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Hard Coral


Button Coral Bird's Nest Blue Coral Brain Coral Brain Coral, Favites Bubble Coral Cactus Coral Candy Cane Coral Cat's Paw Coral Cauliflower Coral Daisy/Flowerpot Coral Doughnut Coral Elegance Coral Elephant Nose Coral Flower Pot Coral Frogspawn Coral Galaxy Coral Goniastrea Brain Coral Hammer Coral Horn Coral Jeweled Finger Coral Lettuce/Cabbage Coral Lobophyllia Brain Coral Nemenzophyllia Fox Coral Pearl Bubble Coral Pineapple Coral Pipe Organ Coral Plate Coral LT Plate/Disk Coral Platygyra Brain Coral Slipper/Tongue Coral Spiny Cup/Lettuce Coral Staghorn Coral Torch Coral Tube Coral Turbinaria Coral Velvet Coral


Soft Coral


Sea fan Cabbage Leather Coral Tree Coral Christmas Tree Coral Clove / Glove Polyp Colt Coral Corky Sea Fingers Devil's Hand Coral Finger Leather (Cladiella) Finger Leather (Sinularia) Flexible Leather Coral Kenya Tree Coral Mushroom / Leather Coral Pipe Organ Coral Pulse Coral Purple Sea Blade Rough Sea Plume Sea Rod / Red Tree Star Polyp Strawberry / Pink Cauliflower Tree Coral - Yellow Tree Coral - Paralemnalia Waving Hand Coral Yellow Sea Blade


Mushrooms


Actinodiscus Mushroom Coral Bullseye Mushroom Coral Elephant Ear Mushroom Coral Giant Cup Mushroom Coral Hairy Mushroom Coral Ricordea Mushroom Coral


Zoanthids


Elegant Moon Polyp Palythoa Button Polyp Stick / Tree Polyp Zoanthus Button Polyp

Brain Coral

The Trachyphyllia Brain Coral is also referred to as a Folded Brain, or Crater Coral and is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral. It may have a flattened, folded, or figure-eight shape. Its genus name, Trachyphyllia, comes from the Greek trachys (rough) plus phyllon (leaf) because it resembles a rough leaf lying on the sandy bed.

There are two common species of Trachyphyllia: T. geoffroyi and T. radiata. T. geoffroyi can be found in several colors. T. radiata, which is usually more convoluted in appearance and has fused walls, is found in varying shades of metallic green. It was formerly called Wellsophyllia radiata, but the genus Wellsophyllia has now been eliminated. Trachyphyllia Brain Corals fluoresce brightly under actinic lighting.

Trachyphyllia sp.

Quick Stats: Brain Coral, Trachyphyllia
Family: Trachyphylliidae Polyp Size: LPS - Large polyp stony Range: Indo-Pacific Color Form: Green, Red, Pink, Brown Ideal Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace elements Reef Compatible: Yes Tank Conditions: 72-78ºF; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4 Water Flow: Medium Light: Medium to High Dominance: Semi-aggressive Placement: Low Care Level: Moderate

The Trachyphyllia Brain Coral is easily collected from the reef because it prefers to attach itself to a piece of shell or dead coral, and may be found washed into the shallow waters lying on the sand bed. It does best in a well-established reef aquarium that incorporates a medium to high light level with a medium water current, along with the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. Allow ample space between it and other corals, as it will sometimes sting its neighbors.

It does not require additional food to maintain its health in the reef aquarium, but it will feed on micro-plankton or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates.

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