SALLY JO'S REEF PICTURES OF THE WEEK 11/11/99

SALLY JO'S PICTURES OF THE WEEK 11/11/99

REEF PICTURES SPONSORED BY REEF JANITORS^TM

CALLING ALL GREEN POLYP SARCOPHYTONS

GARF is looking for some more soft corals that look like these fine Sarcophytons! This strain has bright green polyps and a pink body. They seem to be very hardy and we are certain that they are different from all of the corals that have been tested for cancer cures. GARF will soon make this coral available to Dr. Lake so he can extract toxins from it. We need to find more strains of this coral so we can use them as key species that are easy to track. Many of the strains we now grow look very much alike. We need a wide variety of strains so we can find out if there are different chemicals available from different types of soft corals.

This small cutting may be a different strain because it has a round shape and the larger ones tend to have a flat contorted shape. If you have any Sarcophytons that have colored polyps we can use as an identification marker please call us toll free at 800-600-6163.

This picture shows a few of the many sps coral frags GARF has ready to trade for colored soft corals. We DO still need any green tree shaped soft corals for our research project that may allow us to work with a public aquarium so we can make these corals available to any island that needs to repopulate their reefs.

We have found that the Sarcophyton is safe to cut inside the tank but if you can remove it from your tank it will be better for the fish and corals. I always dip my fresh cut corals in a bowl of salt water before placing them back in the tank. When braving the waters to begin your propagation of the Sarcophyton you need a sharp scissors, glue and a rock to attach the new baby to. We perform this procedure two different ways. I tend to cut the head right off of the stock and then cut the head into as many pieces as I desire. The stalk which is now your mother colony will grow a new head.

You will see the beginning formation of polyps on the stalk in a two week period. In less than a two month period you will hardly be able to tell that you cut this animal. The babies generated from the mother colony can be glued directly to the rock and will grow its own stock in a very short period of time. A head like you see in the next picture can easily be made into twenty babies. LeRoy likes to cut the head into many pieces and let them fall to the sand bed of the cutting tank. He then waits for the cuts to heal. The waiting period is about two weeks; then he glues them directly to a plug. Once glued, these animals are ready to ship in about one month.

These animals are easy to ship and will adjust well to almost any tank. If you are not brave enough to cut the whole head off the stalk you can make pie cuts on the existing animal but it is not necessary. Believe me when I say the head will grow back and I have found mine even grow little arms that develop off of the stalk that can also be propagated.

CORAL Once the animal is glued like you see in this picture it does not take them long to grow over the glue and become a healthy tank mate with your other corals. You can hardly tell that this animal was a cutting made by our staff only a month ago. If you have a rare green polyped one like the one seen in these pictures it would be a great asset to the hobby to propagate this animal and share it with others in the hobby.
We will always trade for this type of live stock. There was a time not so long ago that these animals were very hard to find in the hobby. Due to their adaptability we find them in many hobbyist tanks. They are one of the corals we recommend for the beginners and even the experts keep these specimens in their tanks.

We are seeing more and more varieties of this animal and are keeping over 26 different kinds very successfully at the Foundation. This animal likes its temperature to be no greater than 82 degrees. When purchasing your new Sarcophyton make sure you give it a couple of days to extend it's polyps fully. This will happen for the most part every time you move this animal. It is a natural defense mechanism to retract it's polyps when bothered.
There is absolutely no reason to take these animals from the ocean any more. They are so easy to propagate. The rare colors of these corals will be a good product for ocean based aquaculture. The only reason I could agree upon purchasing one that comes from the wild is if it is one that has never been in the hobby and can be shared with other hobbyist. These animal have a leather feel to them and are not slimy like the other soft corals that need to be netted when trying to get them to attach.

CORAL

FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO PURCHASE, TRADE, AND SAVE AS MANY TYPES OF CORALS AS WE CAN.

IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE SOME OF SALLY JO'S GREAT NEW CUTTINGS PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO ENTER YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER

We are having a special on all of the coral cuttings. WHEN YOU PURCHASE 5 AT THE REGULAR PRICE OF $100 WE WILL GIVE YOU TWO FREE CORALS!. If you have any questions please use this form to ask them. WE WILL PHONE YOU AND HELP YOU PICK THE BEST CORALS FOR YOUR REEF AQUARIUM.
We will continue to provide the most current data on reef farming for both education and profit.

Please enter the types of corals you are purchasing.
Please let us know if you have any questions about our research.
WE WILL CALL YOU AND TELL YOU ABOUT THE MANY RARE CORALS THAT ARE READY THIS WEEK - YOU WILL RECEIVE 7 CAPTIVE GROWN CORALS FOR THE PRICE OF 5!

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