Trachyphyllia photo by Bob Fenner

I was at a local coral “chop shop”  a while back (yeah, they exist here in SoCal), perusing the raceways chock full of ½” frags of “LE” corals , when I saw it: A brilliant, neon- green, orange-tinged  flash- a Trachyphillia…that most common of the so called “LPS” corals. Common- but stunning! And I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. A couple of other  “frag hags”, perhaps somewhat jaded  by the now “typical” selection of  expensive and rare Micromussa, Scolymia, and  Acanthastrea., were ogling at this coral themselves. . I mean, this coral was positively outrageous- and only about $35.00! Imagine- a really beautiful coral that you could actually afford to buy and still make the mortgage payment next month! It certainly didn’t carry the “cachet” of those “Acans”, but who cared? It was HOT!! In fact, the coral was so alluring that these two hardcore reefers had to decide who would get to take it home! What a strange spectacle I was seeing…Or was it?

It got me thinking: What is more cool- a decent specimen of a really rare coral, like the Micromussa- or a stunning specimen of a common coral, like this “pedestrian” Trachy?  I mean, a coral does not have to be rare, scarce, or a “limited edition” to be desireable!  It simply has to be attractive. So why not seek out amazing specimens of  common corals? I know, I know. The first thing you think of when you hear the words “common corals” are those government-issue  translucent pink Caulastrea or boring  light green Star Polyps, or dull peach- colored Nemenzophyllia. Enough of the dirt- brown Palythoa, OD green Acropora gemmifora , and  puke-grey Sinularia! How about looking for those outrageous fluorescent colors and interesting growth morphologies in the most commonly available corals? They are out there- and they are rare, too…Ya know why? Because there is a small subculture of hardcore reefers that is looking for them, too! You’ll have to go the extra mile to find them. You might have to do the same thing you do when you stumble on that specimen of ORA “Miami Orchid” in your dealer’s display tank- you’ll have to beg for a frag! How funny it is to imagine a well-heeled collector of fuzzy sticks pleading with the kid behind the counter at his or her LFS for “just a small frag” of that  teal- and -green Capnella he spied in the little nano tank on the check-out counter?  But that’s the price of admission when you play the “common is amazing” game. You have to be willing to put it all on the table!  And these deals don’t always come cheap or easy! You’d do it for a “LE” zoanthid, right?  I’ve known at least one local reefer that had to swap a sizeable  frag of his prized Acropora hoeksemai for an amazing yellow-and chocolate-brown Caulastrea! Each side thought they got the better end of that deal, too (I know, because I heard it from both of ‘em!)

An amazing specimen of a "common" coral- Goniopora Photo by Michelle Lemech

What I have noticed about many excellent reef tanks that I’ve visited is that these aquariums almost always contain a coral or two that makes you think, “Wow- what is that?”. Inevitably, the owner points out that it was just a  Montipora digitata or an Acropora chesterfieldensis that took on an aberrant color. It was the sharp eye and dedicated heart of the hobbyist that brought that coral into the fold. And the real beauty of that sort of thing is that the hobbyist put his/her prejudices aside and acquired the coral because he or she liked the way it look, not because it will make him/her cool at the next tank tour or frag swap! It’s this sort of mental step  that takes a hobbyist to the next level, in my humble opinion. The willingness to walk one’s own path, defying the prevailing trends of the time!  The sign of a true visionary.  A rare hobbyist, indeed!

So the next time you’re coral shopping and that beautiful orange Fungia screams at you from across the store to take it home, answer the call. Make it yours. Love it,. Own it. Treasure it. Share it.  Because one day, that “common coral” might just be banned from wild collection, or might be forgotten by the masses, leaving future generations of reefers without the opportunity to enjoy what was once a “common” coral. A simple idea, perhaps- but that’s how the hobby progresses. Keep an eye out  and your mind open , because awesome things happen when “common” is amazing!

Stay wet.

Scott Fellman