Unique Blue-Grey and Red Candy Cane Coral

I am always looking for phenotypes of common corals I have yet to see. One of the most underrated corals in my opinion are candy cane/trumpet corals. Not only do many of them provide a nice pop of color, but they also have an attractive branching growth structure that can fill in the lower parts of a system quite nicely.

On top of that, they have a great feeding response, are very hardy, and grow fast. Throwing some particulate food into a system at night and observing a colony of them open and close in response is something everyone must witness at least once. 

At Reefstock Denver, I was excited to see a variety of Candy Cane/Trumpet Coral that I had yet to lay my eyes on. This piece is unique and has a very light teal coloration that appears almost grey or white in person (under full spectrum). On top of this uncommon primary color, it also sports small flashes of red in the tissue surrounding the septa – a color I have never seen in candy canes before.

This piece was picked up by David Poldak at Coral Stop. He told me that it came from a system breakdown and had been grown for an extended period in captivity; thus, it has likely been in the hobby for some time and is representative of older import selections.

Due to my unfamiliarity with coral taxonomy, I am still determining if this specimen is a Caulastrea or Astraeosmilia. Due to its size (much larger polyp-wise than my other candy canes) and its much fleshier expression, I believe it may be an Astraeosmilia.

Nevertheless, this piece is unique and will likely find a home in the Reef Builders studio.