Coral Specialist Ron is rearranging our aquaculture tanks to accomodate a stunning array of new corals we just got in. You wouldn't believe the colors on these! Totally unreal. Of course, the proper lighting makes all the difference when it comes to the colorations of your corals. And the proper
amount of lighting. Remember: you're trying to replicate nature. The sun isn't out 24/7, so your lights shouldn't be on 24/7. We had an incident with one of our light timers back when we were still in the process of moving into our new warehouse. It kept turning the lights on when it wasn't supposed, hurting many of our specimens. But fortunately, our Coral Specialists are very knowledgable and were able to save and heal most of the tank. Our timers have been working perfectly ever since... like clockwork!
By the way, all of the photos you see in
our coral section have been taken under the optimal lighting to show off their coloration. However, the lights in your tank may result in different intensities of hues.
 |
The Aussie Dragon Soul Reverse Prism Favia
flourishes in medium metal halide lighting. |
Some corals, such as the
Red Chili/Cactus Coral, do best in low lighting and should be placed in shady areas. (And no, we do mean the bad neighborhood in your tank.) For corals that need more extreme lighting, such as most
xenias,
donuts, and
zoanthids, we advise only the best Metal Halide 1000-watt, 6,700K lighting in order to awaken the sleeping polyps and color enhancing zooxanthellae that really transform an aquarium from a simple fish tank to a show-stopping display of deep sea life.
To learn more about caring for corals, we recommend
Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History by Eric H. Borneman.
