Porous False Plexaura

About

Porous False Plexaura (Pseudoplexaura porosa) is a gorgonian sea fan found across the Western Atlantic, from the shallow reef flats of Belize up through the waters of the United States and Canada, and documented at depths ranging from just a few meters down to well over 200 meters. In the wild it forms tall, branching colonies that sway with the current, providing shelter and surface area for small invertebrates and hitchhiking organisms. The colony structure is defined by its porous axial skeleton, which gives the species its common name and distinguishes it from closely related gorgonians. In a reef aquarium, this coral does best when given strong, consistent water movement that mimics the surge-swept environments it naturally occupies. Moderate lighting suits it well, and like many non-photosynthetic or partially photosynthetic gorgonians, its long-term success often depends on target feeding with fine particulate foods. That feeding requirement, combined with its need for robust flow management, puts it in the intermediate care category. Not the best pick for a first coral, but very rewarding for a keeper who already has stable reef husbandry dialed in. It is considered reef safe and poses no threat to stony corals or other invertebrates sharing its space.