Ultra War Paint Scolymia (3″) – Conditioned in Key West

Description

You are buying the exact coral in the photo — a 3″ Ultra War Paint Scolymia photographed under blue spectrum reef lighting. The disc is split between deep royal blue and violet tissue and hard slashes of neon red-orange that radiate out from the mouth like brush strokes, which is exactly where the “war paint” name comes from. The contrast is unusually sharp on this piece; the red does not fade into the blue but stops in clean edges, and there are pale blue-green flecks scattered through the centre. Conditioned in our Key West systems.

About Scolymia (Homophyllia australis)

Scolymia — reclassified as Homophyllia australis — sits at the top of the LPS collector market, and the reason is scarcity rather than hype. Each specimen is one single solitary polyp. It cannot be cut, fragged or propagated, so the supply of any given colour morph is fixed at one. War Paint morphs, where a contrasting colour cuts across the disc in defined radial bands, are among the harder patterns to find because most Scolys grade smoothly between colours instead of holding a hard line. They are slow growers and long-lived, which makes them a centrepiece animal rather than a filler.

Care Guide

Undemanding if you respect its two rules — keep the light and flow off it, and actually feed it. Do that and the colour deepens over months.

• Lighting: Low to Medium — PAR 50–150. Diffused light brings out fluorescence without bleaching the tissue.
• Flow: Low to Moderate — indirect, gentle. Cut flow while target feeding.
• Placement: Sandbed or a flat spot on lower rockwork where the polyp can fully inflate.
• Feeding: High — meaty foods (mysis, chopped krill, Reef-Roids, LPS pellets) two to three times weekly.
• Aggression: Semi-aggressive — allow 3–4″ of clear space from neighbours.
• Water Parameters: Temp 76–78°F, salinity 1.025–1.026, Alk 8–9 dKH, Ca 420–440, Mg 1300–1400. Stability matters more than exact numbers.

Shipping & Live Arrival Guarantee

Ships UPS Overnight every Tuesday and Wednesday from Key West, Florida. Packed with insulated box and heat or cold pack appropriate for current conditions. Specimen is carefully secured to prevent movement during transit.

Live arrival is guaranteed. If your coral arrives DOA, photograph the animal inside the unopened bag within 4 hours of delivery confirmation and contact us right away. We will work with you on a resolution.

Placement: Sandbed or a flat spot on lower rockwork with gentle indirect flow — avoid direct light and never place it where debris settles on the disc.

Overnight shipping · Live Arrival Guaranteed. See current rates, ship days and how a claim works.