Blue Mushroom Anemone

About

The blue mushroom anemone (Rhodactis inchoata) is one of those corals that makes a reef tank look like it has a lot more going on than it actually requires. Native to the West Pacific, including waters around Tonga where it's commonly collected, this mushroom coral produces a soft, disc-like polyp in shades that lean toward blue in the right lighting. A relatively uncommon trait among mushroom corals, which tend toward greens and browns. Like other rhodactis mushrooms, it has a slightly bumpy or textured surface that sets it apart from the smoother discosoma species you'll often see alongside it in the trade. This is genuinely one of the more forgiving corals you can keep. It asks for low light and low flow, which means it can thrive in spots of the tank where many other corals would sulk. Lower rockwork, shaded ledges, that kind of placement. It gets its nutrition primarily through its zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae living inside its tissue. For anyone just getting into reef keeping, corals like this one are a sensible starting point. They tolerate modest mistakes and don't demand precision equipment to do well.