Black Sun Coral (Tubastraea micranthus)
A variant of Sun coral (Tubastraea sp.)
Representative Sun coralphoto — a dedicated image of this exact morph isn't available yet.
A branching, tree-like sun coral with a dark green-black skeleton and dark polyps that extend feathery green-tinged tentacles, looking dramatically different from the typical encrusting orange forms.
📜 Backstory
Tubastraea micranthus is the branching 'black sun coral,' a separate species collected from the Indo-Pacific and recognized in the trade as the hardest sun coral to keep long-term. Its arborescent growth and dark coloration make it instantly recognizable, and it carries an advanced reputation because it is even less forgiving of inadequate feeding than the encrusting orange and yellow forms. Its difficulty, not scarcity, drives its standing.
Keeper tips for this variant
Mount it where it gets low light and moderate, varied flow, and be especially diligent with frequent target-feeding — branching black suns are notoriously demanding and decline fast if underfed.