Orange Sun (Branching Dendro)
A variant of Dendrophyllia (Branching Sun Coral) (Dendrophyllia fistula)
Representative Dendrophyllia (Branching Sun Coral)photo — a dedicated image of this exact morph isn't available yet.
The classic and most common form: a branching colony of fat, fleshy polyps with bright pumpkin-orange tentacles radiating from an orange skeletal base. Polyps extend fully when feeding and give the colony a glowing, sunburst look.
📜 Backstory
The orange branching Dendrophyllia (commonly Dendrophyllia fistula) is the default 'sun coral' of the trade — wild-collected and sold by mainstream livestock vendors such as Blue Zoo Aquatics ('Dendro Coral-Orange, Dendrophyllia fistula'). It is not a designer line but a wild-color phenotype that has been a hobby staple for decades; lineage is simply wild-collected Indo-Pacific stock and the 'orange sun' label is descriptive.
Keeper tips for this variant
This is a non-photosynthetic (azooxanthellate) coral, so it is genuinely demanding: it must be target-fed meaty foods (mysis, small chopped seafood) frequently — ideally several times a week — to survive long-term. Place it in low light and moderate, indirect flow on a shaded ledge or overhang you can easily reach with a turkey baster, and feed every polyp.