Reef Video » Rare Corals

Rare Australian Orange Hammer Coral

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:29:05 +0000

Everyone is familiar with the green varieties of hammer corals. Many are not aware that these beautiful LPS corals come in pink and orange as well. This video is of an orange hammer coral from Australia.

Like most LPS corals orange hammer corals thrive in areas of the tank that get moderate light and moderate flow. It is also good to target feed them once every 1-2 weeks with something like mysis shrimp.

Hammer corals will sometimes be hosted by clownfish (if the clown feels inclined) and they are usually considered moderately easy corals to take care of. If you are a beginner it is probably best to try to get your hands on a green hammer coral as the orange hammers tend to run 4-5 times the price. If you can get your hands on a propagated hammer coral that is always ideal. Hammer corals can be fragged but it usually take a while for a colony to get large enough to frag without disrupting the soft flesh of the coral.

Type of Coral: Large Polyp Stony Coral
Level of Care: Moderate
Temperament: Aggressive
Lighting: Moderate
Waterflow: Medium
Placement: Bottom
Family: Caryophylliidae

Toadstool Mushroom Coral (with Time Lapse)

admin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:32:58 +0000

Toadstool corals are very easy corals to take care of. As with all corals it is best to keep them in good water conditions, but they tend to be forgiving and are a great choice for someone who is just beginning in the hobby. Toadstool corals can grow very large and they make nice showpiece corals in tanks of all sizes.

This videos shows a tan toadstool but they also come in greenish and brownish colors. The have tons of tiny polyps that extend from the soft body of the coral to feed. The time lapse of this toadstool coral shows how the polyps extend over a period of 30 minutes.

Toadstool corals do not require feeding however they will eat cyclopeeze if you target feed them. The video shows their response to feeding.

Type of Coral: Soft Coral
Level of Care: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting: Low to High
Waterflow: Medium to High
Placement: Anywhere
Family: Alcyoniidae

Pulsing Sinularia Video

admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:26:35 +0000

The pulsing sinularia is a soft coral and unlike a common sinularia, the pulsing sinularia is not found in many stores or aquariums. What makes this coral stand out is the pulsing action that it undertakes when it filter feeds. This video shows some of the regular pulsing action but the corals are known to make much more dramatic pulsing. It is a rare thing to witness let alone capture on video.

The pulsing sinularia is relatively easy to take care of but like most corals blossom in an aquarium with good water parameters. Keeping proper calcium, magnesium and alkalinity levels will help these corals thrive. As with most soft corals keeping the pulsing sinularia in moderate to high light with moderate to strong flow is ideal. It is also okay to feed these corals some meaty foods like cyclop-eeze every 1-2 weeks. It is also a good way to initiate their pulsing action.

While it is difficult to find these corals in stores it is sometimes possible to find them through your fellow community reefers, so make sure you stay in touch with your reefing friends.

Type of Coral: Soft Coral
Level of Care: Moderate
Temperament: Mild
Lighting: Moderate to High
Waterflow: Medium to High
Placement: Anywhere
Family: Alcyoniidae