Chernobyl Sunrise Elegance
A variant of Elegance coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei)
Representative Elegance coralphoto — a dedicated image of this exact morph isn't available yet.
An extreme, radioactive-looking elegance whose entire polyp — oral disc and tentacles — glows fluorescent neon yellow, capped with bright blue tentacle tips. Reef Builders memorably said it looked like 'a sunset at Chernobyl.'
📜 Backstory
A genuinely scarce wild trophy specimen, christened 'Chernobyl Sunrise' by Thomas Burney of PM Aquatic Imports (UK) after the Chernobyl TV miniseries; the name stuck. Reef Builders (2020) documented it and used the headline phrase 'a sunset at Chernobyl.' Only a handful have been documented over several years, at prices around £1,300-2,000 ($1,600-2,500). Origin is wild collection; *Catalaphyllia* ranges from Australia through Indonesia, the Philippines and Fiji, so the precise collection locality is not pinned down.
Keeper tips for this variant
Sand bed, low flow, and moderate blue-leaning light to drive the neon fluorescence; acclimate lighting slowly to protect the intense pigment and let the heavy polyp fully inflate.