SPS Identification Practices

[jlehigh]

Hey All,

I think most folks can agree it is wise to do your best to replicate the natural conditions of the SPS specimens we keep. In order to accomplish this we must first accurately identify the specemins.

Despite an awesome coral ID gallery I would like to see what methods people use to acurately ID their SPS corals. Also please site any books that you find intuitive and valuable to this end.

I have seen how flow impacts the shape of a coral. In my tank strong random flow causes the corals to grow thick with dense branching.

Lighting impacts how the coloration appears.

So how do you folks do it? Any intuitive methods?

 

[reedman]

I think it is unrealistic to try to identify any lower than the family that the coral comes from. To determine species with any confidence, it is my understanding that you really have to see the cross-section of the coral under a microscope. A wild speciment can be IDed sometimes before it is put into an unnatural environment and allowed to adapt to the new digs.

My understanding is that most of the ID is done with the coralite structure. The color & branch size and shape can be influenced by the flow and lighting, like you said, so these are unreliable items for ID purposes, IMO.

Personally, I can tell whether a coral is an Acropora family, but beyond that it is a guess. Some I can tell like Acropora millipora...but most it is just a guess. Additionally, unless you are buying wild corals, the natural environment is a set of tank parameters where the coral is coming from, not the reef natural environs. So to me, most of the replicating the corals natural environs has to do with seeing where the coral was thriving in the tank it is coming from.

Just my opinions and what I have read. I am not a scientist, nor do I claim to have that type of knowledge.

 

[NaH2O]

To quote Eric Borneman from the ID thread here:

Dudes, unless the species is very obvious - like Acropora palmata, Catalaphyllia, A. florida, Trachyphyllia, etc., just don't even try it. ESPECIALLY with Acropora, Montipora, faviids, and Porites. I'm going to do a taxonomy workshop at this year's MACNA I think (so have been asked) - and we can do a rundown on the methods here, but long and short of it is when someone tells me they have an Acropora whateverensis I just roll my eyes.

I mentioned to someone while I was up there, that there is a really nice little pocket guide to field ID of living Acropora to the sub-genus group. it costs about five dollars, and proceeds go to charity. Its called Acropora staghorn corals: A "getting to know you" and identification guide published by OceanNEnvironment (www oceannenvironment.com.au. Its the best quick guide outside being a geek with Wallace's big book or Veron.

A lot of hobbyists think that by saying or thinking they know the species they sound cool, but to anyone who knows how hard it is to ID corals, much less living and small aquarium corals where are the diagnostic features are covered in tissue, it just shows foolishness. Case in major point - mail order coral vendors. What a joke!

Veron's series is a great one, and shows the skeletal structures as well. However, unless you have a skeleton and microscope, I'm not sure how easy species identification can be.

Here's a link to a CoralSeach page. From what I've found a lot of the pics on this website are the same as in Veron's books.

 

[bradreef]

It can be done. you do need to bleach a branch and then it is still not for sure and involves a lot of guessing and elimination. Eric started a thread on it and never finished it.

 

[jlehigh]

Great posts Reed and Niki, but how can we even pretend to know what to do with a coral when get them..

I hear you Reed. Is it healthy now? and what are those conditions fostering the health? Possibly find out where they are collected from..

Niki: I find odd comfort in what Eric Hugo is saying.. Often times I feel like a lacky hobbyist when I see folks talking about genus types. I haven't a clue where to begin. I have even found proper placement and conditions totally counter intuitive in many cases.. Say where a brightly colored specimen actually maintains the color at lower PAR levels not higher.

Can we add any more truths here:
-One can TRY to determine the origination via the merchant/collector
-We can possibly guees the type (Acropora ect)
-Pictures can be misleading due to lighting/flow variations in captivity
-Coloration does not dictate needs
-Microscopic skeltal analysis is the most scientific ID method, yet even that is very difficult

 

[bradreef]

john the coralite structure does tell you a lot. The problem I constantly see with people asking for Id's is the coral is too small so you can't get the growth structure right. Some of the corals are obvious, You can start with stag's and then compare the size of the axial coralite and the shape, spacing, and uniformness of the radial coralites and get an idea. A good maybe. The next problem is how to pronounce them.

 

[bradreef]

The one thing I wouldn't do personally is assume that because you think you know what a coral is that you can keep it in a certain place in your tank. For corals to thrive in a reeftank they need to adapt. This is besides the obvious (deepwater acro's dont need to go at the top, Tables and thick clustering colonies need more flow). My sugestion would be to acclimate all of your new purchases to your lighting and then find a good place where they like the flow. I have a blue/teal stag that I purchased from KevinPo months ago. When I purchased it he said it needs high light to keep its color. Originally I was blasting it with flow and towards the top of my tank. No polyp extention. The flow killed a vertical stipe up one side of the coral. That healed and then I placed the coral maybe 3 inches higher in the tank to try to get better color. I bleached a stripe on the other side. Now I have found a good spot for the coral and it has healed over pretty good but you do have to be aware when placing corals in your tank.

 

[jlehigh]

The next problem is how to pronounce them

I heard that!

The blue/teal stag was a good example.
This might be a good workshop for a future PSAS club meeting. I thought about getting a microscope for reef life examination and other fun things my animals live with, on, around. (My wife and I could arguably run a petting zoo out of our home..)

 

[bradreef]

It could be a good workshop but it is not easy at all. lots of looking and comparing, eliminating, measuring, ect.

 

[tamarindthai]

yes,let's start with my tank,,,lots of customer asking me all the time ,,,what the name if this coral with the finger point to it,,,????????? oh boy,,

 

[bradreef]

dang you can post all of the good pics of big corals and we can give you an idea. At least try.

 

[mojoreef]

It i virtually impossible. The way these corals are identified/named and catagorize if through identification points in the corals skeliton (not just the coralites). In order to do a proper id you will need to examine the skeliton which in our cases doesnt make much sence unless you dont mind sacrificing a peice of it and then spending alot of time searching through other skelitons.
Now even once you happen to get lucky and do identify the coral it still only partly helps with your question as all SPS will adapt thier growth and structure based on enviroment around them. Example: A. formosa (stag) in lower flow the stalks will be thinner and the coralites more delicate and will be closer together. In high flow the stalk will be much thicker and the corralites will be more evenly placed. Now those would be the two extremes, between them you are also going to have adaptations. In regards to color that is all to do with the lighting you make available to them.
The coral gallery can be a great tool for helping you with placement and enviromental conditions. Lets take an example: A. Noblis

Characters: Colonies have large upright cylindrical branches and may form stands more than 5 metres across. Horizontally fused basal branches are only developed in shallow water. Radial corallites are of mixed sizes and shapes and are rasp-like. Colour: Cream, brown, blue, yellow and green. Individual colonies are uniform in colour except for the branch ends, which are pale. Similar species: Radial corallites are similar to those of Acropora robusta and A. abrotanoides, but these species have different growth-forms except in very shallow water. Acropora formosa, A. abrolhosensis and A. grandis may have similar growth-forms but corallite sizes and shapes are clearly distinct. Habitat: Deep sandy lagoons to upper reef slopes. Abundance: Common

Ok so this coral will grow in areas from lagoons to reef slopes. So medium flow (as they are not common of reef TOPS). The coral is colored in the wild so that would indicate that its getting strong lighting even though it is found deeper. It is also telling us that under strong flow it will fuse its branches (for strength) So you can count on this coral to be a very tight colony with thick branches.
Bottom line Medium flow with medium to strong lighting.

MIke

 

[Scooterman]

If I get the family, I'm doing good, any more I need help, guess this is my downfall for wanting to keep sps in the first place, maybe one day soon.

 

[kevinpo]

I think most folks can agree it is wise to do your best to replicate the natural conditions of the SPS specimens we keep.

The problem is we have very little knowledge of the natural conditions that our particular coral came from beyond basic salinity and some kind of light. Corals of the same species can be found in very diverse environments so the best we can do is to provide the basic conditions and hope they adapt before they perish.
Our job is to keep close watch and take quick action to move them into another, and hopefully more favorable position before that happens.

So there's no real advantage to identification other than for fun. For most Acropora the scientific names are much like common names and are useful to identify a certain type (not species) of coral that we can use in talking with other hobbyist (and confirm we really are reef-freaks to out family and friends :lol: ).

Regards,
Kevin

 

[The Apprentice]

More on Coral Identification

How do you verify Kevin If you are going to Coral Dealer and sellers who give you the Identified name of a coral I will throw this one out. I recently bought these 2 Acropora insignis colones and I was told that's what they are And i would like to keep telling who ever looks in my tank that is what the species is But is their a way to Prove what you have? I have taken the lint to : http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/html/501-600/Species pages/513.htm to try to see if they are the same ? But is there a way to be sure?

I will enclose a pic of both colones

The problem is we have very little knowledge of the natural conditions that out particular coral came from beyond basic salinity and some kind of light. Corals of the same species can be found in very diverse environments so the best we can do is to provide the basic conditions and hope they adapt before they perish.
Our job is to keep close watch and take quick action to move them into another, and hopefully more favorable position before that happens.

So there's no real advantage to identification other than for fun. For most Acropora the scientific names are much like common names and are useful to identify a certain type (not species) of coral that we can use in talking with other hobbyist (and confirm we really are reef-freaks to out family and friends :lol: ).

Regards,
Kevin

 

[NaH2O]

But is there a way to be sure?

I think the only way to be sure would be to look at the skeletal structures.

 

[kevinpo]

Hi Jeff,
There is no way to be sure, but you can be fairly sure that no one looking into your tank can tell what it is other than what you tell them it is

Looking at it another way, if that is the name they are calling corals that look like the one you have and it becomes established so that most people (SPS keepers) know it by that name then when we trade and talk about that coral we know what to expect. Does it really matter what the scientific name is if it doesn't meet the expectations of the owner?

IMO it is one thing if you are collecting butterflies, pinning them to a board, and writing the scientific name under them to teach a science class and quite another if you are trying to fill a tank with the most colorful corals you can for enjoyment and sharing with others that don't know a Acropora from Tridacna

Even the coral skeleton will not always provide the answer for corals grown in your tank because of the variables in calcium, alkalinity, water flow, lighting etc.. Just calcium and alkalinity levels alone can have a large impact on calcification of Acropora which will affect/change the skeleton. In the ocean they are both very constant but in the home aquarium they often swing both high and low (OK maybe just mine does) but it can really change the growth from what you see in pictures of the same coral in the wild.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[The Apprentice]

SPS the Pretty ones!

Thanks Kevin Thats the way i am going to look at it Great Advice

Hi Jeff,
There is no way to be sure, but you can be fairly sure that no one looking into your tank can tell what it is other than what you tell them it is

Looking at it another way, if that is the name they are calling corals that look like the one you have and it becomes established so that most people (SPS keepers) know it by that name then when we trade and talk about that coral we know what to expect. Does it really matter what the scientific name is if it doesn't meet the expectations of the owner?

IMO it is one thing if you are collecting butterflies, pinning them to a board, and writing the scientific name under them to teach a science class and quite another if you are trying to fill a tank with the most colorful corals you can for enjoyment and sharing with others that don't know a Acropora from Tridacna

Even the coral skeleton will not always provide the answer for corals grown in your tank because of the variables in calcium, alkalinity, water flow, lighting etc.. Just calcium and alkalinity levels alone can have a large impact on calcification of Acropora which will affect/change the skeleton. In the ocean they are both very constant but in the home aquarium they often swing both high and low (OK maybe just mine does) but it can really change the growth from what you see in pictures of the same coral in the wild.

Regards,
Kevin