Fauchea sp. — Reef Hydrangeas
The reef throws a garden party: bubbles, champagne color, and blooms.
What You Get
This rare Caribbean red macroalga forms a single rounded rosette of flattened, petal-like fronds with scalloped edges and a velvety texture. The topside often displays shimmering blue-green or silver iridescence over deep red tissue, especially under moderate aquarium lighting. In the wild, Fauchea grows as solitary specimens attached to hard bottom or sponge at depths of ~5–20 ft.
Why It Is Algaesome
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Underwater hydrangeas: Petal-like fronds resemble miniature reef flowers.
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Iridescent sheen: Blue, silver, and gold highlights sparkle across rich reds.
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Compact showpiece: Stays small (typically under 6–8"), ideal for focal aquascapes.
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Never weedy: Naturally solitary and slow-growing — won’t overrun a tank.
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Not on the menu: Most herbivores ignore it, preserving its sculpted form.
Sizing & Availability
Sold as one 3–4" rosette. Shape, edge texture, iridescence, and intensity of red vary naturally by season, depth, and lighting. Availability is rare.
Traits
Color Deep red with champagne iridescence on top
Ease Difficult
Classification Red Macroalgae
Nutrient Uptake Low
Availability Rare
Use Display Feature
Lighting Moderate
Flow Moderate–High
A Note from the Collectors:
Every macroalga we offer is hand-collected, acclimated, and observed by our team before shipping. While we carefully try to remove other algae, sponges, and tiny hitchhikers, a few “goodies” may tag along — it’s part of receiving genuine wild-collected specimens!
Many species may arrive paler or whitish in color. This is completely normal — macroalgae shift pigments during transport to protect from light and stress. Color returns within a few days under good lighting and flow.
We ship via 2-Day service on Mondays and Tuesdays only to ensure specimens arrive healthy. You’ll receive tracking as soon as your order ships.
