New Yuma

So I was at the LFS last weekend to get some aragonite for my 75gal build when I couldn't help but stroll through the coral displays. I got this Yuma for like $15 and when I acclimated it and put it in my tank, another yuma popped out of the side (you can't tell by the picture). It looks great under actinics like in this picture but as you all know MUCH BETTER IN PERSON. The second picture is a paly frag I got from a friend a couple of weeks ago and it is starting to produce polyps fairly quickly.

 

Very nice. So since those palys are spreading so fast you're going to send me a frag of them right .

 

Cool corals.

 

SO what is the actual difference between Ric florida and Ric Yuma... different species I can guess... but Ric Florida come in many colors, shapes, sizes... what is the difference between Yuma and Florida??

Thanks

M

PS -- Yuma is a horribly dry place in Arizona and Florida has great beaches. Save everyone from giving that answer.... Just trying to learn more about the corals.

 

Cool corals,

ric florida is an atlantic species and ric yuma is a pacific species.

 

So basically the same thing, just different locale??

 

They look different. Rics have more uniformity to the bumps while Yumas have different random bumps.

 

When they get going well and I frag them. We could work something out

 

Yeah i've always wondered the difference with yuma and florida. Does anyone know why yuma is so much more expensive? Because my locale fish store was selling a single pink ric yuma for like 250 dollars. I have green yuma's got two for 20 bucks from some guy that was desperate for money

 

Yumas are generally a bit brighter and more uniquely colored than the Floridas. The main distinction between a yuma and a FL is their mouths. Yumas have bumps that extend up the sides of the mouths, where FLs do not, the bumps stop at the base of the mouth.

FL are also much more hardy to light. Yumas, if tank raised, are incredibly sensitive to light and anything more than PC will most likely bleach them. The wild cultivated yumas are much much more adaptable to light, however. I had a Yuma that started off about the size of a silver dollar, and has shrunk to a white dime sized shriveled mess. 2 days ago it detached and moved to a part of the tank with virtually 0 flow, and under the shade of a korali and a live rock. I'm hoping it's happy in the place that it chose and gets it's color back.

It's probably a good idea to ask if it was wild or tank raised, and if tank, I would suggest a very very slow light acclimation process for it.