Soft Coral Care Guides

Bounce Mushroom (Rhodactis sp.) is a highly prized soft coral known for its distinctive enlarged vesicles that create a bubble-like appearance across the disc surface. Bounce Mushroom colonies display vibrant colors including orange, red, green, blue, and purple, with rare multicolor specimens commanding premium prices in the collector market. Bounce Mushroom thrives under low to moderate lighting between 50-150 PAR and gentle indirect water flow, making the species suitable for intermediate reef keepers who can maintain stable water conditions. Bounce Mushroom corals are sensitive to environmental changes that can cause vesicle shrinkage, requiring consistent parameters and gradual acclimation to new tank conditions. The coral reproduces slowly through longitudinal fission and can take months or years before splitting, contributing to the high market value of established specimens.

Green Star Polyps (Briareum violaceum) are soft corals known for their bright fluorescent green polyps that extend from a purple mat base, creating a waving carpet effect under water flow. The polyps feature eight feathery tentacles and can extend up to 2 inches when fully open, displaying vibrant colors under actinic lighting. Green Star Polyps require moderate lighting of 100-250 PAR and moderate to high water flow of 15-30x tank turnover per hour, making them suitable for beginner reef aquarists. This species has no calcified skeleton and tolerates parameter fluctuations better than most corals, though it requires stable calcium levels of 400-450 ppm and alkalinity of 8-10 dKH for optimal growth. Green Star Polyps spread aggressively through encrusting growth that can cover 2-3 inches per month under ideal conditions, requiring careful placement on isolated rocks at least 4-6 inches from other corals to prevent the colony from overgrowing neighboring specimens.

Leather corals encompass multiple genera of soft corals, including Sarcophyton (toadstool leathers), Sinularia (finger leathers), Lobophytum (devil's hand), and Cladiella (colt corals), characterized by leathery tissue texture and eight-tentacled polyps. These soft corals display flowing movement in water currents, with colors ranging from tan and brown to vibrant greens and yellows, and feature dense polyp coverage that creates a fuzzy appearance when fully extended. Most leather corals require moderate lighting of 100-200 PAR and moderate, indirect water flow, making them suitable for beginner reef aquarists. Unlike stony corals, Leather corals lack calcium carbonate skeletons, reducing the need for strict calcium and alkalinity maintenance while supporting growth of approximately one inch every four months. Leather coral colonies periodically shed a waxy mucus coating to remove algae and detritus, during which polyps retract for several days to two weeks, and the shed mucus contains chemical compounds capable of harming neighboring corals through allelopathy.

Mushroom Corals (order Corallimorpharia) are soft corals known for their rounded, fleshy disc-shaped bodies and exceptional hardiness in reef aquariums. Mushroom Corals encompass multiple genera including Discosoma, Rhodactis, and Ricordea, each displaying distinct textures ranging from smooth and metallic to fuzzy or bubble-covered surfaces. Mushroom Corals require low to moderate lighting in the 50-150 PAR range and gentle, indirect water flow, making these corals ideal for beginners and lower light areas of established reef tanks. Mushroom Corals reproduce readily through splitting, budding, and pedal laceration, which allows colonies to spread across rockwork over time. Reef keepers should place Mushroom Corals on isolated rock structures or dedicated areas to prevent unwanted spreading into other coral territories, as Discosoma varieties in particular can colonize large sections of aquascape within months under favorable conditions.

Xenia (Xenia sp.) is a soft coral known for its distinctive rhythmic pulsing behavior, where feathery polyps open and close continuously in a mesmerizing motion that adds constant movement to reef aquariums. Xenia colonies grow as sturdy stalks covered in eight-tentacled polyps, displaying colors ranging from cream and tan to pink and lavender depending on species and lighting conditions. Xenia thrives under moderate lighting around 100-200 PAR and low to moderate water flow, making Xenia one of the most beginner-friendly corals available in the hobby. Xenia colonies are highly tolerant of varying water conditions and actually prefer tanks with some nitrate and phosphate present, often struggling in ultra-clean systems optimized for SPS corals. Xenia is notorious for rapid, invasive growth that can quickly overtake a reef tank if left unchecked, with colonies spreading via both stolons along rockwork and free-floating fragments released into the water column. Reef keepers should place Xenia on isolated rock islands surrounded by sand moats to contain spreading, and plan for regular pruning to prevent Xenia from outcompeting slower-growing corals.

Zoanthid corals (Zoanthus sp.) are soft corals known for their incredible color variety and reputation as one of the best beginner reef corals available. These colonial polyps grow in encrusting mats with individual polyps ranging from under half an inch to over an inch depending on species, displaying hundreds of color combinations including bright greens, oranges, reds, purples, and rainbow multi-color patterns that make them highly collectible. Zoanthids adapt to a wide range of lighting conditions, though 100-150 PAR is a good target for most varieties, and prefer gentle to moderate flow while tolerating parameter swings that would stress more sensitive corals. The corals spread rapidly across rockwork when happy, with some varieties doubling in size in under six months, making regular fragging necessary to control growth. Zoanthid species can contain palytoxin, requiring careful handling with protective equipment to prevent serious poisoning.