay Area. In this article, Jim explains the design process for a six-foot, penducted, gyre reef tank. Image above by Norman Tom.

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Sticky Basics: The Art Of Frag Gluing.

Richard Ross is a San Francisco Bay Area coral farmer and cuttlefish breeder. Richard shares his tips for safe and secure coral mounting in your reef’s rockwork and some tricks of the trade he has learned from mounting thousands of frags. Image above by author.

On The Cover

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Awesome Stony Corals: Old School Stonies.

Steve Tyree grows some of the rarest and most desirable corals in our hobby and has been an avid collector of rare corals for many years. In this article, Steve takes us back to the early days of stony coral collecting and spotlights one of the legendary species from that period: the Purple Monster. Image above by Greg Rothschild.

Art Director Tamara Sue

Graphics

David Tran

Advertising The A-Team

Special Thanks Greg Rothschild gregrothschild.com

Norman Tom Monica Hong Richard Ross Gresham Hendee

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• • • • •

A Scorpion In Your Reef?

Matt Wandell has been an avid reef aquarium hobbyist for 8 years and is an aquatic biologist at the California Academy of Sciences-Steinhart Aquarium. Matt has a passion for uncommon fish and here profiles his latest favorite: the Pink and Yellow Dwarf Scorpionfish, Sebastapistes cyanostigma.

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FISH

Image by Richard Ross

A Scorpion In Your Reef?

Image by Matt Wandell

By Matt Wandell

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scorpionfish in a reef tank? Every once in a while a family of fishes will include rare members that surprise us with their uniqueness and suitability for a reef aquarium. Consider the zooplanktivorous Xanthichthys triggerfishes, which make fascinating and unique additions to a larger reef aquarium community despite the aggressive tendencies of their cousins. Likewise, the Genicanthus angelfishes make ideal reef fish even though they belong to a family notorious for nipping at or outright consuming corals.

Such is the case with Sebastapistes cyanostigma, the Pink and Yellow Scorpionfish. Most scorpionfish are large, rather drab, inactive fishes that are capable of eating most of their tankmates.

The Pink and Yellow Scorpionfish is the most boldly colored member of its genus, and stays incredibly small, around 3” when fully grown. It sports a pattern of yellow or white spots on a vivid red to pink body, with bright yellow pectoral, ventral, dorsal, and caudal fins. It is unlikely to be mistaken for any other scorpionfish. S. cyanostigma has a widespread distribution in the wild, ranging from the Red Sea to Australia, Japan, and Samoa. However, up until 2004 it was virtually unavailable in the U.S. aquarium trade. In the wild, S. cyanostigma is almost always found tucked inside the branches of Pocillopora, Millepora, or Pavona corals during the day.

At night, it perches on top of the coral and quickly dashes out to snag any small fish or shrimp unlucky enough to swim by.

They have a hunting behavior quite similar to the hawkfishes in this respect. It makes a wonderful addition to a community reef aquarium of 20 gallons size or larger.

Image by Richard Rosså Aquarists should be aware that,

like all scorpionfishes, S. cyanostigma has a row of venomous dorsal spines that they will employ if threatened. Extreme care should be taken while cleaning or rearranging the tank to avoid envenomation.

Their aquarium care is undemanding. A colony of natural host coral would make an ideal home; barring this a small cave or piece of branching live rock will provide adequate shelter. Some specimens may require live ghost or brine shrimp to initiate feeding in captivity, but can be easily Image by Matt Wandell weaned onto frozen mysids, krill, and chopped prawn. Eventually this fish will become quite accustomed to feeding time and “beg” for food by swimming at the surface of the water any time the aquarist comes near the tank.

Because of its small size it can be kept with all but the smallest of fish. I have kept this fish with Pseudanthias fairy basslets, Liopropoma cave basslets, firefish, and Chromis viridis without any signs of predation or aggression. It can be kept safely with large cleaner shrimp, although small shrimp are likely to be eaten. Ideally any small fish or shrimp should be added to the tank well before, and be nearly as large, as the scorpionfish.

Very small snails and hermit crabs may also be consumed. Due to its habit of perching on a preferred spot (similar to hawkfish) it may irritate a coral enough to cause it to not extend its polyps.

On the flip side, this fish may be consumed or injured by carpet anemones or corals with a potent sting. Large substrate picking fish, such as filefish, angelfish, butterflyfish, pufferfish, and triggerfish may harass this fish by attempting to feed from it or consume it.

Given simple care, the Pink and Yellow Scorpionfish will reward you with its endearing behavior and stunning coloration. It makes an uncommon, fascinating addition to a unique reef aquarium.

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5

FRAGS

Images by Norman Tom

Sticky Basics: The Art of SPS Frag Gluing Article & Images By Richard Ross

C

ongratulations on purchasing your new SPS frag and welcome to the world of

captive coral propagation! If all goes well, soon you will be able to frag your new coral to trade with other reef keepers, but first, you need to attach your frag to your reef both to protect it and to maximize its growth. This article will discuss my preferred method for protecting and mounting SPS frags to an existing home reef – super glue gel.

If your SPS frag isn’t securely attached to your home reef it is in danger of getting knocked over by a wandering snail, crab, other reef animal, being blown over by your water flow, or being dislodged by a stray hand while you are working in the tank. Constantly having to handle and reattach frags that fall over will slow their growth, extend their acclimation time or even damage the coral. A dislodged frag may also disappear into your rockwork never to be seen again, or fall onto a neighboring coral, which can result in the death of one or both of the animals.

Almost as important as having a secure attachment for your frag is its ‘movability’. You may discover you need to move the frag to a location in the tank with better lighting or water flow, or you may simply want to move the animal for aesthetic reasons. There are a whole host of coral pests and diseases (red bugs, acro eating flatworms, coral eating nudibranchs, rapid tissue necrosis, slow tissue necrosis, etc.) that can be treated more easily and safely by removing the infected coral from the show tank for quarantine or therapeutic dip, rather than treating the entire system. The ins and outs of quarantine tanks and dipping regimens are outside the scope of this article, but you can check the RHM online forums at www. reefhobbyistmagazine.com for more information. If you glue your frag directly to the rockwork in your reef, and it encrusts

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as it should, you may have no way to remove it should the need arise.

My method is pretty simple – after dipping the frag in your favorite anti-coral pest dip and acclimating the specimen to your tank water, super glue the frag to a piece of rock rubble, then super glue that rock rubble to your existing rockwork.

I like to use rock rubble in a show tank rather than any of the commercially available frag disks or plugs because the rubble looks more natural, blending in well and quickly with the existing home reef. I am also a fan of reuse, and would much rather use readily available broken up used rock, rubble or even dead coral skeleton that has already been harvested from wild reefs instead of throwing it away and buying a new product. I find the commercial disks and plugs to be great for propagation systems, but prefer using rubble for ‘show’ tanks. If you don’t have any reef rubble, check with your local fish store or your local reef club to see if they have any available.

I prefer super glue gel to super glue liquid or any of the epoxies because it doesn’t run, it sets up quickly, and it is easy to ‘break’ the attachment point without hurting the coral if the frag needs to be moved. Super glue of any kind really is super glue, so you may want to wear latex gloves when working with

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it. You may also want to have some super glue debonder on hand should it end up somewhere undesirable.

Make sure you have everything you need: the frag, super glue gel, rubble, a container of tank water to hold the frag while the glue sets, latex gloves, and possibly some toothpicks, a Popsicle stick or something similar. When you are in the middle of working with a quick drying adhesive like super glue, you don’t want to have to stop and search for something you need to complete the project. You should also prepare a suitable workspace, like a kitchen counter covered with newspaper to protect it from stray glue.

Before you get started, take a look in your tank and decide where you want to place the frag. Next, select your rubble to fit that spot. Look for a piece that matches the curve of the rock or a piece that looks like it ‘belongs’ in that space. Make sure it is small enough to look right, but big enough to allow the coral space to encrust as it grows out. A piece around the size of a quarter is what I generally use for SPS frags, and rubble can even be broken or cut to size using a strong pair of coral or bone shears. You also want to select a piece of rubble that will allow you to position the frag on it easily – a hole or indentation will provide a secure place for your frag once the glue hardens.

Now it is time to glue. If the rubble is wet, dry off the area where the frag will be attached. Squeeze a dollop of glue directly onto the rubble and put it aside – you should have a minute to work with the frag before the glue sets too much to be useful. Dry off the cut end of the frag and put another dollop of super glue gel on that spot (see image a). Next, holding the rubble in one hand and the frag in the other, put the glued end of the frag into the glue on the rubble and move the frag around a bit to mix the two glued areas. Try to position the frag so part of it actually touches the rubble (see image b). This can lead to faster growth and encrustation

a | A frag of Eddie’s Purple Monster and a piece of rubble each with a dollop of super glue gel.

b | Eddie’s Purple Monster frag glued to the rubble, with part of the frag touching the rubble to encourage future growth.

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in general. Also, try to orient the frag in such a way that the original top side of the coral (the side that has been facing up towards the lights) will be facing your lights so the coral doesn’t bleach and die. While the super glue is still soft, use a toothpick or other tool to smear any blobs of glue onto the rubble for both a stronger bond and aesthetic considerations.

Then, place the rubble and frag into a bowl of tank water to allow it to set well (see image c). This takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. The better the super glue sets, the harder it will be to accidentally knock the frag off the rubble when gluing the rubble to your reef.

be against the rock (see image e). Quickly put the rubble into place against your existing rockwork, gently wiggling the rubble around to break the newly formed skin on the glue against the ‘primed’ super glue already on the rock. After a few seconds, you should feel the glue start to set. This is the time to set the rubble and frag into its final position. Once you do, hold it in place for 20-30 seconds. If there are any lumps of glue showing, use a toothpick to smear them around both for a more secure and aesthetically pleasing bond (see image f). In a couple of weeks, the frag and the rubble should look like they have always been part of your reef.

You are now ready to glue the rubble with the frag to your existing rockwork. Exercise caution when using super glue gel under water, as it can be tricky. When super glue gel is put in water, it almost immediately gets a skin of polymerized glue over a center of still ‘wet’ glue. This skin can make it difficult to get the glue to actually adhere to the rock, so it is a good idea to ‘prime’ the rockwork where the frag and rubble are going to attach with some super glue gel (see image d). Put a large dollop of super glue gel on a Popsicle stick or a latex glove covered finger and smear it around on the rockwork. The smearing will break the ‘skin’ and allow the glue to both adhere to the rock and set very quickly.

If you need to remove the rubble and frag from your rockwork, grasp the rubble in one hand and your rockwork in the other and twist the rubble. This should snap the hardened super glue. You can also use a butter knife, screwdriver, or similar tool, sliding it between the rubble and the rockwork so you can pry off the rubble by snapping the hardened glue. Either way, it is critically important to make sure you securely hold your rockwork so the twisting or prying doesn’t move the rocks and collapse your aquascape.

Once you have the site in your reef prepared, remove the rubble with the glued frag from the setting container and put a large dollop of glue onto the portion of the rubble that will

My favorite thing about this method is how easily it allows you to grow frags of your own. As the coral encrusts onto the rubble, you can simply glue another piece of rubble to the existing rubble and let the coral encrust onto that. Once the coral is growing nicely onto the new rubble, snap it off and voila! - instant encrusted frag!

c | Eddie’s Purple

Monster frag glued to rubble, setting up in a container of tank water.

d | Future home of the frag and rubble ‘primed’ with a smear of super glue gel.

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e | The underside

of the rubble with a liberal amount of super glue gel ready to attach to the primed spot in the existing reef.

f | Eddie’s Purple

Monster frag in place. In a few weeks, the rubble and the exposed super glue gel will look as if they have always been a part of the reef.

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Reef-A

-Palooza Article & Images By RHM Staff

When: August 18, 2007 Where: Orange County Fair and Exposition Center, Costa Mesa, California

SCMAS has discovered the recipe for a HOT event!

When the reef hobby’s most reputable and relevant manufacturers come together with California’s best coral farmers, the hobbyists are the winners as they were August 18th in Costa Mesa. With an estimated attendance of more than 2,000 enthusiasts, Reef-A-Palooza was everything hobbyists were promised and more!

Show participants were treated to a huge array of rare and uncommonly colored corals for sale at approximately 35 livestock vendor booths. The livestock exhibitors showcased such an amazing collection of rare species and colors that it was sometimes difficult for individual vendors to stand out. Some of the notables included Vivid Aquariums’ (Canoga Park) big screen interactive display where participants could look up coral species and profiles online in real time. Another standout was Fish Supply’s (Huntington Beach) bag sale where participants received super deals on hundreds of pre-bagged fish, corals, and invertebrates.

Manufacturer booths didn’t fall short of expectations either. Every booth received their share of curious hobbyists looking for information on their next possible purchase. When asked about the diversity of manufacturers, SCMAS’s President Kevin Adams said “Hobbyists in this particular industry are undeniably as unique and diverse as their own fingerprints. I wanted to broaden the scope of what we provide to the furthest possible extent so that nearly anyone who attended Reef-A-Palooza would find their particular niche to enjoy.” It was evident that Kevin successfully achieved this goal.

The exhibitors displayed new technology and also did a great job educating hobbyists, making Reef-A-Palooza a resourceful event to learn about the newest light bulbs, fish and coral foods, filtration systems, or every other facet of reef-keeping.

Whether you were in the mood to buy a rare coral, see the latest reefkeeping equipment, listen to knowledgeable speakers, or just enjoy a free cup of cold lemonade at the Teco booth (chilled by a Teco Seachill), the $5 admission was a bargain any way you looked at it. Hopefully, more organizations will see the success and importance of Reef-A-Palooza and begin hosting similar hobbyist-oriented events. This type of event is really conducive to the advancement of the hobby and Reef Hobbyist Magazine is proud to have been a participant. We hope everyone enjoyed their copy of Reef Hobbyist Magazine. Special thanks to Frank Nichols and ‘Coral and Fish Center’ in Santa Ana, California.

Upcoming Event: Southern Colorado Marine Aquarium Society (SCMAS) is holding a frag swap October 20, 2007. Look it up in our MARINE AQUARIUM AND REEF EVENTS forum at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

Read about past and upcoming marine aquarium and reef events at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

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SYSTEMS

The Search For Perfect Flow Article & Images By Jim Adelberg

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n the first two articles of this series we looked at some of the requirements of captive live coral and how to generally plan a system to meet those requirements. In this installment, we make the leap from conceptual planning to the specifics of starting a new tank.

For me, planning always proceeds from the top down so I began with a look at my priorities for this tank, and how previous systems have failed to address these priorities. My priority list looked like this: 1. Functionality – this system must produce high growth rates for my corals.

2. Ease of maintenance – this system should be easy to maintain, a very high priority for any of my systems.

3. Aesthetics – this system must look good - at least to me!

4. Economy – you think magazine editors make lots of $$$?

5. Ease of future modifications – I am always trying new things and my systems must be flexible enough to allow for easy modifications in the future.

Having the opportunity to spend extended time on wild reefs is an extremely educational experience for any aquarist and points out clearly the differences between the wild reef environments and our captive ones. These differences were hammered home during the months I recently spent in Tonga, a South Pacific island kingdom composed mainly of coral atolls.

I have felt for a long time that there are two areas where our captive systems fall short: these are water flow and feeding of benthic invertebrates and corals. I viewed this new system as a chance to explore both issues.

In the wild, corals on the reef receive a huge variety of types and strengths of water flow (see image a). These currents play a key role in the corals’ survival, bringing food and oxygen and removing waste from around the animals. Since delivery of food and oxygen and the removal of wastes are three of the major challenges facing any reef hobbyist, a careful planning of flow patterns is important for long-term success. a | Complex water currents over a reef in Tonga.

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Flow

Improving the flow of water in my tanks and around my corals is a critical issue for me so I eventually decided on a bare bottom, horizontal gyre tank with a penducted closed loop. This all sounds more complicated than it is.

Image by Norman Tom

I have always preferred bare bottom systems for many years because of the ease of maintenance. Bare bottom systems also offer the opportunity for enhanced flow rates across the bottom of the tank, leading to better particle suspension. This is important both to deliver food particles to corals and to keep physical waste particles suspended in the water column so that they can be extracted by the overflow.

Gyre systems are simply systems designed with reinforcing flow patterns and baffles to create a circular water movement in the tank. Think of it as a big, spinning donut of water. Gyre tanks are extremely efficient due to their use of reinforcing flow sources and offer hobbyists a real opportunity to improve the water movement in their tanks for little or no additional cost. (For more on gyres, read the informative article by Jake Adams in the January 2007 issue of the online magazine “Advanced Aquarist’s”.)

water flow

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Penductors, and the larger eductors, are devices that “entrain” water by pumping high velocity water streams through open backed, flared nozzles. This means that for every gallon of water pumped through the nozzle, additional gallons are pulled (entrained) along the same path. The best entrainment rates are achieved with the use of pressure rated pumps.

Food

Our hobby has actually come a long way in regards to food and we are finally seeing products of the right particle size, nutritional value and palatability offered on the market. Both phyto (plant) and zoo (animal) plankton products are available to feed our corals as well as larger fare. I would recommend thoroughly researching your specific animals’ dietary needs so that you can choose your food purchases wisely.

I have always been a heavy feeder and I believe that active feeding strategies lead to higher growth rates. This probably has much to do with my fixation on flow strategies and particle management in my systems. I have been known to feed up to a million rotifers at a time and tend to have high populations of sponges, dusters and tunicates as well.

Additional food for the corals is provided by fish waste, which tends to get broken up in the current and delivered to the corals to eat, or the skimmer for removal, whichever gets it first.

Lighting is provided by a 20,000K, 175-watt metal halide bulb on one side and a different brand of 20,000K, 250-watt metal halide bulb on the other. This provides various lighting zones versus an evenly lit tank. Both bulbs are mounted in the highest quality reflectors I could find.

The remainder of the equipment was more conventional. I chose a 120 gallon sump to go under the 165 gallon display tank. I normally size a sump at 2/3 to 3⁄4 the display size and run it halfway full. The only circulation in the main tank is provided by a single sump return and a single, closed loop, penducted return. Naturally, the largest, high quality skimmer I could accommodate was used. I have come to rely on large protein skimmers to assist in the removal of physical wastes from the system. Simple needle wheel designs have served me well for years.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank some individuals and companies for their belief in this project and for their support of Reef Hobbyist Magazine: Scott Clark and Truvu Aquariums for design, construction and donation of the custom gyre tank. Gresham Hendee and Reef Nutrition for sponsoring the feeding of this system.

Steven Trieu and New Alameda Aquatics for sponsoring the water changes. Bob Boone, Robert Rodriguez and Aquatic Specialties and Pets for livestock donations. Richard Ross for the donation of the protein skimmer and return pump. Norman Tom for stand design and construction.

In the next installment, I will discuss the specific animals I keep in this system and how this system is maintained. We will also begin to track specific corals to monitor their progress in this system and provide a baseline for future decisions. See you then! -Jim Adelberg

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STONY CORAL SERIES Part >> 3

Old School Stony Corals

Image by Greg Rothschild

By Steve Tyree

B

efore we discuss more of the incredibly exciting SPS Reef Building Stony Corals currently trading within the captive reef market, we should begin to identify some of the original, awesome SPS corals that have been traded within the U.S. since the mid to late 1990’s. This time period occurred right after the early pioneering phase for Reef Building Stony aquarists. By the mid to late 1990’s, aquarists had become successful enough to farm and propagate even some of the more difficult to keep SPS stony corals. The few popular stony corals from this early captive phase have become known as ‘Old School Stony Corals’. These Old School corals were the original exotic captive stony corals that really began to spark the interest of captive aquarists. Here we will review some of the first stony corals that I personally grew and distributed within captivity.

These early stony corals became popular within the U.S. for various reasons, but the primary reason was the incredible pigmentation patterns that these corals could develop under certain conditions. These corals were also the first captive grown corals to be given common marketing names. Quite a few of the imported corals brought into the United States prior to this time frame were given common names by the exporters and importers. Names such as ‘Fox Coral’, ‘Bubble Coral’ and ‘Torch Coral’ were frequently seen on import ordering lists for the early LPS Reef Building Stony Corals. When the first Acropora, Montipora and Pocillopora SPS Reef Building Stony Corals were imported in large numbers into the U.S., the common names found on the importers’ ordering lists included ‘Acropora Blue’ or ‘Pocillopora Green’. So it was only natural for new common marketing names to be created by captive coral growers who were propagating these new coral species.

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In some cases, these common marketing names were developed by the customers who purchased the corals or by aquarists that first admired them. That was indeed the case with perhaps the first awesome captive stony coral from the U.S. that began to sell in the $50+ per small fragment range. That coral eventually became known as the “Purple Monster”. I did not name this coral even though I originally grew the first captive fragments. That marketing name was coined by Steve Shvetstoff after he saw the coral in person. These types of marketing names have certainly developed some controversy over the years within the captive reefkeeping community. On one hand, we have purists who stress that the corals should be identified by their accurate scientific names. These species identifications, however, are based on characteristics that the general buying public does not seem to be seriously concerned with. For example, very few people ask if the corallites on a branching Acropora fragment have tubular and oblique openings or if the corallites have tubular and nariform openings. Most buyers in the captive market will look at an Acropora fragment and examine branch stem color, corallite color, polyp extension, polyp coloration and the overall shape and appearance of the fragment. The characteristics that the typical coral buyer examines are not necessarily the same characteristics that scientists examine when accurately identifying the species. Since most of the current coral buyers are not scientists, common marketing names have become established and now dominate the market. Recently, however, an advanced niche market has been developing where accurate species identifications can dramatically increase the desirability of a marketed coral. This is especially true for the more rare and exotic species.

It should be noted for potential collectors that the Old School Stonies may not be the most beautiful or the most

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colorful corals currently available within the captive market.

What has helped to develop the attractiveness of these corals in some cases is their long history of being grown and propagated within captivity. The Purple Monster coral, for example, has been grown within captivity since 1995.

At certain times during that 12 year time span, it is possible that only one aquarist within the U.S. may have possessed a living specimen. Cameron Azad of Pasadena, California was definitely one of those aquarists. The achievement of maintaining this coral within captivity for 12 years is even more incredible because the coral can be very difficult to maintain. Any problem with a captive reef’s carbonate hardness level will typically cause problems for the Purple Monster coral. When we first began propagating this coral, the first calcium reactors sold within the U.S. market were just beginning to appear. Historically, the very first SPS stony coral propagated within captivity was the Stubers Acropora. This coral, which has been featured in many of the early reef related books and articles, eventually developed a green pigmentation along with blue tips. Even with its lack of spectacular coloration, many captive stony aquarists have sought a fragment of the original Old School Stuber Stony from the early 1990’s. So in some respects these Old School Stonies represent the living history of the captive Reef Building Stony Coral market.

Image by Steve Tyree. This image was taken in 1996 after the coral had started growing for the first time in captivity. No fragments had been taken prior to this image, so the image represents the only existing Purple Monster in captivity at that time.

The only reason Steve was forced to make fragments of this coral was because a virulent RTN pathogen arrived later in 1996 and the imported SPS market simply vanished due to the effects of that initial RTN blight. Steve had to sell fragments of this coral to remain afloat during that period of extremely weak to nonexistent SPS coral sales.

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It’s going to be a hot summer.

A Q U A R I U M

C H I L L E R

w w w. t e c o u s . c o m � Easy to Install � 2 Year Warranty � Quiet Operation � Digital Thermostat � High Efficiency Patented Titanium Exchanger � Available Integrated UV Sterilizer � Available Integrated Heater SeachillAD_final.indd 1

6/15/07 2:54:11 PM

The Legendary Purple Monster A few reef aquarists might have said that when the first box of Purple Monster corals arrived from the Solomon Islands way back in 1995, it was perhaps the best box of corals ever to be exported from the Indo-Pacific. That was in fact the exact phrase used at the time by an employee for the importer who personally opened the transhipped box.

During this period there was only one main company that was importing the vast majority of SPS corals from Fiji, the Solomons and Indonesia. That box, transhipped through them, was one entire box filled with 4 full colonies of original Purple Monster corals. I had split this shipment with two other professional aquarists from Orange County. In the mid 90’s, transhipping whole SPS colonies was still a hit or miss proposition, especially concerning large sized colonies of delicate Acropora corals. Of the original 4 colonies, one was DOA (dead on arrival). Two other colonies died within the second week. Only 1 colony survived in captivity long term. Since 1995, there have been many more incredible corals exported from the Indo-Pacific. Quite a few of these have contained incredible pigmentation patterns and incredible shapes and forms. That original description of the box being the best box of SPS corals ever exported 16

Image by Tracy Gray. This Purple Monster colony was being maintained under a mix of 20,000 K and 10,000 K metal halides in the reef of Tracy Gray. It appears that the Purple Monster (PM) coral contains reflective pigments that will reflect some reddish light that make the blue pigments appear more purple.

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from the Indo-Pacific is certainly no longer true. But you can just imagine my excitement driving back down the 405 freeway in 1995 knowing that I had the best box of Acropora ever exported sitting in the back seat of my little Toyota. At that time, however, there were perhaps less then 100 reef aquarists in the U.S. who would have been excited about this box of SPS corals.

The Purple Monster coral is a thick branching Acropora species that can develop an intense solid purple/blue pigmentation on areas of the coral exposed to strong light levels. I recommend 400-watt single ended halides or placing the coral under the bright spot of a 250-watt double ended metal halide. When maintained under a mix of 20,000 K and 10,000 K metal halides, the coral develops a stronger purple pigmentation. When maintained under 20,000 K metal halides, the coral develops a stronger blue pigmentation. When viewed under direct sunlight, the coral appears intensely purple. Corallites are thick walled and have rounded ridges. The Purple Monster generally prefers strong water current and will develop thinner branches within weaker current environments. Polyps are typically white in color, but will sometimes develop a green pigmentation.

This is especially true for small growing fragments. It has been a slow growing coral for the dozens of reef aquarist over the years who have maintained this coral. One can understand why the coral is slow growing because there are large smooth tissue surface areas located between the corallites.

Image by Steve Tyree. This 2006 Purple Monster colony was being maintained under 20,000 K 400 watt metal halides by Hugo Zuniga. It actually appeared more purple to the human eye, but an immense array of 20,000 K halides made it difficult to capture the true Purple/Blue pigmentation.

This coral is rated difficult to maintain as there have been many aquarists who have had difficulty with it. The Purple Monster should only be maintained by advanced reef aquarists. One of the problems that can typically occur is a loss of intense pigmentation. Aquarists should assume that some loss of pigmentation typically occurs whenever corals are exposed to shipping stresses. There is also a period of adaptation that corals will need to go through when they are placed within a completely new light and current environment. If the loss of pigmentation occurs for a period of time beyond 4 to 6 weeks, aquarists should assume that light levels where the coral has been placed are probably too weak. This coral is rated as a strong light and strong current coral. Another problem that can commonly occur with this coral is tissue loss that begins within the base area. This problem is typically caused by low carbonate levels. If the dKH levels drop below natural sea level conditions, the Purple Monster can be the first coral within a Reef Building Stony Coral reef that will display problematic tissue loss. For this reason, unfortunately, it has at times functioned as an early warning indicator for a captive reef’s low carbonate levels.

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17

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