ORA Micronesian Yellow Porites Coral

Description

Porites corals can be found in several locations in the world. They can be found in the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean. The frags of Yellow Porites sold here are maricultured by ORA. Instead of being collected from real reefs, these corals are grown on maricultured farms and then fragged to be sold to hobbyists such as yourself. This coral has an encrusting and branching growth pattern. It will encrust until it gets to a decent size and then start developing thick branches.

The Yellow Porites coral is one of the easiest to keep stony corals. They are tolerant of a wide range of conditions, however to achieve the best coloration and growth you can provide more preferred conditions. To start, let’s talk about lighting. Porites can be placed under medium to high light, but they will display better coloration in higher light, which is very much worth it. Before placing this coral in high light, you need to acclimate it first. Do this by starting the coral in low light and gradually moving it into higher light during a month or a few months. This coral also prefers high flow, though medium flow will be tolerated. Flow is important to prevent detritus buildup and to give the coral access to needed nutrients and elements in the water. Ideally, the flow should be irregular and random to avoid dead spots and to promote proper growth. While these corals aren’t as picky with water chemistry as other SPS such as Acropora or montipora, they are still stony corals and still require at least somewhat consistent levels of calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. Large enough fluctuations within these parameters can cause lots of damage to this coral, as with any stony coral. As with any coral, you should keep your parameters as stable as possible, but this coral might be more forgiving than others. As for your other parameters, keep your nitrates around 1-5 ppm and your phosphates as close to 0.01ppm as possible but not 0. Keep your temperature between 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit and stable. Concerning feeding, this is not a coral you should go out of your way to feed. It contains a photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae which provides the coral with most of its nutritional feed. Taking that into consideration and the coral’s tiny polyps, feeding this coral is unnecessary. Although, dosing phytoplankton and amino acids can be beneficial for this coral and all your other corals.

Care requirements

Purchase Size: 1 – 2″

Placement: You can place this coral anywhere as long as its lighting and flow needs are met.

Lighting: Medium to high.

Flow: Moderate to strong.

Parameters:  72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 32-35 ppt

Calcium: 350-450 ppm

Alkalinity: 8-12 dKH

Magnesium: 1,250-1,350 ppm

More Information

This Yellow Porites coral is maricultured by ORA. Maricultured corals are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. They also tend to transition to aquarium life better than corals collected from the ocean. Do your part in making our hobby more sustainable by choosing corals such as this one over those collected from the ocean.