Frogspawn Coral

Care at a glance

Overview

A semi-aggressive LPS whose night-time sweepers can reach 6 to 8 inches, so leave at least 6 inches around it and watch the downstream side where sweepers drift. It gets along with other Euphyllia. It is a reluctant feeder that often refuses food and does fine fed only about once a week or not at all. Fragging along the branches is the usual propagation method.

In the wild

Frogspawn is found across the Pacific and is named for its branching tentacles that end in rounded, split tips resembling a mass of frog eggs. It is one of the easier Euphyllia and a good first LPS, wanting moderate light near 100 to 125 PAR and low to moderate indirect flow. Too much flow makes it retract its tentacles. Place it on lower to middle rockwork with clearance from other corals, at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4.

Good to know

Euphyllia divisa is a large polyp stony coral closely related to hammer and torch coral. It gets much of its nutrition from symbiotic zooxanthellae and can survive on light alone, unlike hungrier LPS. At night it extends sweeper tentacles roughly 6 to 8 inches to defend territory and catch food.

Did you know

Frogspawn gets so much of its energy from its symbiotic algae that many hobbyists never feed it at all and it still grows well.

Related species

• 

  Hammer Coral

  Euphyllia ancora

  7.9 in (20 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Torch Coral

  Euphyllia glabrescens

  7.9 in (20 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Elegance Coral

  Catalaphyllia jardinei

  11.8 in (30 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Galaxy Coral

  Galaxea

  11.8 in (30 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Acan Coral

  Acanthastrea echinata

  7.9 in (20 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Candy Cane Coral

  Caulastraea furcata

  7.9 in (20 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)