Starry Cup Coral

About

Starry Cup Coral (Lobophyllia ishigakiensis) is a large-polyp stony coral found across a broad sweep of the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa and the Red Sea out through Indonesia and Melanesia, north to Japan, and south to New Caledonia. In the wild it occupies reef environments from shallow water down to around 40 meters, which speaks to its adaptability across varying light conditions. The coral produces fleshy, heavily textured polyps typical of the Lobophyllia group, with a sculptural, almost brain-like surface quality that gives it a lot of visual weight in a reef display without relying on vivid coloration alone. Colors tend toward earthy reds, greens, and browns, often with contrasting oral discs. In the aquarium it is regarded as one of the more accessible large-polyp stony corals, tolerating the kind of moderate lighting and gentle, indirect flow that many mixed reef tanks already provide. It is reef safe and generally non-aggressive toward corals that aren't placed immediately alongside it, though like most fleshy LPS corals it can extend sweeper tentacles at night, so a little spacing goes a long way. For a keeper new to LPS corals, it is a reasonable starting point.