Wilsoni Brain Coral (Australophyllia wilsoni) – 3.5″ x 3.5″ Frag

Description

You are buying the exact coral in the photo — a 3.5″ x 3.5″ Wilsoni brain frag photographed under blue spectrum reef lighting. The piece carries a dozen-plus mature corallites packed shoulder to shoulder, each one a deep oxblood red laid over heavily grooved septa that catch the light like corduroy. Bright emerald green rings every mouth and pools in the valleys between heads, and the outer skirt fades into a cool teal-blue where the tissue creeps across the base. Colors are dense and evenly distributed across the whole face — no bare skeleton, no recession, no pale spots. Conditioned in our Key West systems under FL Aquaculture Certificate #AQ0254072, feeding well and fully open on our tables.

About Wilsoni Brain Coral (Australophyllia wilsoni)

Australophyllia wilsoni is a Western Australian endemic and the only species in its genus, which is a large part of why collectors chase it. It builds thick, fleshy, brain-like plates with pronounced ridging and an almost velvet texture when inflated, and it holds a color combination — red or maroon body with green or gold accents — that very few other LPS can match. It is a slow, deliberate grower, so established multi-head pieces like this one take real time to produce and rarely turn up in quantity. Because supply from its home range is tightly limited, most Wilsoni in the hobby moves through frags rather than colonies, and a frag this wide with this many developed mouths is an uncommon find.

Care Guide

Not a difficult coral, but a particular one — Wilsoni rewards patience, stable water, and regular feeding with slow, steady tissue expansion and deepening color.

• Lighting: Low to moderate — PAR 50–150. Too much light washes the red toward brown; ease it in gradually and let it tell you when it is happy.
• Flow: Low to moderate — enough indirect movement to keep detritus off the tissue, never a direct blast.
• Placement: Sandbed or lower rockwork, seated flat so the whole face gets even light.
• Feeding: High — responds strongly to meaty foods. Mysis, chopped krill, or pellet-style LPS food once or twice a week visibly speeds growth.
• Aggression: Semi-aggressive — it will not reach far, but give it a couple of 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.

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 lower rockwork with gentle indirect flow and shaded-to-moderate light.

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