War Paint Scoly

War Paint Scoly, a reference illustration of the classic phenotype rather than a photograph of one coral

Homophyllia australis, an LPS coral. Intermediate to keep, typical PAR 50–100, low to moderate flow.

Also sold as Warpaint Scoly, War Paint Scolymia, Warpaint Scolymia, Warpaint.

A look, not a line. It names a colour or grade, so unrelated corals can carry it.

Collector tier: rare, where the trade ranks it from common through grail.

A colour pattern of the Australian scoly, Homophyllia australis, rather than one animal: a single round polyp with a blue to purple ground, marbled or streaked with red to orange. The balance changes from piece to piece. Tidal Gardens has described one as a deep purple base with orange marbling and a few dashes of sky-blue, another as dense marbling of red-orange and blues, and a third as blues and purples with neon orange streaks and sky-blue on the outer rim. Frag Box gives the name to a deep blue base with red marbling, and LiveAquaria adds mint green. Usually sold as a whole animal and photographed as itself.

Before you buy one

Judge the piece in the photograph rather than the name, because each wild War Paint is its own animal. What the name promises is warm marbling through a cool ground. Red streaks running out from a neon green ground make a Bleeding Apple, and a piece with four or more colours may be priced as a Master, so be clear which one you are paying for. The record is three shops' own descriptions, which agree on blue to purple with red to orange and differ on the rest; mint green is one shop's word only. None says what light it was written under, so ask for a photo under white light. A few shops list aquacultured pieces under the name for much less than an imported one: ask which you are buying.

Keeping LPS of this kind

Sandbed or low rock with room around it, and it takes food. War Paint Scoly is intermediate to keep at a typical PAR of 50–100 in low to moderate flow. A typical starting range for this type of coral, not measured on this one.

Full care notes for LPS of this kind

What War Paint Scoly goes for

No verified sales yet. A range publishes once 3 dated, checkable records from 3 different sources exist, priced each and reported as a median, with what shops ask kept separate from what buyers paid. One animal. These corals are single polyps and are never sold in parts. Nothing on this page is for sale.

Easily confused with