Yellow mopsella sea fan
Melithaea sp.
Also known as Mopsella
SaltwaterCoral
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 23.6 in
- 60 cm
- Minimum tank
- 26 gal
- 100 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Very rare
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Melithaeidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific current-swept reef slopes, including Palau
Overview
The yellow mopsella sea fan is a peaceful, non-photosynthetic gorgonian for a shaded reef tank. It is a coral for experienced keepers already set up to feed non-photosynthetic corals.
Did you know
Melithaeid fans like the yellow mopsella flex on bamboo-like joints. Stiff internodes alternate with swollen, flexible nodes along every branch, rather than forming one continuous rod. That lets a large fan bend with surge that would snap a rigid skeleton.
Caring for the yellow mopsella sea fan
Place the yellow mopsella sea fan in shade with moderate laminar flow, as Biota recommends. In that spot, algae cannot gain a foothold on its branches. The shade costs it nothing, because it is azooxanthellate and none of its nutrition comes from light. Give it a tank of at least 26 gal (100 L).
Keep trace elements stable, with the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Treat it like the other non-photosynthetic sea fans, with several fine plankton feedings a day. It is best to automate them with a dosing pump. It is peaceful and reef safe.
Good to know
The yellow mopsella sea fan still goes by the genus name Mopsella in the trade. A molecular revision of the family Melithaeidae folded Mopsella into Melithaea, which is how the World Register of Marine Species lists it today. The Biota Palau line has long, thin yellow branches speckled with red and set with small white polyps. An open colony looks lit from within.
In the wild
The yellow mopsella sea fan grows on current-swept slopes, walls and overhangs across the Indo-Pacific, including Palau. Passing water there carries a steady supply of plankton. Like other melithaeid fans, it branches mostly in one plane, facing the flow.
Common questions
What size tank does a yellow mopsella sea fan need?
A yellow mopsella sea fan needs at least 26 gal (100 L).
What temperature and pH does a yellow mopsella sea fan need?
A yellow mopsella sea fan is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a yellow mopsella sea fan eat?
A yellow mopsella sea fan needs several fine plankton feedings a day, best automated with a dosing pump. It gets none of its nutrition from light.
How big does a yellow mopsella sea fan get?
An adult yellow mopsella sea fan reaches about 23.6 in (60 cm).
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