questions and a picture

[AlienAnchovies]

ok first question is why are my condys different colors
they were both the off white color when i bought then and one seems to have turned a golden brown
also what kind of brain coral is that
ive had it for about a year and no one has been able to identify it

[GaryP]

The coral looks like a Favites (Pineapple coral) to me. I'll let someone else answer your question on the Condy. I have very little experience with them.

Gary

[Instar]

Most condys naturally inhabit very very shallow water. I've seen the most concentrated aggregates of them in shallow lagoons, right at the waters surface and on shallow flats (thats why they are the cheapest as they are very easy to collect). Normally they will climb the rocks to get more light. If the zoozanthellae do not get enough light in the upper part of the spectrum (6000K bulbs unshielded), they are very likely to shift to a more brown zoozanthellae. They have the best colors under intense lighting. Some people do well with them when they supply a lot of actinic light. Bottom line is - give them lots of light. If you have NO florescents, they may turn a little brown. Be thankful for that as if they didn't get brown under the change (for them) in lighting, they would die sooner. Make sure your bulbs are not old as that will also affect them as will the quality of your water.