Saltwater Information – Large Polyp Stony (LPS) Corals

Acan (Acanthastrea):

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

Lighting:

Current:

Aggressiveness:

Placement:

Blastomussa (Blastomussa merleti):

From Midwest Corals

Lighting:
Low to High (does not like direct metal halide lighting and should be placed low and perhaps to the side of the aquarium)
Current:
Low to High (seems to expand much fuller in low current conditions)
Aggressiveness:
Minimal, can placed in close proximity of other like corals with no damage being done but should be placed well away from very aggressive corals (i.e. hammer, frogspawn, galaxia)
Placement:
Low in the tank, preferably on the substrate and well away from any aggressive species that may sting it.

Open Brain – (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi):

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

Lighting:
Medium low to med high. Red morphs tend to need more light than green.
Current:
Minimal, too high of water current and coral will not open fully. Could cause the inflated tissue to tear away from the skeleton.
Aggressiveness:
Low
Placement:
Low in the tank, the V shape of the skeleton denotes the fact that this is a substrate dweller.
Additives:
This coral likes the addition of some iodide/iodine. It can inflate to dramatic proportions, place it accordingly.

Bubble Coral (Physogyra sp.):

Lighting:
Moderate to High, maintains in lower light conditions but the same amount of growth will not be observed.
Current:
Low to Moderate. Under high current conditions this coral will not extend to it’s full capacity. High currents can tear the tissue away from the skeleton causing necropsy and many times death. Will expand dramatically in low current conditions.
Aggressiveness:
Very aggressive, needs adequate room in the aquarium for growth. P. sinuosa extends only 1″ to 2″ sweeper tentacles at night or when feeding whereas P. simplex can extend sweepers up to 6″ or more.
Placement:
Low to Middle regions, not directly under halides.

Candy Cane (Caulastrea furcata):

Lighting
Moderate to High.
Current:
Moderate to High
Aggressiveness:
Moderate. Care should be taken in placement of this coral so it does not sting it’s neighbors.
Placement:
Does well anywhere in the tank, lower in tanks with halides.

Favia (Favites spp.):

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

From Midwest Corals

Lighting:
Moderate
Current:
Medium
Aggressiveness:
High
Placement:
Any
Additives:
Calcium & Strontium

From Midwest Corals

Lighting:
Medium to High
Current:
Medium to High
Aggressiveness:
It is an aggressive species with long sweeper tentacles and no fear to defend itself from neighboring corals.

Hammer (Euphyllia ancora):


From Midwest Corals

Lighting:
Medium to High
Current:
Medium to High
Aggressiveness:
It is an aggressive species with long sweeper tentacles and no fear to defend itself from neighboring corals.

Pagoda Cup (Turbinaria spp.):

From Midwest Corals

Lighting:
Medium to High Light. T. reniformis (commonly called scroll coral) tends to need the higher end of the chart where T. peltata (commonly called Pagoda) needs more moderate light.
Current:
Moderate to High.
Aggressiveness:
Very low. Place well away from aggressive neighbors.
Placement:
Does well in most areas of the aquarium.

Torch (Euphyllia glabrescens):

Lighting:
Medium to High
Current:
Medium to High
Aggressiveness:
It is an aggressive species with long sweeper tentacles and no fear to defend itself from neighboring corals. Avoid placing the Torch near other corals. Contact with a sweeper tentacle will cause extreme pain to even large humans.

Wellsophyllia – Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia radiata):

From Midwest Corals

Lighting:
Moderate
Current:
Medium
Aggressiveness:
Semi-Aggressive
Placement:
Bottom