Okay, I’m continuing my weird “Acro kick†for a while longer.
You already know of my unabashed love of Millies…But I was talking to a couple of customers the other day about Acros in general, and we were discussing the merits of some of the varieties we work with at Unique Corals. It got me thinking about some of the ones that everyone seems to want- all the time. We also notice corals that we have on the site that don’t get the fanfare of say, our “Strawberry Shortcake†Acro, but are popular with those who “take the chance†and purchase them (or those who ask and are persuaded by you-know-who). Corals that may not have the famous pedigree or fancy name, but are among our bestsellers…Corals that are surprisingly inexpensive for what you get.
Let’s check out a few of these value-priced, uber-popular, yet slightly-under-the-radar frags, and just why they are so popular. None of them are stupid trendy. None of them are photoshop-hyped, absurdly-named, freshly-whacked-off-a-newly-imported-wild-colony types, that are shoved out the door before they lose color. All of them are lovingly-propagated, not-at-all rare, but entirely enjoyable, great Acros to work with.
I have even chosen from this group to highlight my personal favorites… The ones you hear me yammer about incessantly when you call and ask me what’s cool to try. Here are a few, in no particular order:
Acropora horrida- UC Aussie Purple Horrida- This is a beautiful branching Acro with amazing polyp extension.* It can form these long, elegant branches that really can make a reef tank look like a reef! Found typically in the Great Barrier Reef, this coral forms large, bushy, open-branched colonies in the wild. Our mother colonies were collected in Australia from shallow, clear water, which is apparent in their morphology. Specimens from this biotope will typically demonstrate compact branchlets and*grow into bushy colonies over time.* Our frags are given plenty of time to heal up after fragging, and are all probably larger than the 1.5†we list them at. These are substantial babies! They show crazy polyp extension throughout the day, and get this amazing pastel purple color, which intensifies as the coral grows, fully coloring up the coral.
It’s a surprisingly hardy species, and we have been working with it for a while. The frags tend to put down a decent amount of encrusting tissue at the base, heal rapidly, and then just go right to work getting fat and throwing off little branches. It does very well under “typical†SPS reef conditions, favoring stable alkalinity and low but detectible phosphate and nitrate levels. It loves to feed, as evidenced by the polyps. If you’re patient, and provide bright lighting and strong water movement, this is one of those “no brainer†Acropora corals. Trust me when I say that this is one that you’ll love!
2) Acropora vermiculata- UC “Super Blue†Aussie Vermiculata- A lot of customers tell us they want a really blue Acro. Well, this is as blue as they come…With color going right down the skeleton in mature, healthy frags and colonies. This is another Aussie species, with a corymbose colony form and short, tubular axial corallites. A distinguishing characteristic of this coral is the radial corallites, which are arranged in a neat rosette, and are scale-like.*
As branching Acros go, this one is great. It puts out really long, delicate looking branches over time, and fills out nicely. This is one of those species that, when grown from a frag, makes you proud to be a reefer! I love the way it just pops, and I think that’s why it’s so popular. Because it’s so hardy and responds so well to propagation, we’re able to offer it at a really fair retail price. You can have your fancy named “LE†Acros, but if you want a monochromatic beauty, this one is every bit as nice! This one LOVES to be ‘baked†under a lot of light, FYI.
3) Acropora chesterfieldensis- UC “Neon Chesterfieldensisâ€- Okay, those of you who call me and ask “what Acro do YOU like, Scott†will almost always here me sing the praises of this one. I’m not sure why I like it so much. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a solid, insane neon green, from the polyps to the base of the skeleton? Maybe its the fact that it has a beautiful tabling pattern? Could it be that it grows super quickly? Or is it the 24/7 polyp extension? Hmm. We have propagated these from beautiful mother colonies collected in Australia. They respond so well to imposed propagation that they are pretty much always available.
Now, I hear a lot of reefers tell me “Anything but GREEN!†when we talk about what Acros they want. Can’t you just make an exception for this one? It’s so slammin’ green and pretty…In fact, almost every reefer that I’ve forced it on tells me later on that they were glad that I did, ‘cause it’s become a reliable favorite in their reef. You can literally see a health colony across the room. It is really easy to keep, and I recall getting frags of this one from fellow reefers way back “in the day†and falling in love with it for all of the reasons listed above. Since we’ve been dosing Triton “Base Elementz†in our raceways (you knew I’d have to mention this, right?), they have really exploded with growth and color. And, for the price, I challenge you to find a more interesting and cool Acro (ok, wierdos, I’m sure you might…)! Another “trust me on this one†Acro.
4) Acropora carduus- UC “Red Dragon†Acro- I’ll be honest with you- this is one that had so much hype associated with it in the past few years that I actually hated it before we ever started working with it! Nonetheless, once we acquired some great colonies, started growing them out and fragging them, I developed a lot of love for the species. From hated to loved…crazy. Ok, I still secretly hate it because it was stupidly trendy and the name smacks of the whole "LE" hype-garbage that you know I disdain...But- It’s really, really nice. As this species typically comes from deeper water, it displays that classic smooth-skinned, delicately branching morphology that is so distinctive. And the color is terrific.
Although they do not encrust in as robust a manner as other Acropora types, they will put down some skeleton on the frag plug. We sit on these frags for weeks before releasing them for sale. As is our practice, we will never send you a freshly cut frag! These babies are just to delicate when first fragged to ship anyways, and offering a “fresh cut would simply be stupid on our part. They are a bit of a PITA to ship, though- I will admit. Occasionally, a frag will break off of the plug or have a branch tip or two snap off during shipping. This is a byproduct of their unique and rather delicately-branched morphology. While unfortunate, this is seldom detrimental to the overall health of the frag. In fact, we encourage you to secure the broken off tips to a rock or frag plug and grow out another specimen.*See, even thought this is a slightly more expensive frag, it has built-in "bonus capability."
5) Acropora tenuis- “Hairy†Green Tenuis- Urrgh..Fellman! ANOTHER green Acro? Yep. Hey, this is one that we’ve just released, and I’m already in love with it. First off, it’s really inexpensive as Acro frags go, and super easy to take care of, even for the beginning Acro fanatic. Okay, it “suffers†from the little detriment of being green. I just don’t get the backlash against green. I mean, there is “OD greenâ€, and then there is awesome green! This is “awesome green.†In fact, it’s colored from the polyps right down to the skeleton. And, for those of you that like “hairy†Acros, this is a winner!
It’s a super hardy, really inexpensive, really fast grower. A perfect Acro! I mean, you take it out of the bag and look at it and it starts growing. It encrust wonderfully, and really sends up branches quickly. Ours come from cool maricultured Bali mother colonies, so we love the Auber-sustainability factor associated with this one. A great piece to “cut your teeth onâ€, SPS- speaking. Admit it, you like it, too.
Allright, I could go on and on and probably add 32 other species to my list, but that’s how Acro guys are, right? Can’t get enough!
So, next time you call me and ask what are some nice, relatively inexpensive, super colorful, and hardy Acros, you’ll probably at least feel sorry for me because I’m so obsessed with some of the pieces that I recommend! and of course, those of you who were "convinced" (manipulated) into purchasing any of these at my recommendation- let's hear your honest thoughts on them- love, hate, or indifferent...I can take it. LOL
An no more Acro blogs this week. I promise. On to something else. m’kay?
Until next time…
Don’t hate on Green Acros, love your reef, feed those Acros…
And stay wet!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
You already know of my unabashed love of Millies…But I was talking to a couple of customers the other day about Acros in general, and we were discussing the merits of some of the varieties we work with at Unique Corals. It got me thinking about some of the ones that everyone seems to want- all the time. We also notice corals that we have on the site that don’t get the fanfare of say, our “Strawberry Shortcake†Acro, but are popular with those who “take the chance†and purchase them (or those who ask and are persuaded by you-know-who). Corals that may not have the famous pedigree or fancy name, but are among our bestsellers…Corals that are surprisingly inexpensive for what you get.
Let’s check out a few of these value-priced, uber-popular, yet slightly-under-the-radar frags, and just why they are so popular. None of them are stupid trendy. None of them are photoshop-hyped, absurdly-named, freshly-whacked-off-a-newly-imported-wild-colony types, that are shoved out the door before they lose color. All of them are lovingly-propagated, not-at-all rare, but entirely enjoyable, great Acros to work with.
I have even chosen from this group to highlight my personal favorites… The ones you hear me yammer about incessantly when you call and ask me what’s cool to try. Here are a few, in no particular order:
Acropora horrida- UC Aussie Purple Horrida- This is a beautiful branching Acro with amazing polyp extension.* It can form these long, elegant branches that really can make a reef tank look like a reef! Found typically in the Great Barrier Reef, this coral forms large, bushy, open-branched colonies in the wild. Our mother colonies were collected in Australia from shallow, clear water, which is apparent in their morphology. Specimens from this biotope will typically demonstrate compact branchlets and*grow into bushy colonies over time.* Our frags are given plenty of time to heal up after fragging, and are all probably larger than the 1.5†we list them at. These are substantial babies! They show crazy polyp extension throughout the day, and get this amazing pastel purple color, which intensifies as the coral grows, fully coloring up the coral.
It’s a surprisingly hardy species, and we have been working with it for a while. The frags tend to put down a decent amount of encrusting tissue at the base, heal rapidly, and then just go right to work getting fat and throwing off little branches. It does very well under “typical†SPS reef conditions, favoring stable alkalinity and low but detectible phosphate and nitrate levels. It loves to feed, as evidenced by the polyps. If you’re patient, and provide bright lighting and strong water movement, this is one of those “no brainer†Acropora corals. Trust me when I say that this is one that you’ll love!
2) Acropora vermiculata- UC “Super Blue†Aussie Vermiculata- A lot of customers tell us they want a really blue Acro. Well, this is as blue as they come…With color going right down the skeleton in mature, healthy frags and colonies. This is another Aussie species, with a corymbose colony form and short, tubular axial corallites. A distinguishing characteristic of this coral is the radial corallites, which are arranged in a neat rosette, and are scale-like.*
As branching Acros go, this one is great. It puts out really long, delicate looking branches over time, and fills out nicely. This is one of those species that, when grown from a frag, makes you proud to be a reefer! I love the way it just pops, and I think that’s why it’s so popular. Because it’s so hardy and responds so well to propagation, we’re able to offer it at a really fair retail price. You can have your fancy named “LE†Acros, but if you want a monochromatic beauty, this one is every bit as nice! This one LOVES to be ‘baked†under a lot of light, FYI.
3) Acropora chesterfieldensis- UC “Neon Chesterfieldensisâ€- Okay, those of you who call me and ask “what Acro do YOU like, Scott†will almost always here me sing the praises of this one. I’m not sure why I like it so much. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a solid, insane neon green, from the polyps to the base of the skeleton? Maybe its the fact that it has a beautiful tabling pattern? Could it be that it grows super quickly? Or is it the 24/7 polyp extension? Hmm. We have propagated these from beautiful mother colonies collected in Australia. They respond so well to imposed propagation that they are pretty much always available.
Now, I hear a lot of reefers tell me “Anything but GREEN!†when we talk about what Acros they want. Can’t you just make an exception for this one? It’s so slammin’ green and pretty…In fact, almost every reefer that I’ve forced it on tells me later on that they were glad that I did, ‘cause it’s become a reliable favorite in their reef. You can literally see a health colony across the room. It is really easy to keep, and I recall getting frags of this one from fellow reefers way back “in the day†and falling in love with it for all of the reasons listed above. Since we’ve been dosing Triton “Base Elementz†in our raceways (you knew I’d have to mention this, right?), they have really exploded with growth and color. And, for the price, I challenge you to find a more interesting and cool Acro (ok, wierdos, I’m sure you might…)! Another “trust me on this one†Acro.
4) Acropora carduus- UC “Red Dragon†Acro- I’ll be honest with you- this is one that had so much hype associated with it in the past few years that I actually hated it before we ever started working with it! Nonetheless, once we acquired some great colonies, started growing them out and fragging them, I developed a lot of love for the species. From hated to loved…crazy. Ok, I still secretly hate it because it was stupidly trendy and the name smacks of the whole "LE" hype-garbage that you know I disdain...But- It’s really, really nice. As this species typically comes from deeper water, it displays that classic smooth-skinned, delicately branching morphology that is so distinctive. And the color is terrific.
Although they do not encrust in as robust a manner as other Acropora types, they will put down some skeleton on the frag plug. We sit on these frags for weeks before releasing them for sale. As is our practice, we will never send you a freshly cut frag! These babies are just to delicate when first fragged to ship anyways, and offering a “fresh cut would simply be stupid on our part. They are a bit of a PITA to ship, though- I will admit. Occasionally, a frag will break off of the plug or have a branch tip or two snap off during shipping. This is a byproduct of their unique and rather delicately-branched morphology. While unfortunate, this is seldom detrimental to the overall health of the frag. In fact, we encourage you to secure the broken off tips to a rock or frag plug and grow out another specimen.*See, even thought this is a slightly more expensive frag, it has built-in "bonus capability."
5) Acropora tenuis- “Hairy†Green Tenuis- Urrgh..Fellman! ANOTHER green Acro? Yep. Hey, this is one that we’ve just released, and I’m already in love with it. First off, it’s really inexpensive as Acro frags go, and super easy to take care of, even for the beginning Acro fanatic. Okay, it “suffers†from the little detriment of being green. I just don’t get the backlash against green. I mean, there is “OD greenâ€, and then there is awesome green! This is “awesome green.†In fact, it’s colored from the polyps right down to the skeleton. And, for those of you that like “hairy†Acros, this is a winner!
It’s a super hardy, really inexpensive, really fast grower. A perfect Acro! I mean, you take it out of the bag and look at it and it starts growing. It encrust wonderfully, and really sends up branches quickly. Ours come from cool maricultured Bali mother colonies, so we love the Auber-sustainability factor associated with this one. A great piece to “cut your teeth onâ€, SPS- speaking. Admit it, you like it, too.
Allright, I could go on and on and probably add 32 other species to my list, but that’s how Acro guys are, right? Can’t get enough!
So, next time you call me and ask what are some nice, relatively inexpensive, super colorful, and hardy Acros, you’ll probably at least feel sorry for me because I’m so obsessed with some of the pieces that I recommend! and of course, those of you who were "convinced" (manipulated) into purchasing any of these at my recommendation- let's hear your honest thoughts on them- love, hate, or indifferent...I can take it. LOL
An no more Acro blogs this week. I promise. On to something else. m’kay?
Until next time…
Don’t hate on Green Acros, love your reef, feed those Acros…
And stay wet!
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
