Homophyllia bowerbanki is a colourful and classy LPS Coral

If you want a low-maintenance, attractive, and easy to keep LPS coral then look no further than this one – the humble Homophyllia bowerbanki. Known until 2016 as Acanthastrea bowerbanki, it was long thought to be a larger polyp cousin of Acanthastrea lordhowensis, but Lords got moved out of Acanthastrea too, and into the genus Micromussa. If scientific names aren’t you’re thing then you may still know it as Acan bowerbanki, or simply as a Bower, or a “Banki.” But regardless of its name, it’s a nice, colourful coral, and a classy looking one at that. 

Bowers have encrusting, ringlike coralites which, when the polyps are puffed up, are about the size of a fifty pence piece. It’s slow-growing but undemanding at the same time, as long as water parameters are stable and similar to those of natural seawater. Bowers are not aggressive and can be placed close to other corals as long as they themselves don’t get stung. They enjoy medium light and medium flow and can be trained to put out tentacles at feeding time. The best way to frag them is with a Gryphon bandsaw, and any corallites that are cut through will eventually repair and regrow. 

The benefit of Bowers though is their colour, especially rich reds, red and green Bleeding Apple, or even rainbow, though rich colours, slow growth, and Australian origin do mean they can be expensive. They make a great addition to any LPS-dominant or mixed reef aquarium.