Midnight Ice Blastomussa merletti (Pineapple Coral) – Aqua-cultured Frag

TUG Midnight Ice Blasto Merletti (Aqua-Culture)

This Midnight Ice Blastomussa merletti (Pineapple Coral) features deep, near-black polyp bases that create a dramatic backdrop for icy-blue to frosty-white centers, giving each head a striking “midnight ice” contrast under reef lighting. A peaceful, slow-growing LPS coral that makes an excellent centerpiece or focal point for any reef display, with large fleshy polyps that pulse and sway gently with flow.

Care Requirements:

Care level: Easy to Moderate
Lighting: 100–200 PAR
Flow: Low to moderate, indirect flow preferred
Placement: Lower to mid-tank, away from aggressive neighbors
Feeding: Benefits from target feeding meaty foods (mysis, pellets) 1-2x weekly
Water parameters: Stable reef parameters (Ca 380-450, Alk 8-12 dKH, Mg 1250-1350)

Aquaculture & Shipping:

at our Key West facility (FL Aquaculture Certificate #AQ0254072). All livestock is shipped via UPS Next Day Air on Tuesdays/Wednesdays to ensure optimal arrival conditions.

We guarantee live arrival.

Care Guide
Blastomussa is a hardy, popular LPS with round, fleshy polyps that cluster together in a honeycomb-like pattern. It thrives under low to moderate lighting and gentle, indirect flow, and its coloration intensifies with regular feeding of meaty foods.

Placement: Lower rockwork or sandbed, shaded from direct light and flow.

CARE INFORMATION

Lighting	Low–Medium — PAR 50–150
Flow	Low–Moderate
Feeding	High — meaty foods 2–3× weekly
Placement	Sandbed or lower rockwork
Care level	Beginner–Intermediate
Water parameters	Salinity 1.025–1.026 · Temp 76–78°F · Alk 8–9 dKH · Ca 420–440 · Mg 1300–1400

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.