We’ve known about this spliced acro for a while now, but after Remy went to see it in person we just can’t stop thinking about it. We reached out to Top Shelf’s Kevin Burda for more info on his discovery.
“This tabling Acropora was originally imported through ACI Aquaculture from Australia in 2016. Conditioned and grown over the years, the original TSA Fruity Pebbles is one of Top Shelf’s most well-known and loved signature pieces.”
“The original is already a true rainbow Acropora, highlighted by its purple-reddish hues, orange corallite accents, gradient polyps, and green highlighted encrustment.”
“Two years ago I found a spot of neon green polyps growing in the center of one of our mother colonies. At first, I assumed this may have been a spot where, from die-off or a sting, it had re-encrusted green, like the base color. Upon further inspection, this actually proved to be a completely aberrant growth color.”
“Unlike many grafted Acropora that are collected from wild specimens, this color graft occurred naturally in captivity. This small spot, resulting from a GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein) infection, was then cut out in a small section to be grown out separately from the colony.”
“Born through selective cutting and grafting, the Fruity Splice became a pet project of mine over the last couple of years, eventually turning into the stunning colony pictured.”
“With vibrant contrasting neon green branches and polyps, mixed and swirled into the original colony colors at various points, this piece is truly a unique and stunning addition to any aquarium.”
“As an added bonus, this coral, which has been grown in captivity for many years, will acclimate and grow well in well-kept sps reef aquariums. This means this coral does not have to acclimate to led lighting or captive reef parameters.”
