Kenya Tree Coral

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Easy   • Temperament: Semi-aggressive   • Waterflow: Moderate
• Placement: All   • Lighting: Medium   • Color Form: Brown, Tan, Green
 • Supplements: Strontium, Iodine, Trace elements   • Water Conditions: 72-79° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
• Origin: Indo-Pacific   • Family: Nephtheidae   • Species: Soft Corals

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Kenya Tree Corals (Capnella sp.) are an ideal species of Soft Coral for beginning reef aquarium hobbyists, as they are able to thrive in a variety of aquarium environments. While moderate lighting and water flow are considered ideal conditions for Kenya Tree Corals to thrive in, they will do well in a wide variety of lighting and water flow conditions. Kenya Tree Corals are known for both their rapid growth and self propagation, both of which can cause them to over take an aquarium if they are not trimmed or fragged regularly.

They can easily be fragged (propagated) by cutting a limb off with sharp scissors or a razor blade, and then attaching the fragged piece to a rock or coral rubber with a rubber band or gel glue. In short order the fragged piece will attach itself to the rock or coral rubble and begin to transform from a frag to a colony.

The Kenya Tree Coral does best when placed in an area of the aquarium that receives both medium water flow and lighting intensity. While these conditions are considered ideal, the Kenya Tree Coral is renown for it's ability to thrive in a wide variety of tank conditions. Their rapid growth and ability to drop buds that will attach to nearby rock work and begin a new colony of Kenya Tree makes it important to place the coral where it will not compete directly for space with other slower growing coral species.

Hobbyists keeping Kenya Tree in their reef aquarium should be prepared for the amount of pruning that is required to keep their growth in check. Without fragging or pruning, Kenya Tree Coral will spread all over the aquarium. They are a semi-aggressive species that may attack (sting) nearby corals if they are not given enough room grow. Because they have the ability to free float and attach to distant areas of the aquarium, they are difficult to section off to a particular area within the aquarium.

Kenya Tree Corals receives some of their nutritional needs from the aquarium lighting; however, the bulk of their energy is derived from filtering phytoplankton and similar organisms from the water column. They do best in an established reef aquarium that has adequate levels of micro-organisms in the water column to provide a steady food source. Kenya Tree Corals will also benefit from supplemental feedings of commercial foods like marine snow, cyclop-eeze and other foods designed for corals and filter feeding invertebrates.