Macro algae : Halymenia spp. (Var. Australian)

Australian  Halymenia spp. ("Dragons tongue")

CARE : Moderate, undemanding under normal reef conditions, some CUC may find palatable.

GROWTH : Moderate once settled

INVASIVE? : Due to its moderate growth, long time taken to form holdfasts and seed rockwork and compact structure, we would class this algae as non invasive and ideal as a centre piece in the reef aquarium.

LIGHTING : High to medium

FLOW: Medium to low, due to its "dainty" fronds it is best to avoid heavy flow from damaging it.

VARIATION : Higher light results in a more uniform luminescent orange colour and faster growth, under low light this luminescence will be limited to the tips of fronds.

HOLDFAST ATTACHMENT TIME : Long (months). 

NUTRIENT UPTAKE : Medium

SPECIES INFORMATION:

We will not further identify this genus down to species level as these Australian Halymenia species display remarkable variation in morphology between geographic loaction. Even from reef to reef this particular genus can look vastly different. However when seen in the hobby it is often referred to as "Dragons tongue", "Flaming bush" and wrongly as "Dragons breath" (which is actually Halymenia durvillei).

In the UK this is an extremely rare species only sporadically available in the hobby.

We cannot underpay how stunning this species looks under blue light, putting many corals to shame!

This algae provides a stunning display plant for your marine aquarium once grown out, something absolutely unique, with luminescence and a colouration under even slightly blue light to rival any corals.

Highly coverted for its neat compact growth pattern and stunning, dainty, ruffled, luminescent structural fronds.

The ideal centrepiece of any reef aquarium.

Once settled this species will quickly develop its characteristic luminescence, seen under even moderate blue lighting, it should easily double in size every month.

CUTTING INFORMATION:

(Main thallus stem, aprox 4cm in length, diverging to segmented growth tips) 

Cuttings are taken from a 2nd growth phase F1 donor and will be around 3-4cm. Importantly these are taken from holdfast culture stock. NOT clippings from 'unrooted' fronds!

We have taken every opportunity to prepare these cuttings from the correct part of the thallus at the correct growth phase of the algae, using an F1 donor colony with structural holdfasts into rockwork. This will give you the best chance of success in culturing your own colony of this stunning species!

Cuttings are all taken from a settled F1 colony with holdfasts that has yet to entered its final sexual phase (mother colonies are pictured). 

These are NOT clippings taken from a donor colony that has entered its final sexual phase and as such is nearing the end of its lifespan. 

This gives the best chance of growing a colony, that can form holdfasts.

Larger "cuttings" , with more than one distinct thallus do not settle well in a new aquaria, simply entering a sexual phase on introduction and hastening progression to the final stage of their lifecycle.

As such the cutting will just be starting to show characteristic, orange, glowing fronds that give its amazing luminescence on new tips, but the main thallus will be devoid of spawning pits.  At this growth phase the cutting will be capable of differentiation into holdfasts from its cut end and attaching to rockwork.

This species undergoes distinct growth phases in an aquarium. Actual timescales vary widely depending on aquarium parameters and nutrient levels. The algae is only able to differentiate holdfasts early on it its lifecycle. As such cuttings are taken from 2 month old fresh holdfast stock, grown via sexual reproduction. This will give your cutting a good 1-2 years to form holdfasts of its own, from which although it will die back periodically to (around every 1-2 years in an aquarium) it will regrow within a month or so from the discoid holfasts it leaves on the rockwork.

An example cutting is shown in the image collection.