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A very attractive stony coral that resembles a soft mushroom coral. Easily propagated once established in the aquarium. |
Indo-Pacific -
Islands of the Indopacific including Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef.
Blastomussa does not require as much light as some other corals.
It can be kept under normal output fluorescents without much difficulty.
In some cases, it may extend more readily under subdued lighting, however it may display more attractive colors when placed under stronger lighting.
Moderate water movement is recommended.
Like most coral, Blastomussa rely to a large extent on the products of their zooxanthellae,
however, in our experience, they also benefit from direct feeding.
There are a variety of frozen fish foods available that make outstanding meals for Blastomussa.
We like to feed a mixture of meaty foods such as shrimp, fish, and squid with vitamin additives and
highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA).
The size of the food must be small enough that the polyp can fully ingest it.
Blastomussa can be mistaken for a thickly packed colony of corallimorphs but upon
closer inspection have a calcium skeleton that each polyp is attached to. They
come in a variety of colors such as pink, green, peach, brown, and red. While
fairly uncommon in the reef trade, they are an excellent beginner coral for they
require less light than many other corals, and flourish in a range of flow rates. This genus for the most part has been propagated extensively in captivity and
is an excellent candidate for aquaculture. It is reasonable to believe that a
sustainable harvest can be achieved in time.
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