Mushrooms of the Reef

When I post photographs of my aquarium on Twitter and elsewhere, I’m always surprised by the number of comments I receive about the mushroom corals. I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that most large marine aquariums don’t include any “mushroom corals” (Actinodiscus sp., Ricordea sp, etc). The choice has less to do with survivability than predation. Many marine fish consider soft-bodied, non-stinging mushroom corals a tasty (and defenseless) treat. Fortunately, seahorses largely leave them alone, which means the mushrooms flourish in my tank. The largest ones are about 6″ in diameter when fully opened: In

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