This species features attractive, flattened, flame shaped appendages with a coloration ranging from pink to dark red. Like all species of Halymenia, it’s very thin, gelatinous and smooth in texture and loses it’s form when removed from the water. It’s delicate and can break apart and tear easily when handled or subjected to high flow. It’s sometimes encountered as free floating specimens in seaweed mats, but it naturally grows attached to hard bottom in depths of up to 60ft or so. Single plants can grow very large and reach heights of almost 20″ or more. H. floresia requires a large amount of nutrients to keep successfully in the aquarium and moderate to high flow to maintain its slippery, fleshy blades. In the aquarium it will seldom attach to anything so specimens can be anchored or allowed to tumble free floating. It’s very palatable and is readily eaten by both tangs, angels and other herbivores.
Scientific Name: Halymenia floresia
Common Name: Red Sea Lettuce, Dragons Tongue
Origin: Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Tropical Atlantic
Depth Collected: 20-130 feet
Maximum Height: 20″
Growth Rate: Slow
Light: Moderate to Low
Temperature: 78-84
Propagation: Fragmentation, sporulation
Difficulty: Moderate
Food Value: Very palatable
Nutrient Uptake: Good
Flow Rate: Moderate to High