Cabbage leather coral
Sinularia dura
Also known as Scalloped Leather Coral, Cabbage Coral, Lettuce Leather Coral, Flat Leather Coral, Sinularia
SaltwaterCoral
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
- 40 gal
- 150 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Alcyoniidae
- Origin
- Grows on shallow Indo-Pacific reef flats and lagoons across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.
Overview
Keep it in a 150 liter or larger reef with moderate to bright light and moderate to low flow, gluing the base to rock. Hold temperature 24 to 27 C, pH 8.1 to 8.4, and stable salinity. It is a hardy beginner soft coral that needs no target feeding, though trace element dosing helps it grow. Like all leathers it uses mild chemical competition, so keep carbon running, but it is gentler on neighbors than the finger leathers.
In the wild
A soft leather coral that grows close to the rock on a short stalk and folds into large fleshy lobes shaped like cabbage or lettuce leaves. It is often cream, tan, or bright green, with a firm, ruffled surface studded with tiny polyps. The broad folded lobes give it a very different look from the finger leathers. It forms a low, spreading mound rather than tall fingers.
Good to know
Sinularia dura is a soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae. It is less chemically toxic than its relative Sinularia flexibilis and has been kept alongside sensitive corals without the same harm. It runs on symbiotic zooxanthellae and grows a leathery colony reinforced with tiny skeletal spicules.
Did you know
Its stiff cabbage-leaf folds can spread into a wide green ruffle that becomes a centerpiece soft coral, and it stays much tamer toward tankmates than its toxic cousin flexibilis.
Common questions
What size tank does a Cabbage leather coral need?
A Cabbage leather coral needs at least 40 gal (150 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a Cabbage leather coral need?
A Cabbage leather coral is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
How big does a Cabbage leather coral get?
An adult Cabbage leather coral reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).
Related species
11.8 in (30 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Flexible finger leather coral
Sinularia flexibilis
11.8 in (30 cm) · 40 gal (150 L)
9.8 in (25 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Finger leather
Sinularia
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11.8 in (30 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Devil's hand leather coral
Lobophytum
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9.8 in (25 cm)26 gal (100 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Cauliflower colt coral
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