Reputable source for / experiences with Wilsoni?

[cdw79]

I've been fascinated by Wilsoni brain corals for awhile now, but have heard several stories about them really struggling in captivity. It seems the main issues come down to them struggling to adapt to even moderate PAR leading to bleaching, as well as difficulty adjusting to our more tropical tanks compared to their more temperate habitats.

It seems that once they have adapted to the temperatures of our aquariums and have been tanked for awhile, they tend to be at least passably hardy. But up until this point, I've not found many to choose from, much less any that have been tanked for an extended period of time and in theory adapted to aquarium life.

Does anyone have a reputable dealer that might have one / be able to source one that hasn't just recently been taken into captivity? For those who've found success, what have been the keys to having these corals settle in, and is it worth the risk? Thanks in advance!

 

[blaxsun]

My LFS has a half dozen of these that have been doing extremely well in their display tank for probably 5-6 months now. One of these days I hope to add one to my collection as they're really cool.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Evidentally, there are warm and temperate water versions of this coral in the wild.

Not All Wilsoni Corals are the Same | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

In the recents months we’ve been seeing an increase in the availability of insane Australophyllia wilsoni coming from Western Australia. This species is an Indian Ocean endemic, and the only coral…

reefbuilders.com

The difficulty is in knowing which version has been imported, with the warm water one being better adapted to the typical reef aquarium right off the bat.

I did see some a few a while back at Cherry Corals that might have been aqua cultured (or at least kept in house for an extended period of time). Might want to contact them for more info.