Displaying Brain Corals

[MDahms]

I admit that I have a thing for brain corals and I have been struggling to figure out where to place them. My preferred method is to give them a round tile or flat rock to grow on and encrust and then place that on the sand bed. Problem being, I have too many to make that look appealing and have been trying to avoid a cluttered looking sand bed.
So how do other people like to display them? Do you allow them to encrust on the main rocks? Attach them to a rock of their own but then place that rock up on the rockwork? Always having to account for sweepers.
One issue is that my rock-work is configured into three bommies so it has more vertical space than flat and the tops of the structures are occupied by larger soft coral colonies.
I also have several Chalice corals but they have been placed in more shaded areas down near the sand.

I have Goniastrea, Paragoniastrea, Coelastrea,Favities, the “Favias”. also whatever Ultron Favia and similar corals are? They seem to have the longest sweepers or the group though I have a maze brain that’s also particularly fond of defending its space.

Any inspiration is welcome and I would love to see some photos.

Thank you!

 

[exnisstech]

When I kept fleshy LPS I just placed them on the bottom. Smaller ones like the blasto I had on small rocks. I thinking they look more natural than on a tile.

 

[MDahms]

When I kept fleshy LPS I just placed them on the bottom. Smaller ones like the blasto I had on small rocks. I thinking they look more natural than on a tile.

I have to agree with you there. I don’t like the look of tiles but hoping the few I have on tiles will fill the space soon enough and look natural in the long run. Some of the thinner ones like Favities species really show the structure beneath their skeleton so they can amplify that unnatural tile grown look.
I don’t yet have any really fleshy ones, like open brains or any of the meat corals. Those would almost have to be placed down on the bottom.