ORA Purple & Yellow Scroll Coral

Quick facts

Handling caution: Sweeper tentacles can sting skin and neighboring corals; may cause mild skin irritation on contact

Identity

Also known as

Bowerbanki coral; Doughnut coral; Bower's brain coral

Synonyms

Acanthastrea bowerbanki; Micromussa bowerbanki

Environment

Saltwater

Native to

Indo-Pacific, Australia, Indonesia

Habitat

Turbid lagoons and reef slopes with moderate light and low to moderate water movement

Sourcing

Both

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Moderate

Coral type

LPS

Temperament

Peaceful

Growth form

Solitary

Adult size

1 – 2 in (2.5 – 5.1 cm)

Spread

2 in (5.1 cm)

Growth rate

Slow

Placement

Low, Middle

Water

Temperature

75 – 80 °F (24 – 27 °C)

pH

8.1 – 8.4

dKH

8 – 12 dKH

Salinity

1.024 – 1.026 SG

PAR

70 – 150 PAR

Flow

Low-Moderate

Light

Low

Reef care

Nutrient preference

Medium

Alk/Ca uptake

Medium

Target feeding

Beneficial

Give it room

2 in (5.1 cm)

Colors

Red, Orange, Green, Yellow, Multicolor

Feeding & breeding

Diet

Carnivore

Foods

Frozen, Coral food, Zooplankton, Target-fed

Propagation

Fragging

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Care guide

Overview

ORA-produced Bowerbanki frag with a purple base and contrasting yellow polyps, sold as fleshy cups or scroll-like plates rather than branching growth. Polyps close by day and expand fully after dark, revealing chunky lobes prone to stinging neighbors, so give it a few inches of clearance under low, indirect light and flow.

Care

Bowerbanki is a chunky-polyped LPS coral that does best under low to moderate lighting and gentle, indirect flow rather than the strong currents favored by many other LPS. New frags should be acclimated slowly, starting near the bottom or middle of the tank and moved up gradually to avoid bleaching from excess light. It tolerates minor nutrient fluctuations better than many stony corals but still needs stable calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium to support skeletal growth.

Placement & acclimation

Mount securely on rock or a frag plug in a low to middle tank position with indirect flow, and acclimate to lighting gradually over several weeks by starting at a lower PAR level. Avoid placing it where flow is strong enough to buffet the fleshy tissue directly.

Feeding

Target feeding with meaty foods such as mysis and brine shrimp along with LPS pellets or prepared coral foods noticeably improves growth rate and coloration. Feeding is best done at night or with lights dimmed, since polyps extend more fully after dark. It will also capture some fine particulate matter from the water column even without direct feeding.

Neighbors

Sweeper tentacles extend at night and can sting nearby corals, so leave at least 2 to 5 inches of clearance from neighboring colonies depending on eventual size. It is otherwise a peaceful reef inhabitant that does not aggressively overgrow tankmates. Avoid placing fast-growing SPS or other aggressive stinging corals directly downstream of its sweeper reach.

Fragging

Frags well by cutting between polyps or through the skeleton with a band saw or bone cutters, allowing each fragment its own oral disc and mouth. Fresh cuts heal readily and recover well when kept in stable, low-flow conditions post-fragging.

Pests & problems

Excess light intensity is the most common cause of bleaching and tissue recession in this species, so PAR should be monitored and kept moderate. Direct or turbulent flow can also damage the fleshy tissue and lead to recession, especially around the oral disc. Brown jelly infection and pests such as flatworms or Acropora-eating nudibranch relatives can occasionally affect stressed colonies.

Sources

1. Bowerbanki Coral Care guide (New Homophyllia Genus)
2. Bowerbanki Coral Care Guide - Lighting, Flow & Feeding
3. ORA Purple & Yellow Scroll Coral - Bulk Reef Supply