There is a select group of choice corals that tend to grab the attention of aquarium enthusiasts whenever they walk into a room, and then there are specific pieces that grab the attention of the entire hobby. That is the case when we look at this specific Scolymia (Homophyllia australis) we are covering today.
To give you a background on how this coral made its way into the hobby we need to go back to where the piece originally came from. Don Gilson, owner of Inter-Fish PTY LTD, originally collected this piece and has cared for it since. When Don collected the Scolymia it bore some great red coloring and was a nice piece, but it took time to develop the coloration we see it with today.
Shortly after collection, the Scoly was added to a breeding project at Inter-Fish to contribute to the genetic pool. Now with several years in captivity and under the T-5 and LED combo lighting, the specimen has grown accustomed to life in the home aquarium and has begun to showcase some real potential. Scolymia are known for having their colors morph over time, and especially the longer they are maintained in captivity generally the more impressive they become in not only vibrancy but also size.
This past October this specific Scolymia spawned in captivity, so the thought that there is potential for genetically similar Scolymia to be cooking in Australia is an exciting thing to know. These corals are known to be hermaphroditic broadcast spawners, putting on quite the show if you are lucky enough to catch a spawning event. Growing from a tiny cell to the size of an eraser in about 8 months, the transition and growth of these corals over time is a miraculous thing to read and see.
Fast forward to more recently when Chris and Amanda Meckley from ACI Aquaculture imported this piece into the States, where it endured a 72-hour trip through customs. Upon arrival, the coral seemed unphased, a stunning testament to what aquarium-conditioned corals can withstand. After a short stint at ACI, it was hand-picked by Top Shelf Aquatics, where it is now available for purchase. Top Shelf Aquatics, located in Winter Park Florida, is known for its large aquaculture facility and efforts to bring aquacultured pieces into the hobby. Along with aquacultured coral, they also have a great collection of highly sought-after, difficult-to-farm corals they also provide for the hobby.
When chatting more about these beautiful corals with Chris he mentioned that these Scolymia tend to fare better in temperatures ranging from 74-76 degrees Fahrenheit, useful info to help those looking to keep this and potentially other corals long term. In addition, as seen in a previous studio tank done by Jake Adams, the Scolymia added in were all mounted onto the rockwork unlike what you typically see in most tanks where they tend to be found on the sandbed. In the wild Scolymia can readily be found on the rockwork growing vertically, and that is what Jake attempted to showcase and mirror in that system; to give light to the more natural way to mount and or place these corals in our tanks.
As for this piece in particular, it’s hard to put into words how truly magnificent the coloring on display is. Starting with the brilliant orange body, working into the rainbow confetti-like coloring sprinkled throughout it, whether it be the pastel purples or eye-popping baby blues this coral has all the colors of the rainbow and then some. Having had the chance to see this coral in person for myself, the beauty truly cannot be understated and it absolutely grabs the attention of every single person in the room. Regardless of any hobbyist’s experience or time dedicated to the hobby, this coral is undeniably unique in the best ways and will no doubt be one we remember for years to come.
XXXX Update XXXX
It was recently sold to a high-end collector in Texas, for an undisclosed sum.
