MICROMUSSA CORAL CARE OVERVIEW
LIGHT: LOW-MODERATE (75-150 par) is what we find best but they can likely tolerate up to 200 par when acclimated appropriately. It is important to keep in mind that it is far easier to damage coral with too much lighting so in our opinion when it comes to lighting, less is often more for LPS corals. You can learn more about Lighting and it's overall impact on your reef tank in our article Lighting and your Reef Tank
FOOD: SPOT FEED. This coral will benefit from occasional spot feeding. Micromussa are aggressive feeders and their polyps readily take in most food presented. Like most corals they capture nutrients from the water and will do best when supplied a healthy amount of food. Our method is high import, high export. You can learn more about Feeding and Filtration in our article Feeding, Filtration and your Reef Tank.
FLOW: MODERATE. Micromussa Corals benefit from moderate water movement which will be enough to keep the coral clean of any detritus and debris while bringing food to its many polyps. You will know the micromussa is happy when its polyps are inflated. Too much flow, especially direct flow, can cause damage to the corals tissue or an inability to capture food. You can read more about Flow and its overall impact on your reef tank in our article Flow and your Reef Tank
DIFFICULTY: MODERATE. There are many aquacultured varieties available and this means that the long term success rate when keeping Micromussa is high. That said, micromussa is not the fastest growing coral and also can be rather picky about the parameters provided (light, flow, nutrients). For these reasons we rate the difficulty as MODERATE. An experienced reef keeper with the ability to adapt their reef to meet this corals needs will be able to find long term success. Like with all corals, specimens have been seen to do well in captivity when the right combination of Food/Light/Flow and Filtration are achieved.
PRICE: MODERATE-HIGH. Micromussa comes in a tremendous variety of colors and patterns. These often dictate their price which can range from low to high. Rainbow varieties tend to be the most sought after and expensive and will contain at least 3+ color tones. More basic specimens can still be stunning and beautiful but will often be available at cheaper price ranges. Their slow growth rate likely contributes to increased price demand.
COLLECTION ZONE: Indo-Pacific
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Micromussa is a genus of stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae.
AGGRESSION: MODERATE. We have not seen a ton if aggression from these corals although they are aggressive feeders and sometimes that nature can impact surrounding corals negatively. We recommend 2-3" aparts from other species but you should monitor them closely.
NATURAL TEMPERATURE: 82 °F / 28 °C although most corals can adapt and survive in temps as low as 77 degrees and as high as 84 degrees. You can read more about temperature and how it affects your reef tank in our article Temperature and your Reef Tank.
PH: Recommend 8.0-8.4, we tend to run around 8.2-8.3 over 24 hours. You can read more about pH in our article pH and your Reef Tank
NITRATE: 5-10, try to keep stable. You can read more about nitrate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank
PHOSPHATE: 0.05-0.1, try to keep stable. You can read more about Phosphate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank
ALKALINITY: Recommend 8-9 dKh. You can read more about how we maintain our alkalinity in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank
CALCIUM: Recommend 400-450. You can read more about how we maintain our calcium in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank
More About Micromussa Corals
Micromussa lordhowensis corals, assigned to the genus Micromussa in 2016, are a species of large polyp stony (LPS) coral in the Lobophylliidae Family. The thick-walled, circular corallites of the Micromussa lordhowensis corals appear joined directly to one another by fused walls. The corallites are irregularly shaped and may be arranged singly or in short valleys with continuous walls. The skeleton is covered with folded, fleshy tissue. The Micromussa lordhowensis can be found in shades of red, orange, purple, blue, and green. Micromussa lordhowensis corals are very popular for their beauty and color variations.
When introducing a Micromussa lordhowensis coral into your reef, location is important regarding lighting and waterflow. Micromussa lordhowensis corals can be kept under a variety of light conditions ranging from low to moderate. Lighting that's too high can damage a Micromussa lordhowensis coral. We recommend 50-100 PAR. Keep in mind that most corals can be gradually acclimated to higher or lower lighting than their normal range. We recommend keeping this coral in a low to medium flow area of your reef. High flow could cause the polyps to not fully extend or could cause tears in the fleshy tissue. Lower flow also provides more opportunities for your Micromussa lordhowensis coral to catch a meal.
Through their symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic algae, known as zooxanthellae, they receive many of their nutrients. Micromussa lordhowensis corals benefit from targeted feeding of meaty foods like Mysis shrimp or brine shrimp. To maintain good health, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements should be monitored and added as needed.
When deciding on the best location in your tank, please remember that Micromussa lordhowensis corals are known to sometimes be aggressive. They have long sweeper tentacles that can extend to sting other corals that get too close. Be sure to provide enough personal space for your Micromussa lordhowensis coral to grow and thrive.
