Candy Cane Coral

Care at a glance

Overview

A hardy and forgiving LPS that is only mildly aggressive. It does not throw long sweepers like Euphyllia, but its stinging tentacles can reach about 2 inches, so still leave a little space from neighbors. Spot feeding mysis, krill or LPS pellets two to three times a week spurs growth. Easily fragged by cutting between heads.

In the wild

Candy cane, or trumpet coral, grows on Indo-Pacific reefs as clusters of rounded fleshy heads on trumpet-shaped stalks, often with contrasting striped or bullseye centers. It is undemanding on light, doing well anywhere from about 50 to 150 PAR, and prefers low to moderate flow, since too much current makes the heads lose their plump look. It is a great bottom or lower-rock coral at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4.

Good to know

Caulastraea furcata is a large polyp stony coral in the family Merulinidae that forms phaceloid colonies, meaning each corallite sits on its own separate branching stalk. It is photosynthetic but readily captures food, and colonies grow by dividing existing heads. Its stinging tentacles reach only about 2 inches.

Did you know

Candy cane is one of the most beginner-forgiving LPS corals and multiplies simply by splitting its own heads, so a small cluster slowly fills out into a dense colony on its own.

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