Halymenia stipitata ("Acid rain Halymenia" "Atomic broccoli")

Halymenia stipitata ("Acid rain Halymenia" "Atomic broccoli")

CARE : Moderate, undemanding under normal reef conditions

GROWTH : Medium, once settled

INVASIVE? : Not invasive, as it grows in a dichotenous ruffled frond form, with a single main holdfast supporting most of the colony

LIGHTING : All

FLOW: Low to medium. it will grow in high flow but can be difficult to manage damage to the fronds under such conditions.

VARIATION : Higher light results in more of the glowing orange phycobilinprotein pits, the overall colour of the algae will be more 'orangy' in colour though. This is one of the algae species that will thrive under quite strong blue light too, under this kind of lighting it rivals most corals with its florescence. 

HOLDFAST ATTACHMENT TIME : Slow(months)

NUTRIENT UPTAKE : medium

SPECIES INFORMATION:

An extremely rare species in the hobby nowadays, It used to very rarely appear on live rock from the Hawaiian archipelagos, however has been all but extinct from the hobby with the demise of live rock imports and the following collection ban in Hawaii. It is seen occasionally for sale in the US under the guise of "Atomic broccoli" and other such ludicrous names (in our opinion). However we have only ever seen it sold as dichotenous fronds pulled from a colony and glued to frag plugs, i.e unviable cuttings.

This species is localised and sporadic in the Central Pacific and has a unique growth form, seen in the ruffled Halymenia species with small fronds folding over on themselves forming the impression of a tight knit "brain like" colony.

This species is coveted for its intense pits of phycobilinprotein that glow the brightest of orange under even white light but "pop" like a mesmerising swarm of fireflies when even the slightest blue is added. It truly is an exceptionally beautiful addition to any aquarium, brighter than many corals and totally unique

It is a steady grower but not a species that affords us the luxury of taking many cuttings from yearly. Not specifically down to its growth rate which is quite good but down to the fact we will only sell cuttings that have a small differentiated cortex, from which the fronds emanate which will eventually differentiate into a holdfast. It take us a long time and quite a bit of skill to get this kind of cuttings!

 CUTTING INFORMATION:

Do not expect a huge "chunk of this"! We aren't just selling chunks of its fronds, that would look pretty in your aquarium for a few months and then die! All these cuttings are grown individually from dichotenous fronds, allowing them to differentiate a small, slightly calcified cortext, from which the fronds grow. This will eventually allow the cutting to attach in your aquarium if held in place for a season touching rockwork. (nylon string or elastic band to hold it, NEVER glue or putty!)

You will receive a cutting as described above between the size of a 10p and 50p piece, there is an example of a cutting in the images next to a 20mm frag plug for size comparison and a photograph showing the differentiated cortext at the base of the cutting. 

We are aware these cuttings are a significant monetary expenditure however we believe this is justified by the months taken to prepare just a handful of the cuttings and the very limited number we can prepare each year! (In comparison to some of the prices and sizes of "designer" zoas, and chalices we see for sale, that are simply hacked off a donor and glued to a plug we believe these cuttings are a bargain!!)