My first Acro...Purple Bonsai??

[jonbar1]

Hello,

Now that I'm running some MH, I decided I need to try an Acro out. While at the local coral greenhouse (Marine Solutions), I noticed this and talked Charlie out of it for dirt cheap.

When I first saw it, I thought it looked like the famous Purple Bonsai, but browned out like all their Acros. I realize it wouldn't be THE Purple Bonsai, but do you guys think it will color up to be a Purple Bonsai type?

Jon

 

[jessiesgrrl]

No idea on the coloration, but what a beautiful full frag! I love how it is all branched out. Awesome pick up...


Laurie

 

[Randy]

I would say yes if it is cultured.I have had some wild colonies that would never color up.It seems that most of the cultured colonies are easer to get color.

 

[jonbar1]

It is cultured and is well encrusted over a frag plug, he wasn't sure who they got it from or what they payed, that's why I got it so cheap($20). It also has a hitchhiking acro crab, but he's pretty camera shy.

Jon

 

[surfn]

well, its not "THE" GARF purple bonsai unless you can trace the lineage.

but those purple with green polyps are usually some form of tricolor acropora valida. although, the coralte arrangement on your coral doesnt look like a acro valida (JMO).

no idea what it is honestly, but who cares ya know? it looks sweet to me and has alot of potential for $20.

blast it with alot of light, tricolors (esspecially wild colonies) are a PITA to get to color up.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Purple Bonsai tip - Don't know how true this is, but one vendor told me that you should not use cynanoacrylate glue for mounting Purple Bonsai.

Supposedly PB has a more porous skeleton than other acros, and the glue travels up inside the skeleton and will kill the coral tissue.

He said he had lost all his newly mounted frags due to that problem.

 

[gflat65]

Purple Bonsai tip - Don't know how true this is, but one vendor told me that you should not use cynanoacrylate glue for mounting Purple Bonsai.

Supposedly PB has a more porous skeleton than other acros, and the glue travels up inside the skeleton and will kill the coral tissue.

He said he had lost all his newly mounted frags due to that problem.

I don't agree with that... I mounted three separate frags and they have all done well... Mine can be traced back to garf, too. They are fun little corals.

jonbar, it has the structure of the PB, but like surf said, if it can't be traced back, it's likely not the original. It is a nice specimen, though. For $20 and a piece that size, you got a deal. PB's are major encrusters. I love the contrast in colors under VHO actinics. Same with the other garf bonsai. It develops a golden colored body but has similar growth pattern. The polyps are the same color.

 

[jonbar1]

Thank you guys!

I guess I should have asked it differently. I can be quite certain it has no link with GARF, but just used the name PB since I didn't know they were validas.

I'll keep it's progress posted.

Jon

 

[jessiesgrrl]

I dunno if I really care so much if it is the original named colony? I mean, it's cool to know about your coral for sure if you have it, but I just like staring at their color for like 99.9% of the fun. It actually starts to take some of the fun out of it for me when people rate a coral as less because it wasn't descended from so and so's colony. IMO, a white ferret is a white ferret whether or not it is descended from the coolest white ferret known online in pictures...

Or, like Jendub has some AWESOME zoas that I don't think are the originals of their namesakes... but some of hers rival or surpass the original named colonies for color, etc... I'd rather have hers!

Or, like my Blue Kisses- it's cool they came from the named colony, but I don't like them because of that. I like em because they are sswweeeettttt to stare at I always wonder if I took a DDB zoa and said it was the Hershey Zoa from , say for the sake of argument, Blane Perun... would someone say my DDB's aren't as good cuz they weren't from Blane?? That would be hysterical, imho...

I don't mean to make anyone upset- if you like that yours are pedigreed, cool... but Jonbar1, if the color winds up being the same, enjoy it and know you paid alot less for it to stare at it!

<grin>
Laurie

 

[Randy]

I know what you are talking about Laurie. I have a look a like Pink Lemonade acro that came from tonga but it is not the real thing.I would love to have a frag of the real thing but I can't fork over the $ to do it.On a + note I have a colony that is the same color and cost much less.I had been looking for a colony for a long time before this one showed up.I had to pay a little more than the norm but I look at mine every day and go dam someone just paid 200+ for a 1/2" frag of this!!!!!!!!!!

jonbar1 now that I looked again I think what you have is an A. Maryae (False PM).Is the frag plug a flat round disk?

 

[jonbar1]

It's plug is a hexagon shaped agrocrete plug that measures about 1 1/2" wide x 2 1/2" tall.

I agree, I usually buy what I think looks good. If I could find a wild Purple Death colony you better believe I would be all over it. But on the same token, I did pay a little more to get Safecrackers I could trace back to Greeneyedblackcat on RC.

Jon

 

[surfn]

I dunno if I really care so much if it is the original named colony? I mean, it's cool to know about your coral for sure if you have it, but I just like staring at their color for like 99.9% of the fun. It actually starts to take some of the fun out of it for me when people rate a coral as less because it wasn't descended from so and so's colony. IMO, a white ferret is a white ferret whether or not it is descended from the coolest white ferret known online in pictures...


<grin>
Laurie

well, in this case, the GARF purple bonsai, is prob the most purple (throughout the entire coral), more than any other tri color, nana, valida collected in the hobby so far. THAT is why it is so popular, and a must have. if it didnt come from the strain from GARF, its not a bonsai....its just a acropora valida or nana tricolor (again, not a bonsai).

there are tons and tons of tri color wild colonies that come in on shipments, most of them stay brown, have green polyps, and may or may have their tips turn purple.

other tricolors will turn into a light purple color, but very very VERY few turn a dark purple like the bonsai.

same thing with the superman monti. they are all not the same. a light/washed out blue base, with burgundy polyps is NOT near the same as the true superman. people who say that it is have obviously never seen the real thing.

there are big differences in color in these particular strains vs. cheaply bought wild colonies.

 

[Randy]

Sorry never seen a cultured colony/frag come in on a hexagon plug.Here is a pic of a A. Maryae. I have had it for 3 months and it is just now starting to color up.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Yep, what Al said

 

[limestro]

Wow that piece looks nice. I knew some of us zoa lovers had some SPS jones in em. Nice pick up.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

there are big differences in color in these particular strains vs. cheaply bought wild colonies.

MMmmmm, I can definately see how you feel that way. I guess I just feel differently, which is cool

I just can't shake the feeling that many vibrancy issues are more environment related than strain related, just imho. Ie light, tank params, nutrition, competition, flow... I've seen 90% of people who love something in someone's tank get that strain back home and watch it brown out because the environment in the tank was different. Heck, even in the same tank, but in a different spot it can brown or change color...

Someone had to get the 'original' one as a wild colony after all, in order for it to become tank raised. Which means who ever had it first, got it as a piece off a colony that was being harvested- so any number of people have that exact same thing and just don't know it... I guess I feel like it isn't who you get it from, or how much you paid, as much as what you can coddle/baby it into looking like! The coral doesn't care a bit how much you paid for it, or who it's owner was, after all.


Laurie

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Awww Surfn, I hope I didn't make ya mad...

Laurie

 

[surfn]

Awww Surfn, I hope I didn't make ya mad...

Laurie

eh? i'm not mad. just didnt feel like going on a long rant. i'm just trying to convey there is a bigger picture in the ocean than people are realizing.

again, i will use the superman monti as an example. the mere fact, at the thought of millions of completely identicle superman morphs in the ocean is ridiculous (not to say there isnt though).

instead, wouldnt it be much more plausible that there may be thousands of different versions of the superman monti that differ in color by just a little bit? (regardless of the lighting parameters)

this is not to say that a completely identicle morph cannot be found in the ocean, but the probability is very low when compared to the fact you are more likely to find a light blue, or purple morph w/ dark burgundy or orange polyps.

i'll bring up watermelon challice as another example. there has gota be almost 10 completely different morphs of this now, which has ultimately driven the price of the original one up b/c its harder to tell the difference. but this is mostly driven by sellers looking to profit off of something that looks similar, and not the same. so of course they will claim its the "real deal", although collected from the wild and the probability of it being exactly the same isnt very good.

so basically, what i'm getting at is there is ALOT of coral color diversity in the ocean, and these rarities should be treasured and seperated from the more common stuff. to deduct that all superman monti's are exactly the same, and just depends on the light seems a little naive when thinking about the endless possibilities in morphs in the ocean.

however, if a *wild* superman colony, *wild* watermelon chalice colony, or *wild* pink lemonade acro colony bought for a bargain price, but isnt quite as elustrious as the original is good enough for Reefer A, and they are pleased with the color and price, that is all that matters. Reefer A should just be open about where/how they got it, instead of trying to pass it off like its the exact same thing people are paying hundreds of dollars for a mere inch when they know it isn't the same thing.

JMO. I'm all for getting something that looks essentially the same, for a fraction of what some gullable reefers pay for in this hobby. But I won't pass it around as the same thing to make an extra buck, when I know its not the same thing.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Awesome! I'm glad I didn't irritate you then, I like hearing your opinions because they are different then mine... I like hearing how other people see things.

Yeah, I sort of expect the best from people until proven otherwise- I expect that people would be open about where they got whatever frag. I guess it's never been that much of a problem for me because I don't care much as long as it's pretty, so I just kind of expect others will do the same.

IMO, it's sad when people ever need to pass ANYTHING off in their lives by lying- just means they aren't liking themselves in an area enough to be honest with others about it. I always just wind up hoping the person feels better about themselves someday, so they don't have to lie to feel elitist...

And if they just want to know if it looks like a type of coral, well, shoot I do that all the time. Reefers get fleeced imo, BECAUSE they go around looking for a specific colony from so and so- that's a marketer's wet dream... There's a reason branding idolatry becomes dangerous (Ie My hoodie came from Abercrombie, yours came from an outlet store) - it seperates a hard working man from his cash uber quick like without thought.

I guess I have always pulled for the underdogs. I like watching the pay off when they succeeed later I suppose!



Laurie

 

[surfn]

There's a reason branding idolatry becomes dangerous (Ie My hoodie came from Abercrombie, yours came from an outlet store)

yup, totally agree there is a huge problem with that.

although some people only buy the most expensive stuff b/c they think of it as a status symbol, which is their error. thats where you see the hobby take advantage of gullable reefers with deep pockets.

IMO, if it looks great, i'll pay whatever i can see as reasonable for it. cheaper the better of course.

but if i want something such as a sunset monti, i had better not be given a look-a-like colony from the wild considering i paid the market value for the original aquacultured version.

its all about making sure you get what you pay for, and you are pleased with yourself after making that investment. its not about status symbols.

another good example would be someone making a copy of a deltec or H&S skimmer, and selling it for the same prices. if i'm gonna pay that much for a skimmer, it had better be the real deal and not some "chinese boot-legged version".