Bubblegum Goniopora

Bubblegum Goniopora

Bubblegum Goniopora lives up to its playful name with a soft, pastel pink-lavender colouring across its flower-like polyps — a gentler, calmer tone than some of the more saturated reds and greens elsewhere in the family. In flow, the polyps sway together, and the pale colouring makes this one a nice contrast piece against brighter, punchier corals nearby.

As with all Goniopora, this is a coral with a real reputation in the hobby for being harder to keep long-term than most LPS, and it’s rated medium to advanced rather than a beginner pick — worth knowing before adding it to a newer setup.

Care basics

• Care level: Medium to advanced. Not recommended as a first LPS coral.
• Lighting: Medium.
• Flow: Low to moderate, random rather than direct.
• Water chemistry: Sensitive to sudden changes, particularly in phosphate levels. Stable, gradually-adjusted parameters matter more than with most corals. Trace additions of molybdenum and manganese can help growth, though aren’t essential.
• Feeding: Planktivorous — benefits from regular feeding of rotifers or similarly fine planktonic foods, unlike most LPS which can go without.

Supplied as rested frags on 2cm plugs.