Australomussa Ultra Grade Red

Australomussa are photosynthetic corals, meaning they get nutrients from the products of photosynthesis carried out by symbiotic dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae living in their flesh. Zooxanthellae utilize chlorophyll to absorb light and produce simple sugars that the coral can utilize for energy. Some corals rely on this energy source more than others and will need brighter lighting.

Australomussa however tend to be less demanding of light intensity and may actually fare better in dimmer tank conditions. We try to place Australomussa in low to medium light intensity in our tanks here at Two Coral Aquatics which is around 50 to 100 PAR. If your tank is higher in light, it will take some time for this coral to adjust to its new surroundings. When in doubt, try lower lighting intensities until it is clear that the coral is stable before ramping it up.

Remember that lighting that is too bright risks damaging the coral, and this damage can happen quickly. If you start to see the coral starting to turn lighter and bleach out, it is time to move it to a dimmer location. It is possible to for a Australomussa that has bleached to recover but it can take a long time. During this time it may also retract tight against its spiky skeleton and the tips might poke through the skin which can lead to other health problems.

If your coral did retract and bleach, what may help is to relocate it to a low light area of the aquarium and aggressively feed it.

Aside from the nutritional aspects of lighting, let’s consider the aesthetics.

Australomussa do fluoresce, but not as intensely as some other corals. Their appearance however does change substantially depending on the color temperature of the lighting provided. What looks best is a matter of personal opinion. I like them in a slightly more blue lit tank around 14,000K to 18,000K. When the color temperature is warmer in the 10k range, I think some of the colors I like are drowned out in the daylight.

Mind you we are talking about the presentation of the coral for viewing not the actual color of the coral. Australomussa do not appear to change color very much as their coloration remains relatively consistent. Some corals such as Micromussa can really color shift but that’s not so much the case with Australomussa.

Australomussa appreciate low to medium flow. There are two things that I am looking to accomplish with flow for this coral. The first is to give it enough flow to keep it clean. Detritus build-up can cause the coral to die back where it collects. Providing flow around the coral can prevent this accumulation. Even moderate flow can serve to keep the coral clean as the coral does a good job of slugging off debris that settle on it.

Too much flow will cause its flesh to be drawn tight to the skeleton all the time which again is a very bad thing considering how spiky it is. Worst case scenario, the skeleton pokes through the skin and starts to grow nuisance algae.

Providing periodic low flow or even zero flow is beneficial for this coral for the purposes of feeding. I actually prefer completely turning off the flow to feed Australomussa because its flat shape really deflects any flow directed at it which would prevent the food from settling down on it.

While it may be possible to get away with keeping Australomussa with lighting alone, I think this coral benefits greatly from consistent feeding every 2-3 days. Corals that are well-fed grow faster and can handle stressful conditions better than corals that are malnourished.

They can be fed either frozen food or specialized LPS dry foods. The problem with feeding Australomussa is that it is not the most aggressive feeder. Feeding takes some patience because it takes some time for it to start eating and then care must be taken to allow it to actually consume the food. We have the best luck turning off all the flow in the aquarium and then giving it a light dusting to activate what little feeding response they have. After a minute or two we can then put some larger pieces of food on them and allow them to eat it over the next 10-20 minutes

During this time if you have fish or inverts around, they may eat the food sitting on the coral which is clearly not helpful. The bigger concern with feeding is that certain fish and inverts such as shrimps and crabs can cause major damage to a coral when they go after the food. Fish stealing food out of the coral’s grasp is one thing but if you have tank mates that rip a coral apart to get at the food, something more drastic has to be done.

There are a few different ways to try and combat this. When it is time to feed your corals try feeding the fish and other critters in advance. Give the herbivores a fresh clip of Nori on the opposite end of the aquarium. If you keep the fish occupied the coral should have time to digest its meal. If that isn’t successful another option is to create a feeding barrier. You can DIY something out of a container or you could go with a commercially produced feeding cage. If you want to get even fancier I am sure there are plans on the internet for 3D printed coral cages that would allow for feeding corals.