The term soft coral is used broadly and relatively unscientifically (is that even a word?) to lump a bunch of related and unrelated coral species into a simple bucket, defined primarily by what they are (soft, with the absence of a major stony external skeleton) and what they are not (they are not mushrooms or zoanthids). The reason any of this …
Sun coral: How to care for and keep Tubastraea
The Sun Coral is an awesome and popular large polyp stony corals (LPS coral) that is often sought after in the aquarium hobby, because of their bright orange-yellow, “sunny” polyps. There are more than just one species of suncoral out there, so you may sometimes see them listed as Tubastraea, which is their genus. A genus is a scientific classification …
Chalice Coral
Chalice Coral Ready for some eye candy? Take a look at some of these awesome chalice corals. Chalice corals are stony corals that are best kept by intermediate hobbyists—those who have already mastered the basics of coral husbandry. They are available in a dizzying array of colors and go by names like: Hell’s Eye Chalice Hollywood Stunner Chalice Miami Hurricane …
Torch coral: A large polyp stony (LPS) beginner coral
The Torch coral, Euphylia glabrescens, is a large polyp stony coral that originates from the Indo-pacific reef regions. This LPS coral species (the torch coral), has long, flowing fleshy polyps that extend from a calcified (stony) base. In a moderate water flow, these corals look a bit like a torch, which is where they get their common name. E. glabrescens …
The Full Monty: Montipora Corals
Introduction If you are looking for a great beginner SPS coral, you should give serious consideration to the corals in the genus Monitpora, affectionately called “Monties” by those who care for them. Montipora corals are beautiful and easy to keep corals as long as you keep your water parameters in the right range. Montipora corals come in a wide range of …
Candy Cane Coral: Caulastrea furcata, a great beginner LPS coral species
The candy cane coral is an LPS coral (stands for large polyp stony coral) species that is great for beginner and intermediate reef tanks. While some LPS corals, like the Torch Coral are aggressive and have large, stinging sweeper tentacles, this attractive coral species is mild-mannered and has very short sweeper tentacles, by comparison, and can, therefore, be kept relatively …
SPS Coral
What is an SPS Coral? SPS coral is the name given to the group of coral species that have a stony calcium carbonate skeleton with tiny coral polyps. These corals are generally the first that comes to mind when someone joins the reef aquarium hobby, sometimes called the ‘true’ corals because they are the corals that build the backbone of the reefs. But even though an …