WYSIWYG Red & Gold Blastomussa – 2 Polyps (Blastomussa wellsi)

You are buying the exact coral in the photo — a WYSIWYG two-polyp Red & Gold Blastomussa photographed under blue spectrum reef lighting. Both fully inflated polyps show rich crimson-magenta tissue laced with metallic gold and mint-green highlights that sparkle across the bubbled vesicles. Blastos with this much contrast between the red body and gold accents are keeper-grade pieces, and these two polyps are healthy, encrusted, and expanding daily.

About Blastomussa (Blastomussa wellsi)

Blastomussa wellsi is a classic collector LPS: soft, bubbled polyps that inflate like little bouquets and slowly tissue over the rockwork into a rolling colony. It offers the lush, fleshy look of high-end mushrooms and acans while being one of the least demanding LPS corals in the hobby — an ideal centerpiece for both newer reefers and seasoned collectors filling a low-flow zone.

Care Guide

Blastomussa is hardy and forgiving. Give it gentle conditions and stability and it will steadily add polyps.

• Lighting: Low to Medium — PAR 50–150. Diffused, indirect light keeps the reds saturated; too much light will fade it.
• Flow: Low — gentle, indirect flow so the polyps stay fully inflated.
• Placement: Lower rockwork or shaded ledges; sandbed works on a stable base.
• Feeding: Low to Medium — benefits from fine meaty foods and reef broths when polyps are open.
• Aggression: Peaceful — one of the least aggressive LPS; give it space so neighbors don’t sting it.
• Water Parameters: Temp 76–78°F, salinity 1.025–1.026, Alk 8–9 dKH, Ca 420–440, Mg 1300–1400. Stability matters more than exact numbers.

Shipping &

Ships UPS Next Day Air every Tuesday and Wednesday from Key West, Florida. Packed with insulated box and heat or cold pack appropriate for current conditions. Specimen is carefully secured to prevent movement during transit.

Not sure how to keep it? See the large polyp stony corals in our Coral Field Guide — ID notes, PAR, flow, placement and aggression, next to the corals people mistake them for.

UPS Next Day Air · Live Arrival Guaranteed. See current rates, ship days and how a claim works.

What to expect when it arrives

Acans arrive deflated with the skeleton visible between polyps, which looks worse than it is. Float the sealed bag 15 minutes, drip acclimate 30 to 45 minutes, and place the frag low in the tank with gentle flow. Most acans begin inflating within 24 hours and are fully puffed within two to three days.

Placement, and the light mistake

Acans burn under SPS lighting. Start low — sand bed or the bottom third of the rockwork — and leave it there. A deflated acan sitting under strong light is not going to adapt; it is going to recede. Flow should be gentle and indirect enough that the fleshy polyps are not visibly pushed around.

Feeding, which is the whole point

This is where acans reward you. Target feed with a small meaty food two or three times a week, pumps off for ten minutes, placing food directly on the polyps. A fed acan produces new heads at the frag edge within weeks. An unfed one can sit unchanged for a year and many keepers conclude the coral is slow when it is simply hungry.

Growth and fragging

A three-head frag that is placed correctly and fed regularly commonly becomes eight to ten heads within a year. New heads emerge at the margin and mature over a few months. Frag by cutting between heads with a band saw or bone cutters once the colony has spread past its plug.

Compatibility

Acans have short sweepers and lose most exchanges. Keep them clear of Euphyllia and chalices. They are also a favorite target for some angels and butterflies, and a colony that stays deflated in otherwise good conditions is usually being picked at after lights out.