Lobophyllia Coral Colony (5″) – Rainbow Ridges

Description

You are buying the exact coral in the photo — a 5″ Lobophyllia colony photographed under blue spectrum reef lighting. The fleshy ridges run a hot orange-to-red gradient with yellow and green flecking along the crests, dropping into deep blue and teal valleys that separate each wall. The tissue is thick and evenly inflated across the whole colony with no bare skeleton, and the meandering wall structure gives it a brain-coral silhouette that fills space on a sandbed. This specimen has been conditioned in our Key West systems and is feeding readily.

About Lobophyllia (Lobed Brain Coral)

Lobophyllia are heavy-bodied LPS built from thick fleshy lobes over a meandering stony skeleton, and they are among the most forgiving showpiece corals a reefkeeper can own. Their appeal is the color contrast — the ridge tissue and the valley tissue frequently fluoresce in completely different channels, which is why rainbow colonies command a premium over single-color pieces. They grow slowly but steadily, adding new lobes off the existing walls rather than branching, so a colony this size represents real time in the tank. Because they tolerate lower light and modest flow, they solve the problem of the shaded sandbed area most reef tanks struggle to fill.

Care Guide

An easy-to-moderate coral that rewards direct feeding with visible lobe expansion and richer color.

• Lighting: Low-Medium — PAR 50–150. Too much light washes out the reds; shaded placement keeps the contrast strong.
• Flow: Low to moderate — enough to keep detritus off the tissue, never enough to fold the flesh back.
• Placement: Sandbed or lower rockwork, sitting flat and stable.
• Feeding: High — takes mysis, chopped seafood and pellet foods directly on the polyps once or twice weekly.
• Aggression: Semi — extends feeder tentacles after dark. Leave a few inches of clearance from neighbors.
• 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.

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.

Placement: Sandbed or lower rockwork in shaded, gentle flow — keep it clear of sweeper-tentacle neighbors.

Not sure how to keep it? See the large polyp stony corals in our Coral Field Guide — ID notes, PAR, flow, placement and aggression, next to the corals people mistake them for.

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