Category: Corals
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SPS Coral
What is an SPS Coral? SPS coral is the name given to the group of coral species that have a stony calcium carbonate skeleton with tiny coral polyps. These corals are generally the first that comes to mind when someone joins the reef aquarium hobby, sometimes called the ‘true’ corals because they are the corals that build the backbone of the…
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Duncan coral: Duncanopsammia axifuga
The Duncan coral, duncanopsammia axifuga, has large, fleshy polyps and looks a little bit like a zoanthid or other button polyp species, but it is really a large polyp stony (LPS) coral. They are sometimes also called whisker coral or daisy coral. Like all LPS corals, Duncans have a calcified stony skeleton and therefore require…
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Success Fragging Corals
[pullquote type=”left”]This is article # 3, in a three-article series, taking a deep-dive into the world of coral fragging.[/pullquote] In article # 1, we talked about our shared dreams to have a thriving reef aquarium, filled with corals and set the stage that fragging corals is a great way to increase the number of rapidly growing…
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Tools and Techniques for Fragging Corals
In the previous post, Introduction to Coral Fragging, we talked about the dream that most of us share, to have a thriving reef aquarium, filled with Small Polyp Stony (SPS), Large Polyp Stony (LPS) and Soft Coral species all growing like gangbusters. But you can’t just buy that stuffed tank, you have to grow into…
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Introduction to Fragging Corals
When I ask friends to describe their ideal coral aquarium, there are two major themes that come up. Many people want to have a large tank filled with Acropora (Acros), Montipora Plate corals and other Small Polyp Stony (SPS) Corals. Others hope for a mixed reef tank, buzzing with color and energy as fish and…
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How to feed corals
How to feed Corals in a Reef Aquarium Feeding the corals in our reef aquariums is both an art and science. Marine biologists study corals in their natural environment, under “perfect” conditions. We use their research findings to provide our reef tanks with the best possible conditions. We have come a long way in learning…
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Secrets of Coral Fragging: How to Frag Corals Successfully
Are you new to the hobby and want to learn how to frag corals successfully? Are you an advanced aquarist and you’re looking for a few of the secrets of coral fragging and want to have better success fragging your own corals. Is your local aquarium club hosting a coral frag swap and you want to…
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Zooxanthellae: Symbiotic Coral Algae
Zooxanthellae: Symbiotic coral algae What are Zooxanthellae? Zooxanthellae are single-celled algae that live symbiotically with corals, clams and anemones. That was a mouthful and a bit nerdy, so let’s take a little bit deeper at each of the important terms there: Single-celled: Living things are made of cells. You are made of cells, but millions…
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Small Polyp Stony Corals (SPS)
Small Polyp Stony Corals Small polyp stony corals (SPS) are what many people think of as the conventional reef-building corals. As a group, they are some of the most beautiful and some of the most difficult to keep, often requiring high flow rates, provided by powerheads, intense lighting, and optimal, stable water chemistry. Probably the…
