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.

Medium to high lighting would serve this species well. Blastomussa can be kept under high output fluorescent bulbs, but may benefit from more intense lighting. It will likely change its coloration depending on the lighting provided. Blastomussa may require a longer acclimation period to intense lighting such as metal halides.

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.