Starry Cup Coral

About

The starry cup coral (Micromussa amakusensis) forms tight, low-profile colonies made up of small angular corallites, each typically no more than 8 millimetres across. The colony surface is covered by a thick, fleshy mantle textured with fine bumpy papillae, giving it a distinctive tactile quality that sets it apart from smoother LPS corals. Color varies noticeably by region. Specimens from northern Japan tend toward brick-red or vivid green, while those from elsewhere across its range are more commonly grey. In the wild it occupies protected reef environments and rocky foreshores from shallow water down to around 30 meters, ranging broadly across the Western Pacific from Indonesia and Melanesia up to Japan and south to Queensland, Australia. In the aquarium it does well under moderate lighting and appreciates low to gentle flow, which suits its preference for calmer reef zones. It's one of those LPS corals that doesn't punish small mistakes, making it a reasonable first coral for someone just moving into reef keeping. Feed it occasionally and keep your water stable, and it tends to reward you with steady, healthy growth. Overall a solid, honest coral that earns its place in a mixed reef without demanding expert-level attention.