My new SPSs came today

[H.crispa]

I just got in my Merulina and my pink pocillopora (complete with two adorable pink acro crab hitch hikers!). The pink poc looks good and I'll post pics as soon as the polyps come out. The Merulina also looks good although I was hoping it would have the purple color as well as the fluorescent green. I suspect it will when it gets over the shock of being shipped and settles in to its new home.

I'm also expecting a good size colony of pink cat's paw and some encrusting purple monti tomorrow. All but one of these are fast growers so frags should be available for trade or sale soon. I really don't want to trade for anything but other SPSs because I'm getting out of the LPS and away from the softies as well. Actually, I'm already away from the softies. I only have 4 species of hangers-on in the tank and I'll let them stay as long as I can--- except for those demonic blue metallic striped mushrooms!!! No matter how hard I try I can't get rid of them. Really strong light seems to really irritate them and keep them from growing but in the shaded parts of the tank??? Forget it.

[H.crispa]

It appears that these are super healthy and are already at home and eager to grow.

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/pink-poc-web.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)
http://images5.theimagehosting.com/pink-poc2-web.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)
http://images5.theimagehosting.com/merlin-web.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)

[snowstar]

the merulina looks great.... hope the purple does eventually come out in it.... or am I expecting to much "purple" color?

[H.crispa]

No. Not really. The purple has already started to come back and I am anxious to see what it does in the next month. I have a feeling about this one and I'm usually right. Except for that stupid brown "tri color acropora" that is nothing but light, medium, and dark brown. Good grower though. Still. It's Uh.... BROWN.

[LowCel]

Know what ya mean with the tri-colors Jason. Mine took at least six months to become something other than shades of brown. Once they color up they are beautiful though.

Where did you get your new SPS from? JoMars or mail order?

[firefish2020]

Bruce thats a silly question, you think I would ever let a pink pocillopora like that get out of there LOl :) That thing is awesome Jason, blows mine away.

[H.crispa]

Yeah, flying fish express is where they came from. By the way, I have had my "tri color" for well over 6 months and it is growing out of the water and is a mere 9 inches away from a 250watt 10,000k halide on one side and a 400watt 12,000k halide on the other and still nothing but brown! Any ideas on that one?http://images5.theimagehosting.com/out-of-the-water-web.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)
http://images5.theimagehosting.com/out-of-the-water-web2.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)
http://images5.theimagehosting.com/out-of-the-water-web3.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)

[H.crispa]

The Merulina is coloring up nicely.
http://images5.theimagehosting.com/merulinaweb.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/pinkcatweb.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/pinkcat2web.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/puplemontweb.jpg (http://www.theimagehosting.com)

[1package]

Jason,

What is the bright pink right side photo, second to last?

What lighting is the photo under?

[bneal3]

Love the pic's I need a digital camera..
I recieved a Red Pavona decussata AKACactus Coral on a shippment that was not ordered! Does anyone know light and water movement for this one? Thanks, I have it Med for both right now!

[H.crispa]

That is the pink cat's paw. It is without a doubt the most awsome coral I have now. It is so pink and so bright it looks fake!

The photo was taken under my custom built light. In the center is a 400 watt 12,000k halide and on each side of that is a 250 watt 10,000k halide. For more info on this setup see this post:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=477295
The image host I was using at the time has gone away so thie pics won't come up. I'll try and fix it sometime.

I thought the pink pocillopora was pink. Compared to the cats paw it looks almost brown! By the way, the pink poc had to be moved b/c it did not like the super intense lighting and the tissue was receding in some places. Since I moved it down and into a corner it has made a full recovery and the crabs are still in there. I took one frag of the cat's paw and mounted it on a bud vase. The polyps are WAY out on both the frag and the parent colony.

By the way, I have a really nice green pavona and I have never seen a red one. Would you like to swap frags????

[bneal3]

Mine is very small right now... about 2 inches ... but in a few months if it grows good!Sure! Is med light and water movement ok?

[firefish2020]

WOW!!!! Thats Pink! I must aquire one of these, it is my destiny.

[H.crispa]

Well, I have no experience with the red variety-- only the green, so I can't advise in anything but generalities. In my experience, pavona is a slow grower. Surprisingly, it seems to grow much faster under fluorescents but turns brown and does not get the "green glow" without halides. Don't know why-- can't even venture a guess. What I can say is that if the red variety is like the green, it thrives under low light, high light, low current, high current, good clean water, neglected algae infested water etc. It seems to be as easy to keep as any coral typically labled as a "beginner" coral. It also does exceedingly well in a tricked-out SPS setup. Honestly, I don't know what to think of this SPS. The specimen I have does great no matter what you throw at it. Perhaps my experience is not typical, I don't know. Like I said, I'm just speaking in generalities.

Then again, my big purple H. crispa anemone is labled as "expert care" in many books yet it has endured quite a prolonged period of disgusting and utter neglect and came through unscathed. Meanwhile, I lost my green maze brain and darned near lost my pink brain. Both of those are supposed to be "easy". So again, I'm not sure how much credibility to attribute to these "easy" and "expert" lables.

Yes, one and all, feel free to chastize me for my 2 year period of neglect. Yes, I should have had my reefing license pulled and it took a long time to get my tank back to where it is. Then again, the fact that I lost only a couple specimens during that time is a testament to the toughness of these sessile invertabrates we all love so much.