I'm thinking the Red Planet is a weird duck, at least the one I have - seems to color up -then color down - then a growth spurt - then goes dormant for awhile - it's like it can't figure out what it wants to do.

Your encrusting planet has very nice color - pretty intense - when that wakes up - should be a stunner.

Really nice pictures of the others too.

Maybe I need to give you some back? :wink:

sometimes you need to build a good foundation before you can erect the skyscraper

Well when I bought this red planet it was dormant already and pretty lack luster. It sat for months and did nothing....then it awakened and has put base down for more months...it has had the nice colour ever since it started encrusting. I think I might trim it to see if I can spur upward growth.

And the last of the pictures I took...

Aussie Sarmentosa
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/sarmentosa.jpg

Peach and yellow tip Bird
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/yellowbird.jpg

Meteor Shower
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/shower.JPG
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/shower2.JPG

Northern Delight (self named) - no positive species name
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/delight2.jpg
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/delight.jpg

Tyree Rainbow Stylo
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/stylo.jpg

Ultimate Bonsai
http://myreeftank.ca/internet/2011.12/ultimate2.jpg

That should hold everyone over for a while...hope you enjoyed.

WOW I really love that Ultimate bonsai! and what you did with that meteor shower seems to have gone according to plan! looks awesome! no wonder you got TOTM

This is semi-hijack territory but your meteor does indeed look amazing so I'd like to couple a compliment with a question.

I just received a frag of it and the polyps are maybe about half as pink as they could be and the base itself is VERY pale with barely a hint of blue. I have had it on the sandbed for 2 weeks or so and in that time it hasn't really changed. Should it be moved up / into more light?

250w radiums, 27" tank.

Man those are some incredibly coloured colonies! Jealous. :)

Thanks guys...
Well first question I gotta ask is what did the mother colony look like? There are a few different cyphastrea that get called meteor shower. And although it's rare they do come in wild from time to time and from what I hear the wild ones do not grow as fast and have slightly different coloration. Mine has been grown captively for generations....I believe its a frag of the original but I can't say for certain on this one.

Mine has never had a blue base......only creamy green and green.

Assuming your frag has the genetics to become brighter (which it very well may) than they are really a med-low/ light/flow coral. They don't need a ton of light....I have mine on the sandbed as well. Although Im not sure but my tank might be brighter as I have 400w MH. By your description of a light base and polyp I would say to leave it on the sand bed and it should colour up....if it gets too dark and on its way to brown...well thats when you need to move it up.

I ended up moving the frag to a lower light and lower flow area at the end of the tank. I'm not sure if it's these changes are the fact that it's firmly mounted (I have found corals do so much better when they don't wobble around) but it's developing a colour very simlar to yours now. My polyps look the same and the base is maybe half as colorful but it's getting better quickly.

No idea of lineage... it's from Ryan (Lethbridge). It's encrusting quickly now I can't wait until it's got some size to it. Again nice work!

Sounds like its on its way to being a great piece for you. I really like mine......they definitely don't like a ton of light.....somewhere near the bottom of the tank is great for these guys and mine seems to grow quite fast.