• Date Added: 03/20/2012
• Tank: Cardiff 24 gallon
• Status: Active
• Purchased at: FAOIS
• Cost: $20.00 (2 heads)
• Coloration: Metallic Green
• Lighting and Camera:
  • 250w MH 2000K+ Ushio
  • Canon Rebel Xi
  • Aperture photo software editing used trying to adjust to viewable color

General Information

• Description: The Trumpet Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral. The skeleton of this species is branched out of a central base, and terminates into a large head that resembles a trumpet. A large fleshy polyp covers the each head of the colony, and the polyps are florescent green in this species. The Trumpet Coral is able to expand its fleshy polyps to many times its skeleton size giving the coral a similar appearance when compared to a closed brain coral.
• Light & Flow: For optimum coloration, it should be given a medium light levels such as T5 lighting combined with moderate to low intermittent water current within the aquarium. Can be sensitive to metal halide lighting, so take time in acclimating these corals to this type of lighting.
• Supplements: It will require maintaining stable levels of calcium, magnesium, pH, alkalinity, and other trace elements as you would with other types of LPS corals. It is essential for LPS health to keep nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates near low to undetectable levels.
• Feeding: Though these corals are mostly photosynthetic, they benefit from a small piece of raw table shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp or silverside once a week. After the lights turn out these corals will extend feeding tentacles and will quickly accept foods.
• Care: If heads start to recede, this is a sign of starvation or other environmental concern. Immediate correct or head will die.
• Range: Indo-Pacific including Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, Tonga and Solomon Islands
• Other Names: Candy Cane Coral, Trumpet Coral, Torch Coral, Candy Coral, Bullseye Coral, Finger Coral
• Other Colors: Neon Greens
• Previous Purchase(s):
  • Purchased 11/01/2008, 10 heads, $50.00, Marine Warehouse, Inactive

11/01/2008

11/01/2008

Red Banded Trochus Snails – Trochus sp

• Date Added: 02/09/2012
• Quantity: 6
• Status: Active
• Purchased at: FAOIS
• Cost: $2.17/ea
• Coloration: White/Gray with Red Banding
• Description: Trochus Snails, Trochus sp., are outstanding cleaners that are found on a number of reefs scattered throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The radula, or tongue, of the snail has a rasp like texture. When pulled across a surface, this rasp pulls the algae loose for a quick snack. They move very slowly but leave nothing behind, eating filamentous algae, slime algae, green algae, diatoms, and cyanbacteria. Add to this the fact that they often are able to right themselves if they fall on their backs. Pyramid shaped similar to an Astrea snail, they get about the size of a quarter when full grown, and are a perfect aquarium snail since they come from warmer waters. Extremely hardy, as long as water quality remains good they have a very long life. Many live from 5 to 7 years. No tank should be without some of these. Recommend 1 per 5 gallons.
• Notes: The shell of this animal is constantly growing. The fleshy mantle deposits the calcium based construction material on a continual basis. Maintaining proper calcium levels of 350 to 450 ppm will assist the growth of this animal. If algae becomes unavailable in the aquarium, supplement this animals diet with dried seaweed.

• Date Added: 02-05-2012
• Tank: Cardiff 24 gallon
• Status: Active
• Purchased at: Coral Corral
• Cost: $20.00
• Coloration: Blue Green with neon green eye
• Lighting and Camera:
  • 250w MH 14000K Phoenix
  • Canon Rebel Xi
  • Aperture photo software editing used trying to adjust to actual viewable color

General Information

• Description: Ricordea florida mushroom corals are heralded for their bright and highly variable coloration that often change within the aquarium depending on their environment. It is easily identified by its raised dots across its surface.
• Light & Flow: They adapt to wide variety of lighting but care should be given to placing under metal halide lighting. They prefer low flow areas for best inflation or tissue loss.
• Supplements: It will require maintaining stable levels of calcium, magnesium, pH, alkalinity, and other trace elements as you would with other types of corals.
• Feeding: All mushroom corals included are photosynthetic and a majority of their nutritional requirements are obtained from the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within each coral. They also eat plankton and smaller invertebrates, such as crustaceans and brine or mysis shrimp.
• Care: Growth pattern can lead to encroachment on its neighbors. Ricordea appears to be able to effectively kill other corals that it comes into contact. Since they are slow growing corals, this does not generally create a large issue.
• Range: Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean
• Other Names: Mushroom Coral
• Other Colors: Various

• Date Added: 02-05-2012
• Tank: Cardiff 24 gallon
• Status: Active
• Purchased at: Coral Corral
• Cost: $20.00
• Coloration: Neon green with orange eye
• Lighting and Camera:
  • 250w MH 14000K Phoenix
  • Canon Rebel Xi
  • Aperture photo software editing used trying to adjust to viewable color

General Information

• Description: Often seen in the shape of a cup, chalice corals grow thin and flat with many bumps, sometimes in a plating fashion, and sometimes encrusting. They prefer horizontal placement, typically a slow growing coral, the species is known to exhibit both an encrusting surface when placed near aquarium glass and a plating surface when housed in open areas. They are semi-aggressive and can produce sweeper tentacles that can harm more docile corals and invertebrates.
• Care Level: Easy
• Water Flow: Moderate to low intermittent water current within the aquarium.
• Lighting: For optimum coloration, it should be given low to medium light.
• Supplements: It will require maintaining stable levels of calcium, magnesium, pH, alkalinity, and other trace elements as you would with other types of LPS corals. It is essential for LPS health to keep nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates near low to undetectable levels.
• Feeding: Chalice primarily feed at night. Though feeding is not necessary, they benefit from small pieces of meaty marine food, such as baby brine shrimp, Cyclops, or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates.
• Care:
• Range: Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea, including the western, northern, and eastern coasts of Australia, to Tahiti, and north to southern Japan. Most of those that are imported into the industry originate from Tonga, Indonesia, Fiji, and Australia.
• Other Names: Plate Coral, Scroll Coral
• Other Colors: Various

Banded Trochus Snails – Trochus sp

• Date Added: 01/30/2012
• Quantity: 6
• Status: Active
• Purchased at: Coral Corral
• Cost: $2.00/ea
• Coloration: White/Gray, some with Red Banding
• Description: Trochus Snails, Trochus sp., are outstanding cleaners that are found on a number of reefs scattered throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The radula, or tongue, of the snail has a rasp like texture. When pulled across a surface, this rasp pulls the algae loose for a quick snack. They move very slowly but leave nothing behind, eating filamentous algae, slime algae, green algae, diatoms, and cyanbacteria. Add to this the fact that they often are able to right themselves if they fall on their backs. Pyramid shaped similar to an Astrea snail, they get about the size of a quarter when full grown, and are a perfect aquarium snail since they come from warmer waters. Extremely hardy, as long as water quality remains good they have a very long life. Many live from 5 to 7 years. No tank should be without some of these. Recommend 1 per 5 gallons.
• Notes: The shell of this animal is constantly growing. The fleshy mantle deposits the calcium based construction material on a continual basis. Maintaining proper calcium levels of 350 to 450 ppm will assist the growth of this animal. If algae becomes unavailable in the aquarium, supplement this animals diet with dried seaweed.

• Date Added: 01-18-2012
• Tank: Cardiff 24 gallon
• Status: Active
• Purchased at: FAOIS
• Cost: $12.00
• Coloration: Green-Brown with Purple tips
• Lighting and Camera:
  • 250w MH 14000K Phoenix
  • Canon Rebel Xi
  • Aperture photo software editing used trying to adjust to viewable color

General Information

• Description: Euphyllia glabrescens is a Large Polyp Stony Coral (LPS) and has branched skeletal base which is covered by polyps. The polyps of Torch Coral are long and have single rounded tip. Torch Coral has sweeper tentacles tipped by the stinging cells, nematocysts.
• Light & Flow: For optimum coloration, it should be given a medium light levels such as T5 or metal halide lighting combined with moderate to low intermittent water current within the aquarium.
• Supplements: It will require maintaining stable levels of calcium, magnesium, pH, alkalinity, and other trace elements as you would with other types of LPS corals. It is essential for LPS health to keep nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates near low to undetectable levels.
• Feeding: Euphyllia glabrescens derives its nutrition mainly through photosynthesis which is performed by zooxanthellae, a photosynthetic alga living symbiotically within the coral. While it does not require additional food to maintain its health in a mixed reef tank, it will feed on micro-plankton and foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates. It is Carnivorous in feeding habit and filter feeds weekly, when open and feeds upon acellular marine invertebrates, frozen meaty bits of raw shrimp, Silver Side, fish, squid and Mysis Shrimp, zooplankton and phytoplankton.
• Care: It is susceptible to Brown Jelly Infection in which the parasite converts the coral into a jelly like substance and thus kills it. Treat immediately.
• Range: Indo-Pacifc region including Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands and the Great Barrier Reef
• Other Names: Trumpet Coral, Grape Coral, Pom-Pom Coral, Whisker Coral
• Other Colors: Golden, green, brown, pink, yellow, tan
• More Info: Another favorite of mine. The golden or what some call orange or yellow really only appears under correct lighting with a strong blue influence. I found my 6 x 18K T5s to be too bright for this one as faded out and had to move to a more indirect light location to bring out the colors. In correct lighting it has purplish/pink tips and brown or golden tentacles.
• Previous Purchase(s):
  • Purchased 01/01/2009, Golden Torch Coral, $80.00, Coral Corral, Inactive

Green

Pink with Green Tips

Green with Pink Tips

Yellow Tip

Mexican Zebra Stripe Turbo Snail – Turbo sp.

• Date Added: 01/18/2012
• Quantity: 1
• Status: Active
• Purchased at: FAOIS
• Cost: $2.00
• Description: The Zebra Turbo Snail, often found off the coast of Asia and is a great variation from the typical Mexican Turbo Snail. Herbivore, eats mainly hair algae and other green algae. The Zebra Turbo are about 2 to 3 times larger and do about 5 times as much work as the Atlantic Turbo Astrea Snail.
• Color: Dark black shell striped in waves of tan
• Diet: Herbivore, eats mainly hair algae and other green algae. When algae is in low supply, green seaweed sheets, blanched spinach, or lettuce and vegetable-based tablet foods can be supplemented to help ensure balanced nutrition.
• Tips: Proper calcium levels must be maintained. It is sensitive to high levels of copper-based medications and will not tolerate high nitrate levels.

  Like other snails, it should be acclimated to new aquariums using the drip acclimation method.

  ATTENTION: These snails can get large and many times knock over unsecured corals and rock.