One of the great things about this hobby are the nicknames given to designer, high end Acropora. The Icefire Enchinata, ORA Pearlberry, Strawberry Shortcake, Tyree Red Dragon and Tyree Pink Lemonade are a few examples of corals with eclectic names. An eye catching name is certainly important to create awareness and drive demand so marketing is a big part of the game.
Some of the names seem logical while others make you scratch your head and wonder. For instance, the Oregon Blue Tort makes sense since it is a blue Tortuosa that was originally propagated for sale in Oregon. On the other hand, the Purple Monster is very purple but how the heck did they come up with the Monster part?
Purple Monster’s Typically Have White Polyps
A few years ago Steve Tyree shared, via a Facebook post, some information on the origin of the Purple Monster and its name. Check it out. It is an interesting read.
Purple Monster Requires Strong Lighting
The Purple Monster is an extremely SLOWWWWWWW grower and is a very demanding coral to keep. It typically has white polyps with very dense and thick branches. It requires strong flow and lighting and mine have always done best near the top of the tank under 400W Radium bulbs driven by HQI ballasts.
The Deep Purple Coloration of a Purple Monster
The Purple Monster is one of those original old school corals and today it can be hard to come by. It is certainly one of my favorites due to its intense deep purple coloration and is something many SPS nuts would love to have in their collection.
Additional Resources
If you would like some help with a new tank build, including help designing a custom aquarium, or help re-configuring your current setup then you can visit this page for more information. And if you are looking to add some equipment, I do sell GHL, Pax Bellum, Reef Octopus Calcium and Kalk Reactors and Royal Exclusiv products, including Dreamboxes, which is the equipment I use and recommend. I also sell Reef Brite metal halide and LED fixtures as well as Maxspect & IceCap Gyres.
As for additional insights and information, please explore my many other reef tank and SPS related articles as well as my YouTube channel. For an even deeper dive into reef tank care you can check out my Reef Keeping Master Class. This online course is an immersive and one of a kind educational tool designed to help reef aquarium hobbyists build and maintain a beautiful SPS reef tank. The course is a series of video presentations with some supplemental video from my YouTube channel. There are also quizzes to help students retain and understand the information presented in the course.
Need some frags…..I can help with that as well 🙂 Please visit my SPS Frag store to see what is available.
