Starry Cup Coral

About

Starry Cup Coral (Acanthastrea hemprichii) is a large polyp stony coral with a wide natural range stretching from East Africa and the Red Sea through Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, reaching as far north as Japan and south to Australia. In the wild it forms encrusting to massive colonies that can grow well beyond a metre across, blanketing reef surfaces across a broad range of depths and reef environments. The corallites sit in a fused, wall-to-wall arrangement and the tissue, while fleshy enough to give the colony a soft appearance, stays thin enough that the underlying skeleton remains visible. Coloration tends toward earthy tones. Mottled browns and greens are typical, often with brown walls framing contrasting green oral discs. It's not a coral that dazzles with neon colors, but the patterning has a quiet, natural appeal that holds up well under reef lighting. In the aquarium this species has earned a solid reputation as a forgiving choice for newer reef keepers. It asks for moderate light and low to moderate flow, and it adapts well to typical reef tank conditions without requiring the close attention that more demanding LPS corals need. Give it room to grow and keep aggressive neighbors at a distance, since like most Acanthastrea it can throw out sweeper tentacles at night.