Actinic Bulbs have been known to cause fluorescence in some coral pigments. The first picture is the Favia Brain Coral taken under normal day lighting. The second picture is taken under Actinic bulbs. The addition of Actinic Blue bulbs can dramatically change the appearance of your aquarium.

Favia Brain Coral with Daylight Lighting Pictured Above.

Favia Brain Coral with Actinic Lighting Pictured Above.

If you don’t already have actinic lighting, consider replacing one of your daylight bulbs with a fluorescent Actinic Bulb to encourage coral fluorescence.

Favites Brain Coral
(Favites spp.)
QUICK STATS
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Aggressive
Lighting: Moderate
Waterflow: Medium
Placement: All
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.023-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Color Form: Green, Orange, Tan, Yellow
Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Faviidae
Polyp Size: LPS - Large Polyp Stony

The Favites Corals are large polyp stony (LPS) corals often referred to as Moon, Pineapple, Brain, Closed Brain, Star, Worm, or Honeycomb Coral. They are the most common and prolific coral in the world, and are very similar to the genus Favia, sharing many of the same common names, and sometimes being very difficult to differentiate. Favites Corals are found in various color forms and polyp shapes. “Pineapple Coral” is the name commonly given to those that have smaller circular patterns.

The Favite Corals are aggressive, expanding their sweeper tentacles at night well beyond the base. It is important to leave space between them and neighbors in the reef aquarium. Maintenance for the Favite Corals is relatively easy, making them excellent choices for the beginner to expert hobbyist. They require moderate lighting combined with moderate water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements should be added to the water. It will also benefit from the addition of supplemental food in the form of micro-plankton or brine shrimp, fed twice per week in the evening while its tentacles are visible.

Shop for Favites Brain Coral at LiveAquaria.com

Brain Coral, Pineapple
(Favites spp.)
QUICK STATS
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Aggressive
Lighting: Moderate
Waterflow: Medium
Placement: All
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.023-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Color Form: Green, Orange, Tan, Yellow
Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Faviidae
Polyp Size: LPS - Large Polyp Stony

The Favites Corals are large polyp stony (LPS) corals often referred to as Moon, Pineapple, Brain, Closed Brain, Star, Worm, or Honeycomb Coral. They are the most common and prolific coral in the world, and are very similar to the genus Favia, sharing many of the same common names, and sometimes being very difficult to differentiate. Favites Corals are found in various color forms and polyp shapes. “Pineapple Coral” is the name commonly given to those that have smaller circular patterns.

The Favite Corals are aggressive, expanding their sweeper tentacles at night well beyond the base. It is important to leave space between them and neighbors in the reef aquarium. Maintenance for the Favite Corals is relatively easy, making them excellent choices for the beginner to expert hobbyist. They require moderate lighting combined with moderate water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements should be added to the water. It will also benefit from the addition of supplemental food in the form of micro-plankton or brine shrimp, fed twice per week in the evening while its tentacles are visible.

Shop for Pineapple Brain Coral at LiveAquaria.com

Brain Worm Platygyra Coral
(Platygyra sp.)
QUICK STATS
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Lighting: Moderate
Waterflow: Medium
Placement: All
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.023-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Color Form: Black, Green, Tan, Yellow
Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements
Origin: Indo-Pacific, South Pacific
Family: Faviidae
Polyp Size: LPS - Large Polyp Stony

The Platygyra Brain Worm Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral and is also referred to as Brain, Maze, Closed Brain, or Bowl Coral. Its genus name, Platygyra, was derived from the Greek words platys (flat) and gyros (wide circle), which describes the maze-like channels in its calcareous skeleton. The Brain Worm Coral colonies are usually massive and either dome-shaped or flattened, with various color shades of green, brown, or gray and contrasting valleys which may be fluorescent under actinic lighting.

It is a semi-aggressive coral that extends sweeper tentacles at night and should be provided with adequate spacing between itself and other corals in the aquarium. The Platygyra Brain Worm Coral is relatively hardy, easy to maintain in the reef aquarium, and makes an excellent candidate for the beginner reef aquarist. It requires moderate lighting combined with moderate water movement. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. It produces a large amount of mucus.

It will benefit from additional food in the form of micro-plankton or brine shrimp fed in the evening while its tentacles are visible.

Shop for Brain Worm Platygyra Coral at LiveAquaria.com

For the last few weeks I’ve been experimenting with a new product called Tropic Marin Reef Actif. Reef Actif is a probiotic which uses yeast strains to grow bacteria and convert them into nutrients. After dosing I’ve noticed many corals are heavily feeding. Here are some pictures taken after the lights go off.