List of Coral Reef Tank Pictures
"Designer" coral prices and names: RANT POST WARNING
Hi friends!
You know what I have a love hate relationship with (mostly hate)? The so called "designer" corals.
For those of you new to the hobby, these designer corals are given special catchy names and the prices are then marked up. For example (in the picture to the right) you will see a nice colorful Zoanthid. This particular coral is known as a "white zombie". And it sells for over $150 per head! The green and blue zoas behind it are known as "radioactive dragon eye" green variety (because there is also a red version).
Basically, this is just a way for people to mark up products. Normally it goes along the lines of "Indonesian electric zing". Or the location it is supposedly from plus something fun sounding.
The only positive note I can say about it is it helps us differentiate specific morphs and mutations. So if I am in the market for a green coral it can make it a little easier to stay consistent.
In addition to their absurd names, coral farmers will often time add their name to the coral. So now instead of White zombie we might have something like WWC White Zombie ORA.
To me it just feels gross. And I will show you why. The next Zoanthid picture, below, is of a really nice pink variety. It goes by a few names. Go figure! The two names I normally see it go by are "Playboy bunny" and "Halle Berry". One goes for $25 a head and the other goes for $75 per head.
Its all in good fun I suppose... If you want to see some gorgeous zoas with fun names check out WWC.
Thanks for reading everyone. And as always, if you have any questions let me know!
-FFF
Popular posts from this blog
Hypothetical: What if coral became the new "Betta" fish?
Hi friends! I have a question for you today! What if coral became the new "betta"? What do I mean by this? Well, betta fish are sold in small cups in stores across the country. This is because they sell them so fast (they claim). It leads people to believe they do not need a bigger home too. Along with this, companies market small containers and wild gadgets that really do not promote the health of the fish. So what if we changed betta for coral? At first I was not sure what that would do... But now I actually think it would be an amazing achievement. See, coral do not need a certain size container to live in. As long as they have light and good water they should be able to grow healthy. I think this alone would reduce the ethical issues around bettas in a cup. Coral in a cup! The downside to this is I do not see it taking off. Everyone likes a fish because it swims around and "does stuff". It is active and bright and catches people's attention. Coral ten
Randy Holmes-Farley, A profile of the community
Hi friends! Today I would like to introduce you to a person that helped me deep dive (get it?) into the reef tank hobby. Randy Holmes-Farley is a chemist by trade that is very active on reef tank forms (primarily Reef 2 reef). He has been in the reef tank hobby for a little over 30 years and has helped advance the hobby to where it is today. He has a BA in chemistry and biology as well as a PhD in chemistry. He breaks down a lot of water chemistry and parameter topics into something easy to understand and use. Water chemistry is a fundamental part of excelling in the reef tank hobby. There is a difference from having your tank functioning and surviving to thriving and glowing. An understanding of water chemistry will help you know what the coral and fish will need and how to keep things stable and safe. If your alkalinity is low, for example, your coral may have stunted growth. Knowing how much of what to add (I use ashe water for alk drops because of him as well), how slowly, and wh
Sneeze: Learning Biology/Chemistry basics
Hi friends! I get asked a lot of questions every week about my reef tank. One of the more common questions I get asked is along the lines of: "How do I get to the next level in reef keeping?". I LOVE vague questions like that. Everyone's reef tank experience is different and everyone learns at different paces. So this is a hard question to blindly answer for everyone. But if I were to give a general blanket statement, I would recommend everyone brush up on their biology and chemistry. Learning the basics of these two sciences can greatly expand what you know and connect all of the dots. There is a lot of overlap for the two, so it helps to know a little of everything. First, if you have not checked out my posts about cycling a tank, check them out here: Cycling a tank Ways to cycle a tank Its the nitrogen cycle! These links will help you understand a little more about the biology process going on inside of the tank and why things such as live rock are so important