High Tide Aquatics

SPS.. do they really look like the photos taken?

I've been making a list and checking it twice, to find the right Acroporas that I would like. I have saved several prime real estate spots in my tank for the most desired "acropora".

Last weekend I visited a local reefer and was able to view his tank. At first glance, I was like "damn" those are some amazing corals. The part that was not so great, "in my opinion" , some of the cheaper/common acropora was way more stunning than the high end ones.

JF homewrecker : Front a front view, it really didn't look that great. To me, it seems like an average looking green acro. When I mentioned that, I was asked to look at it from a top view through a looking glass. I was pretty surprised how the top view can look so different. It really does have amazing views.

OP Genesis: So this a $600/frag. Didn't matter which view I looked at this frag it looked like a common acropora.

Overall the guy had an amazing tank. Never seen so much polyp extension throughout. The acropora which i thought was the nicest was an AquaSD rainbow Mili.

I guess I'm kinda weary ordering acropora's online, if I don't know what they would look like in my tank. Especially when paying a hefty price for a frag.

What are the best looking acropora's you have seen in real life from the front view? I don't think I'll be looking from the top very often.

-Fishy408
 
The majority of the high end Acros are shot under heavy blue lights with UV implementation through a filter of some sort or another. One of these that you noticed is the JF homewrecker, which does look good under blues even from the side when the conditions to color it are met (it likes high PAR up in the 550+ range).

This is what it's capable of (left shot is under whites; right is blues).
upload_2018-9-6_14-34-33.png


Some of the long time staples in sps actually are some of the best looking under daylights from the side. They include: GARF bonsai, PC rainbow, ORA pearlberry, Palmer's blue, setosa, and the Oregon blue tort. You won't break the bank on trying to acquire these pieces either.

If you're into named stuff, then I would consider the RRC Pink Cadillac and the JF Firecracker.

RRC Pink Cadillac
2018_08_30_rrc_pink_cadillac.jpg


Close alternative to the RRC Pink Caddy is RR The Vinh and the OG Upscales Microlados. They vary in coloration and growth speed, but overall they have a pastel greenish body with blue/purple polyps.
The Vinh
2018_07_27_rr_thevinh.jpg


Upscales Microlados
2018_08_22_upscales_microlados.jpg


JF Firecracker
2018_08_30_jf_firecracker.jpg
 
If you had 5 acros that you had to have, what would they be?

What are the 5 acros that you would avoid because the price tag doesn't justify the beauty?

Remaking my acro list [emoji3577].

Thanks

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
My acros also look different when looking from the top down. And yes most pics are taken in actinics to sell. Also understand lighting plays a big part in it. Your lighting may be different than the person you are buying from. Your more than welcome to come over and I can cut you some to try out. Im in Hayward
 
5 must have acros is kind of tough and subjective, but let's go with color combos that would pop in most tanks.

Oregon blue tort/Palmer's blue mille
  • Both have amazing blue color that most can produce in their tank. Which one you go with depends on what you prefer more. Oregon blue is a tort, which grows in a stag like fashion, with blue polyps. Palmer's blue is a millepora that grows more into a tabler with polyps that is shaggy (like most millepora).
PC Rainbow: Readily available. Has a very unique mustard yellow base with red corallites and a green encrusting base. In high light the mustard yellow base kind of disappear and you get a more monotone red/pink color throughout. Similar to the ORA red planet in this regard. The ASD Rainbow is another one to look at if you want contrasting colors. If you want a ton more pop and more money in a rainbow, then take a look at the Vivid Confetti.

ORA Red Planet: Readily available and one of the quickest growing SPS out there. Tabler that has a green base and red polyps and corallites. Not enough light and you get more green throughout. High light produces an overall red/pink coloration. Keeping this in mind, you can move it around until you find the ideal spot for it. Take a look at the superman tables if you want something that's slower growing, but has a nice contrasting coloration. The BC Aquatic-man tabler would be the top end equivalent.

Pink Lemonade: Readily available. Not a millepora, but has the same overall shaggy polyp look. High light produces more of the yellowish green body while lower light produces a more muted coloration. Pink polyps is a nice contrast against the body. If you want to pay more for something that's similar in coloration, then take a look at the RR Pink Floyd and the TCK Pikachu.

Garf Bonsai/Tricolor valida: The GARF has been a staple in my tanks in the past because it has such great colors. Purple base coloration with bright green polyps that really pops. Tables out as it gets larger. The tricolor valida is a more readily available Acropora that comes in all the time as a wild with decent colors and contrasting blue tips.

Bali shorcakes/Pink Body, Yellow Corallites: Pink bodies with yellow corallite tips, and some with blue growing tips in contrast. There's a number of these on the market going under different names. JF Foxflame has similar colors but it's rather muted compared to some of the others out there. Higher end equivalents include Z's yellow eye jawdropper, JF firecracker, and the RC Poison Envy.

ORA Pearlberry, RR The Vinh, Upscales microlados. Pastel white/green bases with contrasting tips and polyps. I love pastel acros with contrasting tips and polyps whenever available. These are readily available for the most part. Caution in regards to ORA pearlberry since there are like 4-5 variations out there, most of which aren't the actual piece. Buy from a hobbyist with traceable lineage.

5+ Acros to avoid
  • Anything CB based for the most part, especially if the only picture that you see is from CB. Blues used exclusive to shoot the corals, frags are tiny, and are tip cuts, which are usually the brightest portion and will look different from the grown out form.
  • Rainbow tenuis which have been the mainstay of the high end market for the good part of 2+ years. Unless you shoot a lot of blues through a filter, you won't see the rainbow effect. RR Angry Bird, MattV Rainbow Envy, etc.
  • ReefRaft in general, unless you buy from a hobbyist. RR direct pieces have been coming in small, brown, and stressed out. Buy from a hobbyist if you find a piece that you like.
  • Walt Disney: Proceed with caution. A number of wilds have been coming in in the last year or so and some of them have been either mislabeled or passed on as lineaged pieces. Buy from a reputable reefer that has traceable lines (especially if they can lineage back to Mike Biggar). This piece also doesn't show off well until it gets to mini colony in size at the minimum.
  • Homewrecker/Vivid Insanity, Vivid 4 Locos, Vivid Confetti/RRC Jawdropper: The vendor pictures are hard to reproduce most of the time unless you run a lot of blues and a filter. While Vivid says that their shots are taken under daylight, it's a bluer daylight shot than most people would consider. Shots are taken top down and under their bluer settings versus a true white that most people run for daylights. This set also contains some of the most expensive pieces ranging anywhere from $300-$1,000 for a small frag that will take a long while to grow out and color up. If you have the money, patience, and confidence to keep your parameters rock solid for 1-2 years, I would not venture into this set of Acros.
 
Good read from Ibn and pretty much agree. I have bought from CB ( cornbred ) and have yet to reproduce his colors and honestly doubt I will. I prefer to buy from a few hobbyist , namely Tim from Sacramento. He has good corals and he's reputable in my opinion. Some people from BAR have bought from him and thats how I was introduced to him. The acros that ibn talks about in the $300 to $1000 range I don't even touch. I'm confident in my tank but thats a tuff pill to swallow if it dies.
 
Good read from Ibn and pretty much agree. I have bought from CB ( cornbred ) and have yet to reproduce his colors and honestly doubt I will. I prefer to buy from a few hobbyist , namely Tim from Sacramento. He has good corals and he's reputable in my opinion. Some people from BAR have bought from him and thats how I was introduced to him. The acros that ibn talks about in the $300 to $1000 range I don't even touch. I'm confident in my tank but thats a tuff pill to swallow if it dies.
Ditto for my support for Tim as well as other local reefers.
 
My acros also look different when looking from the top down. And yes most pics are taken in actinics to sell. Also understand lighting plays a big part in it. Your lighting may be different than the person you are buying from. Your more than welcome to come over and I can cut you some to try out. Im in Hayward

Thanks for the offer Tankguy, I find that BAR members are pretty generous. Think I have about 10 Acros from BAR members in the past few weeks :).
 
5 must have acros is kind of tough and subjective, but let's go with color combos that would pop in most tanks.

Oregon blue tort/Palmer's blue mille
  • Both have amazing blue color that most can produce in their tank. Which one you go with depends on what you prefer more. Oregon blue is a tort, which grows in a stag like fashion, with blue polyps. Palmer's blue is a millepora that grows more into a tabler with polyps that is shaggy (like most millepora).
PC Rainbow: Readily available. Has a very unique mustard yellow base with red corallites and a green encrusting base. In high light the mustard yellow base kind of disappear and you get a more monotone red/pink color throughout. Similar to the ORA red planet in this regard. The ASD Rainbow is another one to look at if you want contrasting colors. If you want a ton more pop and more money in a rainbow, then take a look at the Vivid Confetti.

ORA Red Planet: Readily available and one of the quickest growing SPS out there. Tabler that has a green base and red polyps and corallites. Not enough light and you get more green throughout. High light produces an overall red/pink coloration. Keeping this in mind, you can move it around until you find the ideal spot for it. Take a look at the superman tables if you want something that's slower growing, but has a nice contrasting coloration. The BC Aquatic-man tabler would be the top end equivalent.

Pink Lemonade: Readily available. Not a millepora, but has the same overall shaggy polyp look. High light produces more of the yellowish green body while lower light produces a more muted coloration. Pink polyps is a nice contrast against the body. If you want to pay more for something that's similar in coloration, then take a look at the RR Pink Floyd and the TCK Pikachu.

Garf Bonsai/Tricolor valida: The GARF has been a staple in my tanks in the past because it has such great colors. Purple base coloration with bright green polyps that really pops. Tables out as it gets larger. The tricolor valida is a more readily available Acropora that comes in all the time as a wild with decent colors and contrasting blue tips.

Bali shorcakes/Pink Body, Yellow Corallites: Pink bodies with yellow corallite tips, and some with blue growing tips in contrast. There's a number of these on the market going under different names. JF Foxflame has similar colors but it's rather muted compared to some of the others out there. Higher end equivalents include Z's yellow eye jawdropper, JF firecracker, and the RC Poison Envy.

ORA Pearlberry, RR The Vinh, Upscales microlados. Pastel white/green bases with contrasting tips and polyps. I love pastel acros with contrasting tips and polyps whenever available. These are readily available for the most part. Caution in regards to ORA pearlberry since there are like 4-5 variations out there, most of which aren't the actual piece. Buy from a hobbyist with traceable lineage.

5+ Acros to avoid
  • Anything CB based for the most part, especially if the only picture that you see is from CB. Blues used exclusive to shoot the corals, frags are tiny, and are tip cuts, which are usually the brightest portion and will look different from the grown out form.
  • Rainbow tenuis which have been the mainstay of the high end market for the good part of 2+ years. Unless you shoot a lot of blues through a filter, you won't see the rainbow effect. RR Angry Bird, MattV Rainbow Envy, etc.
  • ReefRaft in general, unless you buy from a hobbyist. RR direct pieces have been coming in small, brown, and stressed out. Buy from a hobbyist if you find a piece that you like.
  • Walt Disney: Proceed with caution. A number of wilds have been coming in in the last year or so and some of them have been either mislabeled or passed on as lineaged pieces. Buy from a reputable reefer that has traceable lines (especially if they can lineage back to Mike Biggar). This piece also doesn't show off well until it gets to mini colony in size at the minimum.
  • Homewrecker/Vivid Insanity, Vivid 4 Locos, Vivid Confetti/RRC Jawdropper: The vendor pictures are hard to reproduce most of the time unless you run a lot of blues and a filter. While Vivid says that their shots are taken under daylight, it's a bluer daylight shot than most people would consider. Shots are taken top down and under their bluer settings versus a true white that most people run for daylights. This set also contains some of the most expensive pieces ranging anywhere from $300-$1,000 for a small frag that will take a long while to grow out and color up. If you have the money, patience, and confidence to keep your parameters rock solid for 1-2 years, I would not venture into this set of Acros.

Wow..excellent advice. thank you. I'm in for the next tank tour! Being able to see these Acros in real life vs photo would be a good learning experience.
 
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