Homophyllia bowerbanki

Homophyllia

The Homophyllia genus has three known and accepted species, at least at this time. There has been much debate as to who or what belongs in this genus but for now, they have landed on species: H. bowerbanki, H. australis, and H. incrustans/ H. sulcatus. Homophyllia are typically encrusting species with thick walled, circular corallites. Many times Homophyllia coral are referred to as Acans(Acanthastrea), but with genetic coding it has been proven to just be the four aforementioned species.

Caring for Homophyllia corals requires a lot of personal space and food. These corals are labeled to be very aggressive eaters with their long sweeping tentacles which may affect their neighbors.  They eat anything placed in the water column such as: Mysis shrimp, Calanus shrimp, pellets etc. Many times Homophyllia coral are referred to as Acans(Acanthastrea), but with genetic coding it has blacked them in separate genera leaving only H. bowerbanki, H. australis, and H. incrustans/ H. sulcatus.

WATER CHEMISTRY

Homophyllia corals prefer dirtier waters, making them great for beginner tanks. You will know your Homophyllia is happy when they are puffy and colorful. While we have our preferred parameters for Alkalinity, Phosphate, and Nitrate, Homophyllia will do far better in your system if you just focus on keeping the water chemistry stable. If your Alkalinity, Phosphate, or Nitrate is out of line, our recommendation is to get it back to your target levels as slowly as possible.

The parameters we aim for are:

We maintain these levels by use of dosing pumps, with Brightwell Aquatics Reef Code A and Reef Code B.

It's important to understand that these are the levels that we aim for in our LPS system. However, that doesn't mean they are the right levels for your system. All aquariums are different and your system may naturally fall on a different balance. You're better off working with the balance your system tends towards than trying to force the same levels that we run.

FLOW

In terms of flow, Homophyllia corals tend to like lower-moderate flow. Since they feed on what is in the water column we find that less flow tends to allow them to feed more. 

Too much flow can agitate the coral, causing them to recede into their skeleton. The perfect flow will have your Homophyllia looking puffy and round.

LIGHTING

Homophyllia are among the shade-loving corals in our tanks. We always recommend placing them lower on the rockwork where they will receive plenty of shade. There are some exceptions as you are able to “train” your coral to tolerate a higher PAR, but this is an incredibly slow process. We recommend keeping it in its’ natural state on the dark side.

Too much light can cause Homophyllia to bleach and turn white, if this happens lower the coral in your tank or decrease your light intensity. This is a slow process, however, assuming it has good flow and your water chemistry is stable it will regain its colour.