Tubastrea coccinea

Lesson, 1829

Sun Coral, Orange Cup Coral, Rose Coral, Orange Polyp Coral

Range: Circumtropical

Natural Environment: Inhabits areas under overhangs, deep vertical walls, or cave entrances/walls where the surrounding waters are high in nutrients. Generally brilliant orange or yellow, with polyps extending at night to feed upon the higher content of plankton during evening hours and usually seen to depths of about 130 feet (40 m).

General Husbandry: Aquarists generally find these 'cave' corals in a well-lighted shop tank among other corals that require bright light, and often think because if that's where the shop had it, or because it's a beautifully colored coral, it should be similarly placed in their tank. Such placement in the hobbyist aquarium is misguided, as those in this genus are normally seen in the wild in shaded areas because it's a non-photosynthetic, non-reef building stony coral that does not contain zooxanthellae.

To replicate nature, it should be placed in a shaded area, where there is fairly good current flow, nevertheless, where access to it is easy as it 'must' be hand fed, usually daily, to remain healthy.

With that said, does bright/intense light harm the species? Even though bright light does not directly impact its health, it will cause microalgae growth to coat the coral skeleton fairly rapidly, which will harm the specimen and eventually lead to its demise.

When its feeding tentacles are displayed, meaty foods such as fortified brine shrimp, mysis, small pieces of marine fish/shrimp flesh, and/or products containing Cyclop-eeze or similar type products should be placed upon the polyp tentacles. Even though its feeding tentacles are usually only displayed at night, it will sometimes display them during daylight hours if it senses food entering the aquarium. I have often used a freeze-dried krill squished between my fingertips in the aquarium water to bring forth its feeding tentacles.

In aquariums containing cleaner shrimp, I would have to place a temporary screen mesh over the opening where the coral was placed to keep the shrimp from pulling tasty morsels out of the polyp until they were fully engulfed by the polyp!

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Anthozoa

Subclass: Hexacorallia

Order: Scleractinia

Family: Dendrophylliidae

Genus: Tubastrea

FYI: Cultured specimens exist in the trade.

Once polyps are close tightly, it is difficult to get them to open again, therefore, feeding is a routine that must be adhered to keep tentacles free flowing.

Be aware there is a small snail, Epitonium billeeanum, commonly called a 'Wentletrap' snail that feeds exclusively upon Tubastrea coccinea. (Clicking on the underlined name of this snail will bring up a photo of it.) The shell and mantle of this snail is bright orange or yellow, making it difficult to see. Inspect all specimens of Tubastrea carefully and remove these predators.

There's also a slug, Phestilla melanobrachia, that feeds solely upon Tubastrea. If it feeds on an orange polyp, its orange colored. If it feeds upon a black polyp, it's a black color.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Diet: Carnivore/Plankton Feeder

Temperament: Peaceful

Aquarium Environment: Single species/Biotope aquarium

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: Yes

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Hardiness: Moderate

Calcium (Ca): 380 - 430 mg/l

Alkalinity: 2.5 - 3.0 meq/l

Phosphate (PO4): <0.05 mg/l

Magnesium (Mg): approx. 1350 mg/l (relate to specific gravity)

Strontium (Sr) 8 - 10 mg/l

Temperature Range: 72 - 80°F (22 - 27°C)

Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons

Lighting: PAR 150

Water Movement: WM 1 - 2

Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025

pH: 8.0 - 8.4

Iodine/Trace Elements Monitor/as necessary to maintain quality seawater.