Torch ID

[downonthereef]

Hiiii! This is at my LFS for £450.00, being advertised as a Holy Grail, do you guys agree? I just thought Holy Grails were brighter that's all. I really like it, I just don't want to be paying 450 if it's something else.

 

[Alexopora]

Hmm, the video won’t load for me but do take note alot of pictures we see online may or may not be doctored/photoshopped/enhanced. So we do have to adjust our expectations for how a coral is supposed to look like.

 

[downonthereef]

Hmm, the video won’t load for me but do take note alot of pictures we see online may or may not be doctored/photoshopped/enhanced. So we do have to adjust our expectations for how a coral is supposed to look like.

I've screenshotted the video a couple of time so you can see

 

[Alexopora]

I've screenshotted the video a couple of time so you can see

I’m not good with differentiating names of expensive corals (especially torches). But i remember seeing this in many lfs, and I must say that its colours seems to be fine. Most torches at least, if they are not under intense lighting look somewhat like this. Most of the pictures you get online are either taken under intense lighting (a short exposure to intense lighting shouldn’t cause much harm to the coral), taken using special lenses, and/or enhanced using photo editting software.

On the topic of pricing, I’m not British but £450 seems a little too steep for a coral.

 

[downonthereef]

I’m not good with differentiating names of expensive corals (especially torches). But i remember seeing this in many lfs, and I must say that its colours seems to be fine. Most torches at least, if they are not under intense lighting look somewhat like this. Most of the pictures you get online are either taken under intense lighting (a short exposure to intense lighting shouldn’t cause much harm to the coral), taken using special lenses, and/or enhanced using photo editting software.

On the topic of pricing, I’m not British but £450 seems a little too steep for a coral.

I understand, I wasn't one for spending much on corals but I'm trying to take a new approach to the hobby, trying to make it fund itself by having these higher-end sought after corals so I can sell them on once they grow out.

 

[Alexopora]

I understand, I wasn't one for spending much on corals but I'm trying to take a new approach to the hobby, trying to make it fund itself by having these higher-end sought after corals so I can sell them on once they grow out.

Ah I feel you, the itch to try something premium. I only started euphyllias, like about 3 years after my first coral. Basically my coral keeping progression went like;

1. GSP, Galaxea
2. Other star polyps
3. Mushrooms, Zoas, Palythoa
4. Blastomussa, Candy Cane
5. Porites
6. Acro, Monti, Pocis
7. Kenya Tree, Xenia
8. Seriatopora, Duncans
9. Leptoseris, Favia, Favites, Pavona
10. Cyphastrea, Leptastrea
11. Psammocora, Anacropora, Fungia, Lithophyllon
12. Acans, Pagoda, Gorgonian, Chalice
13. Frogspawns
14. Hammers
15. Torches

So yeah, I’m really late to torches and have recently gotten myself a Dragon Soul torch after keeping a couple of inexpensive torches. Hefty price for me (its ab 750 in my local currency, est ab £130). And my clown sure has expensive taste, picking this particular torch to be her host. Although she sleeps in xenia when the lights are off.

 

[downonthereef]

Ah I feel you, the itch to try something premium. I only started euphyllias, like about 3 years after my first coral. Basically my coral keeping progression went like;

1. GSP, Galaxea
2. Other star polyps
3. Mushrooms, Zoas, Palythoa
4. Blastomussa, Candy Cane
5. Porites
6. Acro, Monti, Pocis
7. Kenya Tree, Xenia
8. Seriatopora, Duncans
9. Leptoseris, Favia, Favites, Pavona
10. Cyphastrea, Leptastrea
11. Psammocora, Anacropora, Fungia, Lithophyllon
12. Acans, Pagoda, Gorgonian, Chalice
13. Frogspawns
14. Hammers
15. Torches

So yeah, I’m really late to torches and have recently gotten myself a Dragon Soul torch after keeping a couple of inexpensive torches. Hefty price for me (its ab 750 in my local currency, est ab £130). And my clown sure has expensive taste, picking this particular torch to be her host. Although she sleeps in xenia when the lights are off.

Lovely! I've personally never kept any SPS and I don't think I ever will, they just don't stand out to me. But I am in love with torches, zoas and mushrooms. I wish my clown would host something, I even have a green bubble tip but she doesn't go anywhere near it. Maybe she needs a friend?

 

[Alexopora]

Lovely! I've personally never kept any SPS and I don't think I ever will, they just don't stand out to me. But I am in love with torches, zoas and mushrooms. I wish my clown would host something, I even have a green bubble tip but she doesn't go anywhere near it. Maybe she needs a friend?

I think its quite normal of your clowns to not choose to be hosted by an anemone or a coral. I have another clown pair in a different tank that doesn’t snuggle or dive into my hammers and frogspawn but always sleeps in the right hand corner of the tank where some pumps are. Another clown in my sps dominated tank prefers a spot next to my leptastrea to be its host over my gsp, clove polyps or duncan. Since most of our clowns are aquacultured its highly likely that they may choose to not be hosted by any coral or nems.

 

[Alexopora]

Lovely! I've personally never kept any SPS and I don't think I ever will, they just don't stand out to me. But I am in love with torches, zoas and mushrooms. I wish my clown would host something, I even have a green bubble tip but she doesn't go anywhere near it. Maybe she needs a friend?

Honestly, I never thought I would enjoy sps until I accidentally got my first sps. It was my porites which was a hitchhiker. It came as a creamy white spot on my live rock which over the course of two weeks gradually turn brown with polyps extending and finally reaching its fluorescent green colouration. The polyps are not fully extended since i took this picture after the lights went off for the day but when they are fully extended, its absolute stunning seeing the polyps move in a wave like motion. Also, there are some other sps that have long polyp extension that would be absolutely graceful to watch; pocilloporas and stylophoras. Best part is that these guys are way way easier to care for than acros and montis.

Since you like torches, I believe you might like Duncans too. They are quite similar in terms of having long tentacles akin to anemones. My only complain is that they don’t come in many colours, mostly along the blue-green spectrum.

 

[downonthereef]

Honestly, I never thought I would enjoy sps until I accidentally got my first sps. It was my porites which was a hitchhiker. It came as a creamy white spot on my live rock which over the course of two weeks gradually turn brown with polyps extending and finally reaching its fluorescent green colouration. The polyps are not fully extended since i took this picture after the lights went off for the day but when they are fully extended, its absolute stunning seeing the polyps move in a wave like motion. Also, there are some other sps that have long polyp extension that would be absolutely graceful to watch; pocilloporas and stylophoras. Best part is that these guys are way way easier to care for than acros and montis.

Since you like torches, I believe you might like Duncans too. They are quite similar in terms of having long tentacles akin to anemones. My only complain is that they don’t come in many colours, mostly along the blue-green spectrum.

They look stunning! And I have contemplated Duncan's and other LPS but I just can't find any that I really like at the moment. I really like blastos and have found quite a few nice ones, but they're quite expensive just for one head, so I think that'll have to be bought further down the line. If the hobby starts to pay for itself.

 

[Alexopora]

They look stunning! And I have contemplated Duncan's and other LPS but I just can't find any that I really like at the moment. I really like blastos and have found quite a few nice ones, but they're quite expensive just for one head, so I think that'll have to be bought further down the line. If the hobby starts to pay for itself.

Right, Blastos can be pricey. They do come in real stunning colours. Blastos are like mushrooms yet they don’t spread and overgrow since they are lps. In addition, they are really fun to watch when you feed them.

 

[dedragon]

those do look like holy grails, yellow down one side of tentacle with green on other side usually is a dead giveaway. Really nice corals but also so expensive

 

[downonthereef]

those do look like holy grails, yellow down one side of tentacle with green on other side usually is a dead giveaway. Really nice corals but also so expensive

Thank you, also has a bright green mouth/head which is normally a dead giveaway aswell

 

[dedragon]

its really an awesome piece, watch out and dip for those flatworms, ive seen a lot of flatworms on euphylia lately by me in the states, i dont know how its been near you but here its been terrible

 

[Alexopora]

its really an awesome piece, watch out and dip for those flatworms, ive seen a lot of flatworms on euphylia lately by me in the states, i dont know how its been near you but here its been terrible

Disgusting pests. Thank goodness for Tidal Garden’s video on Torches. When I got my hammer from the mail, I immediately recognised the Flatworm. Got a pipette a squirted some freshwater onto the flatworm and it started squirming and dropped off. Had to scrub the hammer’s skeleton and QT.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

@MERKEY

 

[downonthereef]

its really an awesome piece, watch out and dip for those flatworms, ive seen a lot of flatworms on euphylia lately by me in the states, i dont know how its been near you but here its been terrible

Personally, I dip everything I buy. And I always check the water after in joy to see what critters I've caught and as off yet, nothing. There's obviously the odd copepod and bristleworm but nothing of interest or concern thank fully

 

[MERKEY]

Not asd style Holy grail but tsa is pretty close.

It reminds me more of a master style which is just as nice.

There are so many and just not enough places to put them!