HMA’s 115 gal. Reef Tank

[Anselth]

Heinz, stunning tank. Everything just seems to flow together. Amazing aquascape.

[cheeks69]

A. tortuosa is very similar, the polyps are light bluish to light purple, a wonderful coral too.

Heinz I have an ORA A. tortuosa that has green polyps and I swear it looks just like yours unfortunately I don't have the photography skills that you do otherwise I would post it here...

Well whatever it is it's a special coral and can't wait to see how it looks when it becomes a large colony

[cheeks69]

I know I'm terribly stubborn at least that's what everybody tell me anyway but here's an attempt at a photo under actinics and tell me it's not the same coral ?

[Craig Manoukian]

Is it purple with green polyps Robert? Very nice looking SPS.

[hma]

Robert, I suppose the same coral has two names. A. tortuosa comes originally from Australia. The A. tricolour from the Indo Pacific. This can be the reason for two different names. A. tortuosa is a little more blue then purple and the polyps sometimes are more blue then green, but that's the only difference I know.

[cheeks69]

A. tortuosa comes originally from Australia. The A. tricolour from the Indo Pacific. This can be the reason for two different names. A. tortuosa is a little more blue then purple and the polyps sometimes are more blue then green, but that's the only difference I know.

Humm that could explain it or maybe it's a hybrid ? Looking at the photos more closely the corralites are similar yours seems to be more purple in color but that could be just the lighting effect, nontheless a magnificent coral !

Thanks Craig

[hma]

yep ... Robert, you know it, I know it too , it is really hard, sometimes even impossible, to identify a coral on a Picture. We have both a wonderful coral and are glad to see it grows.

[framerguy]

Posted by HMA: I know there are much better looking aquariums to see on RS.

[prow]

very nice hma, love the new addition. green and purple works well together

[hma]

Today I would like to show you a clone of my RBTA.
The prehistory: For approx. 1.5 years I have moved my coral aquarium quite slowly about months on a nutrient poor system. You can read the values every Friday in my tables. An aquarium what about months with these values is pursued is near the nutrient limitation. The anemone has pushed off about months over and over again parts of her Zooxanthelles and not substituted. Because I feed the anemone two till three times every week with shrimps, mussels and fish pieces etc. , she must not starve. On the contrary, she ist looking excellent, as one can see in the picture. In the meantime, she has expelled almost all her Zooxanthelles and is almost transparent in the lower area of her tentacles.

[Craig Manoukian]

What an interesting picture.

Do I understand you correctly, that the RBTA split and that both BTAs have expelled their zooxanthelles because they are so well fed that they don't require photosynthetic feeding?

[tbittner]

I was wondering the same thing, Craig. I didn't realize that they could survive without their zooxanthelles to feed them. If that is true, then wouldn't these anemones survive with zero light?

[Craig Manoukian]

All energy starts with the sun and I would think lighting/sun might be key to the synthesis of vitamin D.

[lcstorc]

What a gorgeous color.

[hma]

Only the clone in the 115gal has expelled her Zooxantheeles, not everything, but almost everything. An anemone WITHOUT LIGHT cannot survive. Any anemone has her own metabolism and need strong light but she is with good feeding not depending on a large number on Zooxanthelles. What do the Zooxanthelles cause in an anemone? They supply the anemone with sugar from their own metabolism. If one gives to the anemone the sugar on other wise, this is very good to compensate.

@lcstorc
Lynn, the color is 100% as in the Picture to see.