Lets do somethings controversial.... what is the best LPS VOTE #3

[Reefkeepers Archive]

If you haven't seen my other threads by now, we are systematically voting which LPS is the favorite of the R2R community. This is day #3, torches won the last vote (unfortunately). We are judging the coral in any way you find appropriate, whether that be color, growth, shape, aggressiveness, difficulty or growth pattern. I recommend you check out the first thread for more information. Today's vote is between a coral that thrives in my setup, and one I can't keep alive.

 

[encrustingacro]

True Favia don't actually exist in the hobby, as the only two Favia species, F. fragum and F. gravida, are endemic to the West Atlantic, where it is illegal to collect stony corals. Almost all of the corals in the hobby were collected from the Andaman-West-Pacific. What we call "Favia" are actually many different "brain coral" genera from the family Merulinidae, most of them being Dipsastraea, with others being Favites, Coelastrea, Astrea, Astraeosmilia (maxima), Paramontastrea, Paragoniastrea (russelli and deformis), Goniastrea, etc.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

True Favia don't actually exist in the hobby, as the only two Favia species, F. fragum and F. gravida, are endemic to the West Atlantic, where it is illegal to collect stony corals. Almost all of the corals in the hobby were collected from the Andaman-West-Pacific. What we call "Favia" are actually many different "brain coral" genera from the family Merulinidae, most of them being Dipsastraea, with others being Favites, Coelastrea, Astrea, Astraeosmilia (maxima), Paramontastrea, Paragoniastrea (russelli and deformis), Goniastrea, etc.

QUESTION: You seem to be one of the most knowledgeable R2R members on coral, turns out the filaments on the trachy were actually coeloplana, a kind of comb jelly like animal. Are they harmful and how should I go about removing them?

 

[encrustingacro]

QUESTION: You seem to be one of the most knowledgeable R2R members on coral, turns out the filaments on the trachy were actually coeloplana, a kind of comb jelly like animal. Are they harmful and how should I go about removing them?

I don't know much about Coeloplana, or ctenophores in general, but from what I can find online about them, they have a symbiotic relationship with coral, so they shouldn't be harmful. I could be wrong, though.

 

[i cant think]

If you haven't seen my other threads by now, we are systematically voting which LPS is the favorite of the R2R community. This is day #3, torches won the last vote (unfortunately). We are judging the coral in any way you find appropriate, whether that be color, growth, shape, aggressiveness, difficulty or growth pattern. I recommend you check out the first thread for more information. Today's vote is between a coral that thrives in my setup, and one I can't keep alive.

I have to say ‘Favia’ purely because of how many coral genera are actually under that name so the variety of colour is rather wide.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I have to say ‘Favia’ purely because of how many coral genera are actually under that name so the variety of colour is rather wide.

Funny you say that. I just can't keep them alive... though, while I do disagree with you, favias can be pretty nice

 

[Pod_01]

Favia all the way,

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Favia all the way,

Gotta say that one's nice, though let me show you why I picked platygyra

My platygyra

Whatevers left of my favia

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

ATTENTION: poll closing in 5 hours. Make sure to cast your vote!

 

[encrustingacro]

Gotta say that one's nice, though let me show you why I picked platygyra

My platygyra

Whatevers left of my favia

your 2nd Platygyra might be a Paragoniastrea, and your Favia is actually a Favites.

 

[Pod_01]

Gotta say that one's nice, though let me show you why I picked platygyra

My platygyra

Whatevers left of my favia

Wow what happened to it? I find Favia forgiving …

Here is close up of another Favia:

At least it was sold as one….

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Wow what happened to it? I find Favia forgiving …

Here is close up of another Favia:

At least it was sold as one….

My lfs doesn't label the coral themselves lol, that's the wholesalers fault. Though what can I say.

Also too high flow, me dropping a platygyra on it, and high phosphates. Which is weird considering I've had success with things like wilisoni and lobos, which are labeled as harder to keep

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

your 2nd Platygyra might be a Paragoniastrea, and your Favia is actually a Favites.

Maybe, that would explain why it's nowhere near as "fluffy" as my other platygyra, though just like regular platygyra it still hates any flow whatsoever, gets irritated whenever it has "too much" flow.

Though I read into Paragoniastrea, apparently they're supposed to be more aggressive, though the platygyra is the one sending out most of the sweepers, but I guess it hasn't had the chance to after the high flow really stressed it up

Here's more photos

 

[Pod_01]

My lfs doesn't label the coral themselves lol, that's the wholesalers fault. Though what can I say.

Also too high flow, me dropping a platygyra on it, and high phosphates. Which is weird considering I've had success with things like wilisoni and lobos, which are labeled as harder to keep

I have to confess, I had no luck with lobos and scoly. The ones I tried all looked good for 6 months and had really fast decline after that.
Favia they open their mouths, deflate and I know I am in trouble but they recovered .
Here is an example:

That is when I was learning what not to do….

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

ATTENTION: Poll is closing soon, be sure to get your vote in!

 

[His Coral Highness]

Platygyra looks like a brain and is only for big brain people

 

[steveschuerger]

My small collection of Favia/Favites

 

[encrustingacro]

Maybe, that would explain why it's nowhere near as "fluffy" as my other platygyra, though just like regular platygyra it still hates any flow whatsoever, gets irritated whenever it has "too much" flow.

Though I read into Paragoniastrea, apparently they're supposed to be more aggressive, though the platygyra is the one sending out most of the sweepers, but I guess it hasn't had the chance to after the high flow really stressed it up

Here's more photos

The best way to tell Paragoniastrea apart from Platygyra is by looking for paliform lobes; Platygyra does not have paliform lobes, while Paragoniastrea does. Paragoniastrea also has more even septa (although Platygyra can also have even septa), and has an antitropical distribution, being more common in the southern Great Barrier Reef/subtropical Australia and the NW Pacific (Hong Kong, Taiwan, southern Japan). Platygyra usually has a more massive (hemispherical) growth form while Paragoniastrea has a more encrusting/sub-massive (lumpy) growth form.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

ATTENTION: poll #4 is out now, make sure to get your vote in!