Trachyphyllia, commonly known as the open brain coral, is a free-living coral species in the Merulinidae family. They are large polyp stony corals (LPS) characterized by a flabello-meandroid growth form, meaning they have distinct valley regions separated by walls, resembling an inverted brain. These corals are often brightly colored and found in inter-reef environments and on soft substrates around continental islands.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Appearance and Features:
Shape: Trachyphyllia are free-living, meaning they can move around and are not anchored to rocks. They have a flabello-meandroid growth pattern, with distinct valleys separated by walls.
Size: They are relatively small corals, typically not exceeding 20 cm in diameter.
Color: Trachyphyllia come in a wide variety of colors, including yellow, brown, blue, green, and red.
Tentacles: They have short tentacles that are often extended during feeding.
Mouth: They have one to three separate mouths within their valleys.
Habitat and Distribution:
Location: Trachyphyllia are found in inter-reef environments and on soft substrates around continental islands.
Substrate: They prefer to rest on soft substrates like sandbeds.
Water Conditions: They thrive in moderate to strong lighting and moderate water currents.
Care and Maintenance:
Lighting:
They generally prefer moderate lighting (100-150 PAR), but can tolerate lower light conditions.
Water Flow:
They do not like strong currents and should have moderate, indirect water flow.
Feeding:
They are voracious feeders and can be supplemented with various foods like brine shrimp and mysis, according to Tidal Gardens.
Placement:
They should be placed on the sand or substrate bed, allowing for proper movement and feeding.
Aggression:
Trachyphyllia can be a bit aggressive and should be placed with ample space from other corals
Acanthophyllia, often called a "doughnut" or "meat" coral, is a large, solitary stony coral. It's characterized by a single, fleshy polyp that hides a strong, calcium-based skeleton. These corals are known for their vibrant colors, patterns, and intense fluorescence.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance: Acanthophyllia are large, single polyp stony corals with a fleshy, meaty appearance, hence the names "meat" or "doughnut" coral. They are not transparent and have a large, solid base.
Skeleton: Underneath the polyp is a thick, hard skeleton made of calcium.
Color and Patterns: They come in a wide range of colors and patterns, including greens, reds, blues, purples, and combinations of these.
Size: Acanthophyllia are known for their large size, making them a prominent centerpiece in reef aquariums.
Growth: They are considered slow-growing stony corals.
Care: They generally require moderate lighting and low water flow. They can also benefit from supplemental feeding of meaty foods like mysis and krill.
Acanthophyllia, often called a "doughnut" or "meat" coral, is a large, solitary stony coral. It's characterized by a single, fleshy polyp that hides a strong, calcium-based skeleton. These corals are known for their vibrant colors, patterns, and intense fluorescence.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance: Acanthophyllia are large, single polyp stony corals with a fleshy, meaty appearance, hence the names "meat" or "doughnut" coral. They are not transparent and have a large, solid base.
Skeleton: Underneath the polyp is a thick, hard skeleton made of calcium.
Color and Patterns: They come in a wide range of colors and patterns, including greens, reds, blues, purples, and combinations of these.
Size: Acanthophyllia are known for their large size, making them a prominent centerpiece in reef aquariums.
Growth: They are considered slow-growing stony corals.
Care: They generally require moderate lighting and low water flow. They can also benefit from supplemental feeding of meaty foods like mysis and krill.
Cyphastrea is a genus of reef-building stony coral, primarily known for its encrusting and plating growth patterns. They are a popular choice for reef aquariums due to their unique appearance and relative hardiness compared to some other Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals. Cyphastrea corals are known for their vibrant colors and intricate patterns, and they thrive in a variety of tank conditions, making them suitable for both beginner and experienced reef keepers.
Key features of Cyphastrea:
Growth Pattern:
Primarily encrusting or plating, but branching and mobile ball (corallith) forms are also available.
Polyps:
Delicate, star-shaped polyps are spaced out, creating a unique and attractive appearance.
Color:
Cyphastrea corals exhibit a wide range of vibrant colors, including red, blue, green, and brown.
Lighting:
While they can tolerate some higher light, they generally prefer low to moderate light conditions.
Care:
Relatively hardy and forgiving of some tank conditions compared to other SPS corals, making them suitable for both beginner and advanced reef keepers.
Habitat:
Cyphastrea species are found in various reef environments.
Common Species:
Cyphastrea serailia and Cyphastrea microphthalma are common examples.
Aquaculturing:
Cyphastrea corals are increasingly available through aquaculturing, which benefits overall sustainability and coral robustness
Echinophyllia are a genus of large polyp stony corals (LPS), often referred to as "Chalice corals". They are colonial, foliaceous corals, typically found in the Indo-Pacific. Echinophyllia colonies often form plate-like or encrusting structures on the substrate.
Key characteristics of Echinophyllia:
Shape: Thin, flat, and encrusting, sometimes with plate-like or vase-shaped formations.
Corallites: Widely spaced, irregular, and can be immersed or partly exsert.
Color: Generally gray-blue, green, or brown, with some spectacular color morphs possible.
Growth habit: They tend to grow in sheltered, lower reef slopes, often on vertical surfaces.
Habitat: Found in the Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, and other parts of the Pacific.
Classification: While often sold as "Chalice corals," precise species identification can be difficult.
In reef aquariums: Echinophyllia are popular reef aquarium corals, known for their easy care and diverse forms and colors
Echinophyllia are a genus of large polyp stony corals (LPS), often referred to as "Chalice corals". They are colonial, foliaceous corals, typically found in the Indo-Pacific. Echinophyllia colonies often form plate-like or encrusting structures on the substrate.
Key characteristics of Echinophyllia:
Shape: Thin, flat, and encrusting, sometimes with plate-like or vase-shaped formations.
Corallites: Widely spaced, irregular, and can be immersed or partly exsert.
Color: Generally gray-blue, green, or brown, with some spectacular color morphs possible.
Growth habit: They tend to grow in sheltered, lower reef slopes, often on vertical surfaces.
Habitat: Found in the Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, and other parts of the Pacific.
Classification: While often sold as "Chalice corals," precise species identification can be difficult.
In reef aquariums: Echinophyllia are popular reef aquarium corals, known for their easy care and diverse forms and colors
Favia are a genus of reef-building stony corals, known for their massive or thickly encrusting colonies, often dome-shaped or flat. They are commonly referred to as brain corals or closed brain corals, and are part of the family Mussidae. Favia corals are characterized by having individual walls for each corallite, and they have sweeper tentacles which can extend and sting other corals.
Here's a more detailed description:
Growth Form:
Favia corals can grow in various shapes, including massive, dome-shaped, or encrusting.
Corallites:
The corallites, which are the individual cups where the polyps live, are plocoid (placing them in a cone shape) and often have their own walls.
Septa and Costae:
These structures are well-developed and covered with fine teeth, contributing to the coral's intricate structure.
Polyps:
Favia polyps extend and feed at night, using their tentacles to capture prey and assess their surroundings.
Sweeper Tentacles:
These tentacles are used to "sweep" the water and detect nearby corals, potentially leading to aggression and "coral wars".
Habitat:
Favia corals are found in various reef environments, including shallow water and deeper slopes.
Color:
They can display a wide range of colors, including pale grey, green, brown, and often have calices of contrasting colors
Leptastrea is a genus of stony corals, often described as "encrusting" or "plocoid," meaning they grow in a flat, dome-like shape by covering the substrate. They are relatively beginner-friendly corals, known for their diverse color variations and a tendency towards slower growth compared to some other encrusting corals. Leptastrea colonies typically have small, barrel-shaped corallites with distinct grooves and tubercles.
Key features of Leptastrea corals:
Growth Form: Encrusting or plocoid, forming flat or dome-shaped colonies.
Corallites: Small, barrel-shaped corallites with grooves and tubercles separating them.
Color: Available in a wide range of colors, including cream, green, yellow, and variations of these.
Growth Rate: Generally slow-growing, making them suitable for smaller tanks or aquascapes where rapid growth is undesirable.
Lighting: Can tolerate a range of lighting conditions, from lower to moderate.
Current: Often found in areas with moderate to high water movement.
Care: Considered beginner-friendly, but proper feeding (small food particles) and adequate water parameters are important.
Stinging: Leptastrea have a stinging power, so spacing them appropriately from other corals is recommended.
Lithophyllon is a genus of stony corals belonging to the family Fungiidae, also known as mushroom corals. They are encrusting corals that can grow as colonies, though they are now more commonly found as solitary polyps. Lithophyllon are typically found in shallow reef environments and are considered uncommon.
Key Characteristics:
Colony Formation: Lithophyllon can form colonies, with some species having a central corallite distinguishable in smaller colonies.
Appearance: They are often tan in color and can resemble other corals like Cantharellus jebbi.
Habitat: They inhabit shallow reef environments.
Tentacles: Their tentacles are usually extended only at night.
Species:
Lithophyllon repanda (Oval mushroom coral), Lithophyllon undulatum (Stone leaf coral), Lithophyllon ranjithi, and Lithophyllon lobata.
Cycloseris tenuis, a coral species, is characterized by its circular, thin, and flat polyps with a small central dome. The septa are in markedly different orders, but each septum is uniform throughout its length. The undersurface of the polyp exhibits thick, irregularly arranged costae. Its color is typically pale brown or yellow. This species is found in soft inter-reef substrates and is considered rare. It can be confused with Cycloseris costulata, which has thinner, more regular costae
Homophyllia bowerbanki orange is a coral known for its encrusting growth form, often with a central, prominent corallite. Red Bowerbanki, a variety of Homophyllia bowerbanki, typically displays shades of pale gray, brown, or rust, often with a marbled or mottled appearance. It's not fleshy and has irregularly shaped, cerioid corallites. While typically smaller, they can grow to over 1.5 meters in diameter.
Homophyllia bowerbanki is a coral known for its encrusting growth form, often with a central, prominent corallite. Red Bowerbanki, a variety of Homophyllia bowerbanki, typically displays shades of pale gray, brown, or rust, often with a marbled or mottled appearance. It's not fleshy and has irregularly shaped, cerioid corallites. While typically smaller, they can grow to over 1.5 meters in diameter.
