The purple stylo from ORA is a strain of Stylophora that we have lusted after for over 5 years since we first saw a specimen of this startling color strain in the 2000 gallon reef aquarium of French reef aquarist Daas Bachir. As of today, Oceans Reef & Aquariums has started to release a limited number of frags of the purple stylo for sale to ORA customers but don’t be expecting to call them up and clearing out because the purple stylo is likely to be limited to one or two frags per order. This pinkish tan and yellow tipped Stylophora probably looks totally drab with the polyps retracted but like the blue /ocean green polyped Stylophora, the nearly metallic purple polyps of this coral is what really sets it apart. The purple stylo should be as hardy as any other Stylophora species and it will grow well under a wide range of moderate flow and light conditions. We’ll be pestering our LFS for some purple stylo the next time we visit for sure. A blurb from ORA about the purple stylo and additional picture can be seen after the break.
From ORA:
This month ORA brings you a spectacular color morph of Stylophora. The new ORA Purple Stylo has intense purple to blue polyps on a tan to pink background. Its growth form is slightly more open and delicate than our popular Green Stylophora. This unique strain is incredibly fast growing and hardy. It is available in limited numbers today!
The photograph below was made by our French correspondent Fredeau of an amazing purple stylophora strain that is seldomly available, even in France. Although some pieces can be traced back to the Musee de Monaco (Monaco Aquarium), many of the French and German frags of this strain now originate from European coral farmers.
By fredeau, shot with Canon DIGITAL IXUS 750 at 2009-11-24
