Usually purple and shaped like a bottle brush, this Caribbean gorgonian can stand about 75 cm tall. It carries algae in its tissue, so it needs moderate to strong light and flow, and one reef reference has no report of anyone keeping it successfully. True sea plumes (Antillogorgia) also get the hobby labels purple plume and purple frilly, which means neither name settles anything on its own.
Educational only. Some KinStation entries are reviewed by licensed veterinarians, but none can replace an in-person exam. Always consult a licensed veterinarian or board-certified specialist for diagnosis, treatment, or any decision affecting your pet's health.
Need expert help with your rough sea plume?
Connect with a specialist near you or ask a licensed vet — never substitute online guidance for hands-on care in an emergency.
Tall, plume-like colony with a bottle-brush outline, about 20-75 cm (8-30 in) tall.
Lifespan
—
Social needs
solo
Native region
South Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean
Origin
New World
Climate
Tropical
Water type
Marine
Family
Pterogorgiidae
Genus
Muriceopsis
Part of the Soft Corals
Soft corals such as leathers, colt, cloves, Anthelia, gorgonians and Sympodium. Octocorals with flexible, often swaying colonies and eight-tentacled polyps, and no stony skeleton. Many are hardy, beginner-friendly reef corals driven by photosynthesis and tolerant of a wide range of light, flow and nutrients, but some gorgonians have no algae of their own and depend on regular feeding, so check eac
Give it a mid to upper spot with moderate to strong light and moderate to strong flow, and allow for its height. In the wild it occurs from the shallows to about 33 m, mainly on patch reefs, and also on nearshore hard bottom and outer reefs from South Florida through the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
Keep stable reef water: SG about 1.025, 24-27 °C (75-81 °F), pH 8.1-8.4, alkalinity 8-11 dKH, calcium 400-450 ppm and magnesium 1250-1350 ppm.
Substrate
Fix the base to live rock or a plug with reef-safe gel glue, or set it into a crevice, keeping it upright and clear of drifting sand.
Equipment & setup
Standard reef lighting at moderate to strong output is enough, along with powerheads that reach the middle of the plume. A skimmer and regular water changes help keep the branches clean.
Diet
Relies on light. It keeps zooxanthellae, so lighting comes first. It also takes plankton, and fine plankton foods a few times a week are a helpful extra, not a substitute for light.
Behavior & temperament
The rough surface comes from small, close-set polyp openings with shelf-like lower lips. Long main branches may throw secondary plumes, which gives the full bottle-brush shape. Living colonies run purple, purplish pink, dull brown or buff white. A field study measured growth of nearly 2 cm of height a year, with high yearly colony survival in the wild, which is no guide to aquarium life.
Health
It can fail like other gorgonians: film algae or cyanobacteria settle where flow is weak and kill the tissue below. Keep the whole plume in moving water, including the inner branches, and treat lasting closure or bare patches as a flow or water problem.
Tips, DIY & hacks
If you try to propagate it, cut a healthy branch and glue the cut end to a plug, then keep it in good flow while it heals. Use the shape and the scientific name, not the labels purple plume or purple frilly, to work out what you have, because true sea plumes (Antillogorgia) carry both labels too.
KinStation
Aquatic
Compare
Need expert help with your rough sea plume?
Ask a vet in the community
Tropical
Marine