Octopus Coral

About

Octopus coral (Galaxea longisepta) is a compact, encrusting species that rarely develops any meaningful branching structure. And when it does, those branches stay small and easy to miss. What catches the eye instead is the arrangement of corallites: spaced well apart across a blistery coenosteum, with noticeably larger polyps toward the colony center and smaller ones at the edges. The septa are the standout feature here, being unusually long and irregular compared to most Galaxea relatives, forming up to three distinct cycles in the more developed corallites. Coloration runs to dark greens and browns, set off by clean white corallite rims that give the colony a neat, defined look. In the wild, this species occupies vertical rock faces sheltered from heavy wave action, which tells you something about the kind of flow it prefers. Moderate and consistent rather than turbulent. In the aquarium it fits into the intermediate care bracket, not fussy enough to intimidate an experienced keeper but probably not the best starting point for someone brand new to reef tanks. It is considered reef safe, and moderate lighting suits it well. A small-footprint species worth considering if you want textural variety on a rockwork slope.