Rare Corals/Corals Absent from the Hobby

[AydenLincoln]

I would like to see more blue ridge coral…. They used to be everywhere but now they are very hard to find.

I had one. It was my very first coral. I ended up trading it with someone for another coral. I bought it from Petco of all places.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Can you pay collectors directly to get specific species of fish/coral?

Theres some shrimp I've been eying but no one has them

What if we were like, hey could you guys keep an eye out for these shrimp on your current planned dive trips and snag one if you see it

To my understanding, there are groups that take special orders - some do the "if we see it, we'll snag it for you" kind and others will actively send divers out for them (presumably snagging other things worth grabbing along the way).

To my knowledge, KP Aquatics takes special orders of the first kind (restricted to the Florida Keys area) and Marine Collectors takes special orders of the second kind (I'm not sure of any restrictions on collection area here).

As mentioned, though, the fee for special orders may end up being pretty steep depending on the company and species involved.


That said, a lot of species may be able to be special ordered through a wholesaler (such as Quality Marine, for example) via your LFS - if the wholesaler lists the species on their site as one they carry, it may be worth a shot to have your LFS reach out about it for you.

 

[PM Corals]

Unrealistic

What if we were like, hey could you guys keep an eye out for these shrimp on your current planned dive trips and snag one if you see it.

 

[encrustingacro]

Pectinia elongata.
Going to borrow this picture from @fishguy242 as he's the last person I know who had a colony.
The last frag I saw was sold by liveaquaria

I don't think those are P. elongata. From what I can tell, that species grows in thinner branches.

 

[VintageReefer]

Unrealistic

I was only half serious. I don’t even need or want a shrimp.

Unique or colorful coral however…put me on speed dial haha!

 

[fishguy242]

I would like to see more blue ridge coral…. They used to be everywhere but now they are very hard to find.

I would love to see a tank full of blue ridge

 

[Reckless]

German Blue Polyp Acropora!

Yellowish green acro with blue to purple polyps. I haven’t seen this coral in the hobby for over 10 years.

 

[santeeeyyy]

It would be like funding an expedition on top of all the export and import costs. Those shrimp can end up costing 20k.

How do expeditions work out?

 

[santeeeyyy]

Now that I think about it, ive only ever heard that blue xenia, blue rhodactis, and blue leather cabbage was either a problem or a pest back in the day and there was so much of it. It seemingly died out now. But I think because of the introduction of blue leds could have helped

 

[Goaway]

I don't think those are P. elongata. From what I can tell, that species grows in thinner branches.

In that case, elongata never entered the hobby i bet.

x.com

x.com

We've all been decieved.

 

[encrustingacro]

In that case, elongata never entered the hobby i bet.

x.com

x.com

We've all been decieved.

Likely a misidentification.

 

[Bniceb]

Pectinia elongata.
Going to borrow this picture from @fishguy242 as he's the last person I know who had a colony.
The last frag I saw was sold by liveaquaria

Is that the type of Pectinia these are? I always wondered why they looked different that the Pectinia I see in other aquariums. They get pretty fluffy when I feed them.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Rhizotrochus

Saw two nice orange ones for sale 10 years ago but it was a week before I had a 14 hour move. Said I would buy them after the move when the tank is setup. Never saw them again for sale

Those would be so cool to have!

 

[JohnCol]

Long tentacle plate corals aren't really common like they used to be. And it's ashame. A long tentacle plate was a newer tank or not as experienced persons best friend. They look like a lta nem but not as hard as a nem.

Don't see them often anymore it's always the short tentacle variants.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Long tentacle plate corals aren't really common like they used to be. And it's ashame. A long tentacle plate was a newer tank or not as experienced persons best friend. They look like a lta nem but not as hard as a nem.

Don't see them often anymore it's always the short tentacle variants.

Yesterday, my wife and I were looking at long tentacle plate corals on the road. We were saying how they are cool looking, but we prefer the shorter tentacle ones

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I'm unsure if it'd be considered "rare" but I never hear about or see White Willow Toadstools. And it's sad because they're so beautiful and I want one so bad!

If anyone is selling them, PM me.

 

[encrustingacro]

Another coral I would love to see in the hobby are Micromussa multipunctata. They are very rare in the wild, and are poorly documented. They have a pretty narrow distribution in the coral triangle, being mostly a Malay-Philipine endemic. M. multipuncta differ from other Micromussa in that they are plocoid instead of cerioid. In situ, this is characterized by having sediment deposited in between their polyps, visible when the coenosarc is retracted.
Micromussa multipunctata, showing sediment between corallites; Sabah, Borneo | Credit: Tropical Research and Conservation Centre

Micromussa multipunctata, coenosarc obscuring deposited sediment; Sabah, Borneo | Credit: Tropical Research and Conservation Centre

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Another coral I would love to see in the hobby are Micromussa multipunctata. They are very rare in the wild, and are poorly documented. They have a pretty narrow distribution in the coral triangle, being mostly a Malay-Philipine endemic. M. multipuncta differ from other Micromussa in that they are plocoid instead of cerioid. In situ, this is characterized by having sediment deposited in between their polyps, visible when the coenosarc is retracted.
Micromussa multipunctata, showing sediment between corallites; Sabah, Borneo | Credit: Tropical Research and Conservation Centre

Micromussa multipunctata, coenosarc obscuring deposited sediment; Sabah, Borneo | Credit: Tropical Research and Conservation Centre

I've never even heard of those before! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Goaway]

Is that the type of Pectinia these are? I always wondered why they looked different that the Pectinia I see in other aquariums. They get pretty fluffy when I feed them.

Could be, difficult to say really. Might be easier to id with larger colonies.

 

[GlassMunky]

My unicorns are a true lemon drop anemone and a red torch coral. I’d set up a whole separate system for something like this:

Super fake lol