The weekend before last, we attended the annual Columbia Marine Aquarium Conference (CMAC). Several coral vendors were at the show and we were able to pickup some really cool corals, including one from Joey Nichols at Joe Knows Reefs. Incrusting Monti corals have always impressed me and I was lucky enough to find this little gem at the show.
The ASD Rainbow Phoenix’s lineage goes back about 2 years ago when it was first introduced by Aqua SD in San Diego, CA. One of the qualities I have always appreciated about Joey at Joes Knows Reefs, is that he is good about informing people on how to care for the corals he is selling them. At the show, Joey made sure to let us know that this species of Montipora (possibly M. palawensis) prefers lower lighting, so he advised placing it in the bottom half of my reef aquarium would be best.
Considered to be medium on the hardiness scale, this coral will grow quickly in the right conditions. Coloration and hues can vary from tank to tank. Depending on tank conditions and parameters, polyp color can range from green to teal to blue and the base color can range from yellow to tangerine or pink. In Joey’s system the polyps are blue and that is what caught my attention. The country of origin is located in the Indo-Pacific and it likely came from Bali.
Joey told us that he acquired this coral about 1.5 years ago and he has been growing it ever since. If you would like to check out Joey’s latest arrivals then hop on over to the Joe Knows Reefs New Arrivals Page.
