Rainbow Bowerbanki

The Rainbow Bowerbanki (Acanthastrea bowerbanki) is a ultra-luxurious, massive-polyped LPS coral that represents the pinnacle of high-end Acanthastrea keeping. Often mistaken for Acanthastrea lordhowensis (Micromussa lordhowensis) in its youth, the Bowerbanki grows into substantially larger, meatier polyps with deeply recessed central mouths and thick, pillowy outer corallite walls.

The “Rainbow” variant is an extreme rarity, displaying a swirling, kaleidoscopic palette of saturated crimson-red, neon-green, royal blue, golden-orange, and violet across its plush, expanding tissue, with colors shifting dynamically as the coral grows and inflates.

Coloration: Multi-layered palette of crimson red, emerald green, royal blue, tangerine orange, and metallic purple swirling across a thick, fleshy oral disc centered around a stark white or pale blue mouth. WYSIWYG.

Growth Pattern: Encrusting / Massive (forms large, dense skeletal structure with oversized, tightly packed, fleshy polyps that fuse together as they expand).

Lighting: Low to Moderate (PAR 75–125).

Water Flow: Low to Gentle (Low, indirect sweeping current).

Feeding: Highly aggressive feeder; extends thick ring of feeder tentacles at night to consume mysis shrimp, chopped seafood, and LPS pellets.

Aggressiveness: Semi-aggressive (can extend short sweeper tentacles and release digestive filaments if touching non-Acanthastrea corals).

Care Level: Moderate (Demands stable water chemistry to maintain dense tissue folds).