Hood Coral

About

Hood Coral (Stylophora mamillata) is a small, encrusting species that stays under about four inches across, making it one of the more modestly sized members of its genus. Rather than developing into the branching growth form many hobbyists associate with Stylophora, this species spreads as a low crust covered in rounded mounds roughly the size of a fingertip. Each mound is topped by a corallite with a distinctively developed hood, that sheltering lip is actually the feature the common name references, and these hoods point in varying directions across the colony surface, giving it a pleasingly textured, almost cobblestone-like appearance. Coloration tends toward cream or soft pink, occasionally with subtle variation across the colony. In the wild, this coral grows exclusively on vertical faces in the mid to lower portions of the reef slope, which tells you something important about its preferences: it is accustomed to strong, consistent water movement and high light levels hitting it from angles rather than directly overhead. In the aquarium, positioning on a vertical rock face or the side of a reef structure will most closely replicate those natural conditions. This is an intermediate-level coral, not particularly forgiving of poor water quality or unstable flow.