Elegance Coral

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Moderate   • Temperament: Aggressive   • Waterflow: Low to Medium
• Placement: Bottom   • Lighting: Moderate   • Color Form: Gold, Green, Pink , Yellow
 • Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements   • Water Conditions: 72-78º F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4
• Origin: Indo-Pacific   • Family: Caryophylliidae   • Species: LPS Hard Corals

Help Support AquariumDomain!      

• Your support keeps AquariumDomain advertisement free, lightning fast and fully optimized for both mobile and desktop browsing.

• Visit our Patreon page to learn about the exclusive benefits our Patrons receive!

The Catalaphyllia Elegance Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS), which is often referred to within the aquarium hobby as Elegant Coral, Wonder Coral, or Ridge Coral. The Elegance Coral has polyps that are extended during the day showing off its vast array of color-tipped tentacles, which give it a very distinctive and attractive appearance. Under actinic lighting, the fluorescent qualities are both very distinct and beautiful, with lime green, blue, orange, or purple-tipped tentacles, which vary between branched or round and bulbous shapes. The most common color variety available to aquarists is gold with pink or purple-tipped polyps; however, other color variations are available from time to time.

The Catalaphyllia Elegance Coral has a moderate care level for keeping in the reef aquarium and makes an excellent choice for beginners all the way up to expert hobbyist. Be sure to provide ample space in the aquarium between it and other neighboring corals as it will expand to twice its usual size during the day and is aggressive in that it will sting other corals in close proximity to it. It is best to place the skeleton of the coral into a soft substrate, which is less likely to irritate the fleshy underside of the coral when compared to the rock-work or coral.

While moderate lighting intensity is required, the Elegance Coral prefers only low to medium water flow and this should be taken into consideration when placing within the aquarium It is possible that Clownfish may accept this coral as its host if no anemone is present. Use caution when handling this species, as it is very fragile and can also sting its handler.

Ideal reef aquarium conditions for the Elegance Coral should include moderate lighting with moderate water movement, with the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water to add to this species long-term health. The Elegance Coral will also benefit from additional food fed daily in the form of micro-plankton or brine shrimp.