• Date Added: 12/12/2008
• Tank: Cardiff 24 gallon
• Status: Inactive 2/11/2010
• Purchased at: Coral Corral
• Cost: $50.00

General Information

• Description:The Candy Cane Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral. Its genus name, Caulastrea, comes from the Latin kaulos (stalk), and aster (star) describing its skeletal structure consisting of tubular stalks with stars on each tip. A large fleshy polyp covers the each head of the colony. The Candy Cane Coral is able to expand its fleshy polyps to many times its skeleton size giving the coral a similar appearance when compared to a closed brain coral. C. furcata are similar to the C. echinulata with the C. furcata polyps being more colorful and loosely packed and the C. echinulata polyps extend out like a trumpet and are tightly packed giving appearance of one coral mass.
• Light & Flow: For optimum coloration, it should be given a medium light levels such as T5 lighting combined with moderate to low intermittent water current within the aquarium. Can be sensitive to metal halide lighting, so take time in acclimating these corals to this type of lighting.
• Supplements: It will require maintaining stable levels of calcium, magnesium, pH, alkalinity, and other trace elements as you would with other types of LPS corals. It is essential for LPS health to keep nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates near low to undetectable levels.
• Feeding: Though these corals are mostly photosynthetic, they benefit from a small piece of raw table shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp or silverside once a week. After the lights turn out these corals will extend feeding tentacles and will quickly accept foods.
• Care: If heads start to recede, this is a sign of starvation or other environmental concern. Immediate correct or head will die.
• Range: Indo-Pacific including Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, Tonga and Solomon Islands
• Other Names: Trumpet Coral, Torch Coral, Candy Coral, Bullseye Coral, Finger Coral, Blue Spruce Caulastrea
• Other Colors: Brown polyps and neon green centers. The outside brown part can also have lighter stripes radiating out from the center. Other color forms: Blue/Green, Brown/Green, Yellow/Green
• More Info:

Brown/Green