Pectinia: A Beginner's Guide
- Jan 24, 2022
- Anshika Mishra
- 310 0 0
One of the things about the reef hobby that people outside the hobby don't realize is how trendy it is. It is super seasonal, where most of the activity happens in winter. The hobby also goes through big trends in equipment and filtration, but what is most noticeable is what is popular in the world of corals.
The trendy Hobby
There is always a hot coral that the reefer goes completely wild over. Sometimes it's Acropora, many times its Zoas, then it moves on to Acans, and lately, it has been Chalices. There was a time when people could not give chalices away, but within a short period of time, their price surged to over $200 an inch for some of the more colorful varieties out there.
Over time, however, their popularity faded, but there is always a new thing to take its place. It is like that saying, "the king is dead, long live the king." There is always an ultra-popular coral out there, and people are looking for that next big thing.
We are still living in the age of Chalices, but their time is starting to fade. So, what is next? Long story short, nobody knows for sure.
But, a strong contender might be Pectinia which is the subject of this article:
Pectinia
Petunia's common name is the Spiny Cup Coral, and you can visibly see why. They have very distinctive cup-like shapes that grow spire-like branches.
Crazzy Coloration
Pectinia is not new to the hobby by any stretch. They are found all over the pacific and have been imported since the early days, the difference in coloration.
In the past, they were mainly brown, and their attractiveness was based on their shape, which is unique. Now, some unique and amazing colored ones are coming out of Indonesia: purple, pink, and bright green. Of course, the craziest ones are red and yellow, with more crazy morphs taking their place.
Lighting
Pectinia is fairly straightforward to care for. You can keep them in medium to high flow, tending more towards the high and medium lighting.
Feeding
Feeding can be done if you shut off the pumps. Pectinia is one of those corals which does not look like it would accept food. It does not have any active feeding tentacles. Instead, it mainly uses its mucus to entrap food particles and slowly draws them into its mouth.
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