Galaxea question

Slocke

I’m pedantic, ignore me
View Badges
Joined
Feb 3, 2022
Messages
8,630
Reaction score
30,663
Location
Atlanta
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I bought a bunch of corals last week and they, of course, arrived 36 hours late. Most look good but the gold galaxea looks absolutely nothing like it looked online. Instead I got this pink/brown ugly thing. It's been in the tank since Thursday. I don't know anything about galaxea so I'm wondering if this is normal or if the coral is dead or dying. Would love to know before the DAA expires.
IMG_5163.jpeg
 

happyhourhero

Burner of the Tips
View Badges
Joined
Aug 5, 2015
Messages
3,624
Reaction score
6,478
Location
Pensacola, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I bought a bunch of corals last week and they, of course, arrived 36 hours late. Most look good but the gold galaxea looks absolutely nothing like it looked online. Instead I got this pink/brown ugly thing. It's been in the tank since Thursday. I don't know anything about galaxea so I'm wondering if this is normal or if the coral is dead or dying. Would love to know before the DAA expires.
IMG_5163.jpeg
It will probably color up a bit once it settles in. Give it a good 6” in all directions. They are super aggressive and have long sweepers. I think they are an underrated coral but still give it space.
 

bnord

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
3,408
Reaction score
15,325
Location
Athens
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have 2 and I thought one was on its way out several times, looking worse than yours - took 6 months to decide it was going to grow...and I did

pay attention to placement suggestion (requirement) mine now has 3 inch sweeper/stringers - doesn't stop clowns from hosting them...

good luck
 

Bucs20fan

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 21, 2022
Messages
2,179
Reaction score
2,181
Location
Greenville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
With good water this galaxea will be fine. Its just browned out due to stress. Galaxea are pretty hardy corals, and for good reason, they are warfare experts. Be mindful of the flow where you place them. Their sting is potent enough to kill any coral it touches, up to and including rock flower anemones.
 
OP
OP
Slocke

Slocke

I’m pedantic, ignore me
View Badges
Joined
Feb 3, 2022
Messages
8,630
Reaction score
30,663
Location
Atlanta
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks all!
I was really excited by the crazy colors in the pics online and have wanted one for a while but it's the only coral I got that looked nothing like the pics so I was worried. Anyway thanks to your advice I guess I'll move it to an island.
 

Alexopora

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 14, 2018
Messages
883
Reaction score
811
Location
Malaysia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think it is a combination of probably the seller enhancing the colours as well as the coral being stressed. Also lighting may play a role as well as certain colours are alot more noticeable depending on the intensity of the colour spectrum.

Galaxea are really resilient corals. One polyp is enough to regenerate into a full colony. As you can see in my second pic, this is a single polyp that broke of during fragging and it has already encrusted and started sprouting new heads.

903AD8E5-6BDC-4B3C-A214-FDFFEC6761A1.jpeg 9CEF5B6C-4924-4ABE-A8B3-7D4AEE55ADAC.jpeg
 
OP
OP
Slocke

Slocke

I’m pedantic, ignore me
View Badges
Joined
Feb 3, 2022
Messages
8,630
Reaction score
30,663
Location
Atlanta
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think it is a combination of probably the seller enhancing the colours as well as the coral being stressed. Also lighting may play a role as well as certain colours are alot more noticeable depending on the intensity of the colour spectrum.

Galaxea are really resilient corals. One polyp is enough to regenerate into a full colony. As you can see in my second pic, this is a single polyp that broke of during fragging and it has already encrusted and started sprouting new heads.

903AD8E5-6BDC-4B3C-A214-FDFFEC6761A1.jpeg 9CEF5B6C-4924-4ABE-A8B3-7D4AEE55ADAC.jpeg
Thanks!
I'm starting to see some gold under blue lights but its still mostly an ugly fleshy color but it does look healthy otherwise.
I can't believe the size of that colony you have. I assumed it was a couple large euphyllia to begin with!
 

Alexopora

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 14, 2018
Messages
883
Reaction score
811
Location
Malaysia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks!
I'm starting to see some gold under blue lights but its still mostly an ugly fleshy color but it does look healthy otherwise.
I can't believe the size of that colony you have. I assumed it was a couple large euphyllia to begin with!
I actually have more Galaxeas, they do grow pretty well once established. And they can take strong flow. Galaxeas are one of my favorite lps. Always on the hunt for new colour variants.
As they get larger they’ll form a boulder shape colony. In the first picture is an example of that, it grew from a single polyp way back in 2019 after the original mother colony died out. One polyp persevered and resulted in this colony.

Second picture is an example of how a galaxea looks like under stronger flow. Back in the fls tank it had long tentacles and sweepers everywhere. But i placed mine in the middle where the flow from my power heads collide creating a downward tumble flow. Hence it keeps my galaxeas tentacles short.

Regarding looking like euphyllia, interestingly Galaxeas are related to torches. They are under the family Euphyllidae which explains why they look like mini torches. 8B7DA041-F344-4A7A-84CF-1229627EB790.jpeg C8A8F7CD-2DC0-4920-85A2-5FB9D878BFBF.jpeg
 
OP
OP
Slocke

Slocke

I’m pedantic, ignore me
View Badges
Joined
Feb 3, 2022
Messages
8,630
Reaction score
30,663
Location
Atlanta
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When people mention the stingers they are not joking. Mine was sending off 6” long ones the other day.
F7889EFC-DE1B-407E-830D-C0DAF176DC2A.jpeg
Nice. That’s what I’m hoping my galaxea will look like. Minus the sweepers obviously.
 

MoshJosh

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 27, 2022
Messages
3,988
Reaction score
4,433
Location
Grand Junction
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Keep in mind lighting, good chance the photos you saw were under different lights than the ones you’re using. I keep my tanks pretty white, and the purples in my Galaxea get sort of washed out.

Here is my purple gold and purple green:

image.jpg


I imagine I could get better purples if I changed my lighting, but my Galaxea seem to be growing/happy, so I’ll leave it.
 

mrpontiac80

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 19, 2021
Messages
3,385
Reaction score
4,460
Location
centerton AR
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Keep in mind lighting, good chance the photos you saw were under different lights than the ones you’re using. I keep my tanks pretty white, and the purples in my Galaxea get sort of washed out.

Here is my purple gold and purple green:

image.jpg


I imagine I could get better purples if I changed my lighting, but my Galaxea seem to be growing/happy, so I’ll leave it.
Yes on the lights for sure. I actually got mine from a friend. In his tank it was purple and green. In my tank it turned to a purple/orange and gold. He uses black box lights and I use reefbreeders. My par is higher and after we tested his tank par he increased the par and his also turned colors more like mine.
 
OP
OP
Slocke

Slocke

I’m pedantic, ignore me
View Badges
Joined
Feb 3, 2022
Messages
8,630
Reaction score
30,663
Location
Atlanta
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks all that answered!
As you can see the color came back and it looks very good now.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5393.jpeg
    IMG_5393.jpeg
    110.6 KB · Views: 105
  • IMG_5392.jpeg
    IMG_5392.jpeg
    167.9 KB · Views: 88

Alexopora

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 14, 2018
Messages
883
Reaction score
811
Location
Malaysia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think it is a combination of probably the seller enhancing the colours as well as the coral being stressed. Also lighting may play a role as well as certain colours are alot more noticeable depending on the intensity of the colour spectrum.

Galaxea are really resilient corals. One polyp is enough to regenerate into a full colony. As you can see in my second pic, this is a single polyp that broke of during fragging and it has already encrusted and started sprouting new heads.

903AD8E5-6BDC-4B3C-A214-FDFFEC6761A1.jpeg 9CEF5B6C-4924-4ABE-A8B3-7D4AEE55ADAC.jpeg
An update on the single polyp frag. It has completely covered the spherical rock.
 

Attachments

  • DA8C7100-ECD7-444C-937C-8B6114CCCEA2.jpeg
    DA8C7100-ECD7-444C-937C-8B6114CCCEA2.jpeg
    190 KB · Views: 93

kingranch2003

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 4, 2024
Messages
1,276
Reaction score
9,336
Location
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think it is a combination of probably the seller enhancing the colours as well as the coral being stressed. Also lighting may play a role as well as certain colours are alot more noticeable depending on the intensity of the colour spectrum.

Galaxea are really resilient corals. One polyp is enough to regenerate into a full colony. As you can see in my second pic, this is a single polyp that broke of during fragging and it has already encrusted and started sprouting new heads.

903AD8E5-6BDC-4B3C-A214-FDFFEC6761A1.jpeg 9CEF5B6C-4924-4ABE-A8B3-7D4AEE55ADAC.jpeg
I don't care how old this thread is. What a coral! Wow! I hope it is still thriving, alive and well.
 

ribosomereefer

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 5, 2024
Messages
7
Reaction score
4
Location
New York City
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Following up on this thread- @MoshJosh do your different galaxeas sting each other? I have the sonic hedgehog strain, and I want to get one with longer tentacles.

Are they different species? I assume most of the ones on sale are Galaxea fascicularis but wanted to confirm this.
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

WHICH OF THESE CREEPY REEF CRITTERS IS MOST LIKELY TO GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES? (PICTURED IN THE THREAD)

  • The Bobbit Worm

    Votes: 50 66.7%
  • The Goblin Shark

    Votes: 4 5.3%
  • The Sea Wolf

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Giant Spider Crabs

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • The Stargazer Fish

    Votes: 5 6.7%
  • The Giant Isopod

    Votes: 9 12.0%
  • The Giant Squid

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Other (Please explain!)

    Votes: 5 6.7%
Back
Top