TankBud

Elegance coral

Catalaphyllia jardinei

Also known as Wonder Coral, Ridge Coral, Elegant Coral

SaltwaterCoral

Elegance coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei)
Tappinen · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Euphylliidae
Origin
Western Pacific, mainly the Great Barrier Reef, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, with a small range into the eastern Indian Ocean

Overview

The elegance coral is a peaceful large polyp stony coral with long, flowing tentacles tipped in pink, purple or green. Its fleshy oral disc is large and striped. It is best with a little reef experience.

Did you know

The elegance coral's outstretched tentacles are sticky and quick enough to snag a wandering snail now and then. It is an unusual bit of predation for a coral that looks like a gently swaying anemone most of the day.

Caring for the elegance coral

Give an elegance coral moderate light, around 100 PAR, with low to moderate flow. Intense reef-tank lighting and strong current are more than it needs. Place it on open sand low in the tank, never wedged into rockwork, since its underside tissue tears easily against rough surfaces.

It needs a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L). Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It feeds eagerly on mysis, chopped shrimp or other meaty foods. A regular feeding routine pays off in faster growth and better color.

Its long tentacles carry a real sting and can reach roughly 6 inches (15 cm) beyond the skeleton. Give it a clear buffer from other corals, even though it is not looking to pick a fight. Choose Australian or aquacultured stock where you can, since wild Indonesian imports hold up far worse.

Good to know

Catalaphyllia jardinei is the only species in its genus. It is closely related to Euphyllia and grouped with it in the family Euphylliidae. In places its tentacles spread over a foot in total, while the skeleton underneath stays fairly compact. Since the early 2000s, an infectious condition called elegance coral syndrome has caused mass die-offs. It has struck mostly specimens collected from Indonesia. Australian-sourced and increasingly aquacultured colonies carry the disease far less often and have a much better survival record.

In the wild

The elegance coral lives in the western Pacific, mainly around the Great Barrier Reef, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Its range also reaches a little way into the eastern Indian Ocean. It grows on turbid lagoon and reef flats, usually loose on sand or muddy sediment rather than cemented to rock.

Common questions

What size tank does an elegance coral need?

An elegance coral needs at least 20 gal (75 L).

What temperature and pH does an elegance coral need?

An elegance coral is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does an elegance coral eat?

An elegance coral feeds eagerly on mysis, chopped shrimp and other meaty foods. A regular feeding routine pays off in faster growth and better color.

How big does an elegance coral get?

An adult elegance coral reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

Related species