ORA produces the best, most diverse and healthy corals in the aquarium industry. We are currently culturing over 120 different varieties and typically offer 50 or more corals on our availability list. Our primary focus is on corals in the genera Acropora, Montipora, Stylophora, Seriatopora and Pocillopora, however we are adding on species from other genera all the time. ORA corals are well encrusted to the base on which they are grown. They are never sold until they are fully healed and established. ORA corals are truly aquacultured specimens, many generations removed from the original wild starter colonies. No tissue or skeleton of the wild specimen remain. Our corals typically range in size from 2- 4 inches, and are mounted on our black 1/2″ inch diameter plastic plugs. Authentic ORA grown corals are mounted exclusively on our black plugs or white aragonite and cement bases.
ORA has taken the time to identify, collect and culture some of the fastest growing and finest strains of stony corals. We have purposely avoided wild imported broodstock and have sourced more than 90% of our starter corals from existing captive sources around the world. All of our starter corals go through an extensive 6 month quarantine process where they are screened and treated for known coral parasites. Our coral hatchery personnel are exceptionally aware of coral health issues. The advanced quality control methods used at ORA ensure only parasite free specimens are sold.
ORA corals are grown in our state of the art coral greenhouse in Florida. While they are grown under shaded sunlight, they are fully ready to be acclimated to aquarium light, water and flow conditions. Because we grow in a greenhouse environment the coloration of our corals naturally shift as the days change in length and the sun changes angles on the horizon. Hobbyists should expect ORA corals to improve in color as they grow accustomed to artificial aquarium lighting.
In addition to the corals grown in our Florida greenhouse, ORA sells corals grown at our Marshall Islands Mariculture Facility (MIMF) located on Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. These corals are grown on small white or purple ORA coral plugs and occasionally small cement discs. MIMF corals are cultured in open ocean cages or flow through land based systems. These corals are held in our Packing facility and are not mixed with the corals in our greenhouse as they have not been through our extensive quarantine process.
ORA corals grown on plastic plugs can be mounted in a number of different ways. Many hobbyists just place the plug between pieces of live rock. Another method is to drill a 1/2″ diameter hole in the rock and simply place the plug in the hole. This method can be used to mount the coral at different angles. Some aquarists simply snap the coral off the plug and use epoxy to mount it to the rock.