Cauliflower Colt Coral

Klyxum simplex

Also known as Neon Colt Coral, Colt Coral, Soft Finger Leather Coral, Seaman's Hands Coral, Klyxum

SaltwaterCoral

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 9.8 in (25 cm)
Minimum tank: 26 gal (100 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Found on shallow Indo-Pacific reefs and lagoons across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.
Family: Alcyoniidae

Overview

Keep it in a 100 liter or larger reef with medium to bright light and medium to strong flow, gluing the base to rock. It is a very easy, fast-growing beginner soft coral that needs no target feeding, though it benefits from added iodine, strontium, and trace elements. Like other leathers it engages in chemical competition, so run activated carbon and give it space from stony corals. It periodically closes up and sheds a surface film, then reopens looking fresh.

In the wild

A soft coral that grows as a stalked base branching into stubby, finger-like arms tipped with fuzzy polyps, giving it a cauliflower or gloved-hand shape. It is usually cream, tan, or a soft neon green and stays soft and rubbery, swaying in the current. When the polyps retract the colony shrinks down and firms up. It looks much like the colt corals sold as Cladiella and Alcyonium, which causes plenty of name confusion in the hobby.

Good to know

Klyxum is a soft coral genus in the family Alcyoniidae, and many colonies once labeled Cladiella or Alcyonium belong here instead. Klyxum simplex is the species usually sold as neon or cauliflower colt coral. It relies on symbiotic zooxanthellae and takes in some dissolved and particulate food from the water.

Did you know

The colt coral name gets attached to at least three different soft coral genera, so two corals sold as the same thing can actually be Klyxum, Cladiella, or Alcyonium.