Caring For Caulastrea

Class: Anthozoa, Order Scleractinia, Family Faviidae, Genus Caulastrea

Care of Caulastrea - This care sheet will help you understand how to look after Caulastrea - you can find Caulastrea in the Large Polyp Stony Corals section of our Mail Order Corals.

Common names: torch coral, candy cane coral, candy coral, trumpet coral, bullseye coral, cat's eye coral

Sensitivity (Level 1 to 2): Though sensitivity will depend somewhat on the individual coral, most are quite tolerant and forgiving.

Feeding: These corals have impressive prey capture ability. They should be fed a variety of meaty sea foods (chopped fish, squid, krill, brine shrimp, etc.) If the coral seems reluctant to fully display feeding tentacles, a few weeks of careful target feeding may help. While target feeding, turn off circulation so that the food can fall onto the coral. Give the coral an hour or two to "grab hold" of the food, then turn water flow back on. Doing this for a few days should result in the he coral regularly extending its feeding tentacles in anticipation of feeding.

Lighting (Level 5 to 7): Appropriate lighting depends on the species, but most prefer moderate lighting. Animals from deeper water may suffer under really intense light. If your coral begins to bleach, try moving it to a less intensely lit area of the tank.

Water flow: Moderate water flow is preferred.

Placement: Caulastrea are very aggressive corals. They can extend stinging sweeper tentacles up to several inches long. Please place with care.

General: When healthy and well fed, these corals can grow quite quickly. Colonies of several polyps are especially easy to fragment and propagate. Slow tissue recession could be a sign of starvation. Regular target feeding might help if this is the case.