Pink Sea Fan

Hicksonella sp.

Also known as Palauan Pink Gorgonian, Hicksmellia, Pink Gorgonian

SaltwaterCoral

Pink Sea Fan (Hicksonella sp.) — Chaloklum Diving · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 11.8 in (30 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Western Pacific reefs from Malesia to northern Australia, aquacultured in Palau
Family: Isididae

Overview

This is one of the friendlier gorgonians for a first reef, happy under moderate light with moderate to strong, varied flow that keeps the fine branches clean. It runs on photosynthesis and does not depend on a feeding schedule, though small weekly offerings of fine soft coral foods speed up growth. Glue the base to rock in an open spot, give the branches room to sway, and it will not bother anything around it.

In the wild

This western Pacific gorgonian grows on shallow reefs from the Malay Archipelago to northern Australia, and the colonies in the trade are farmed by Biota in Palau. It forms an airy bush of thin, spindly pink branches dotted with small pale polyps, and a mature colony moves hypnotically in current. It never develops the stiff flat lattice of the Atlantic sea fans, staying loose and feathery instead.

Good to know

Shops list this coral as Hicksmellia, a spelling that appears in no taxonomic register; the real genus behind the trade name is Hicksonella, which the current octocoral classification places in the family Isididae rather than with the classic sea fans. Unlike most gorgonians in the hobby it hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae, so it feeds itself from light. Its exact species has never been published, so it is best treated as Hicksonella sp.

Did you know

The pink sea fan is sold across the hobby under a genus name that does not exist, since the spelling Hicksmellia has been copied from list to list for years while the valid genus is Hicksonella.