Ultra War Paint Scoly (4″)

Description

You are buying the exact coral in the photo — a 4″ Ultra War Paint Scoly photographed under blue spectrum reef lighting. The disc carries the classic war paint pattern: hot magenta-red striping radiating outward from a solid red center, cut by deep indigo-purple bands and broken up with teal and mint flecking around the outer rim. The color breaks are sharp rather than blended, which is exactly what separates an ultra-grade war paint from an ordinary red scoly. The tissue is thick, fully inflated across the entire disc, with no recession at the margins. This specimen has been conditioned in our Key West systems and is feeding well.

About War Paint Scoly (Homophyllia australis)

Australian scolys are single-polyp LPS corals collected as individual discs, and they are one of the few corals valued almost entirely on pattern rather than form. War paint refers to the striped, radial color break that resembles painted face markings — a pattern that appears in only a small fraction of collected discs, which is why ultra-grade examples trade well above standard reds and greens. Scolys grow slowly and stay compact, so a 4″ disc is a mature piece that has been in captivity long enough to prove itself stable. They are also among the easiest showpiece LPS to keep, needing low light and gentle flow rather than the demanding conditions SPS require.

Care Guide

An easy coral that rewards direct feeding and a shaded, low-flow spot with deeper, more saturated color.

• Lighting: Low-Medium — PAR 50–150. Excessive light bleaches the pattern; scolys hold their war paint best in shade.
• Flow: Low to moderate — indirect only, just enough to keep the disc free of detritus.
• Placement: Sandbed or lower rockwork, sitting flat and level so nothing settles in the center.
• Feeding: High — takes mysis, chopped seafood or pellets placed directly on the polyp once or twice weekly.
• Aggression: Semi — deploys feeder tentacles at night. Leave a few inches of clearance around the disc.
• 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: Flat on the sandbed or a level ledge in shaded, gentle flow — keep neighbors a few inches back.

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.

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