Flexible Finger Leather Coral

Care at a glance

Overview

It is a hardy, fast-growing beginner coral for a 150 liter or larger reef with moderate light and moderate flow, though it tolerates a wide range. Keep temperature 24 to 27 C, pH 8.1 to 8.4, and stable salinity. Because it is the most chemically toxic of the common leathers, run well-maintained activated carbon at all times and give it clear space from sensitive stony corals. It periodically closes and sheds a surface film before reopening, which is normal.

In the wild

A soft leather coral that grows a low base sprouting many long, thin, drooping fingers that flex and sway in the current. It is usually cream, tan, or soft green and stays supple, with feeding polyps dotting the fingers. When the polyps close the whole colony can slim down and slump. The thin flexible fingers separate it from the stubbier leathers like Lobophytum.

Good to know

Sinularia flexibilis is a soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae and one of the most studied for its chemistry. It produces terpene compounds that are toxic to many stony corals, including Acropora, Euphyllia, Plerogyra, and Porites, a form of chemical warfare that helps it hold space on the reef. It relies on zooxanthellae and needs no special feeding.

Did you know

Its terpene chemistry is potent enough that researchers have studied it for drug compounds, and in a mixed reef it can quietly stunt nearby Acropora if the carbon is not kept fresh.

Related species

• 

  Cabbage Leather Coral

  Sinularia dura

  11.8 in (30 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Finger Leather

  Sinularia

  9.8 in (25 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Devil's Hand Leather Coral

  Lobophytum

  11.8 in (30 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
• Cauliflower Colt Coral

  Klyxum simplex

  9.8 in (25 cm)26 gal (100 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Colt Coral

  Cladiella

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

• 

  Toadstool Leather

  Sarcophyton

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