John Deere Leptastrea

The John Deere Leptastrea is a striking coral that features vibrant green and yellow hues, reminiscent of the iconic John Deere color scheme. Its unique encrusting growth pattern adds depth and texture to your reef aquarium, making it a standout choice. This hardy coral thrives in moderate light and flow, making it an excellent addition for aquarists looking to enhance their underwater landscape with a bold and colorful display. Perfect for both novice and experienced hobbyists, the John Deere Leptastrea brings a touch of charm and personality to any tank.

Care Guide
Leptastrea is a hardy, encrusting LPS with small, tightly packed polyps and bright coloration. It’s adaptable to a wide range of lighting and flow conditions, making it a forgiving, low-maintenance addition to a reef tank.

Placement: Lower to middle rockwork with gentle flow, away from stinging neighbors.

What to expect when it arrives

Brain corals arrive with tissue pulled tight against the skeleton and the corallite structure showing clearly. Float the sealed bag 15 minutes, drip acclimate 30 to 45 minutes, and place the coral low in moderate light and moderate flow. Tissue inflation returns over one to three days.

Placement, and the aggression nobody plans for

These are among the most aggressive corals in a mixed reef and almost nobody accounts for it when placing them. Favia, Favites, Platygyra and their relatives send out sweeper tentacles at night that reach several inches past the daytime footprint and will chemically burn whatever they touch. Judge spacing by what the coral does after lights out, not by how it looks at noon. Four to six inches of clear space in every direction is a sensible minimum.

Feeding and growth

Brains take small meaty food readily and thicken visibly for it. Feed two or three times a week after lights out when the feeder tentacles are already extended and the coral will take food without a fight. Growth is steady rather than fast — expect the colony to encrust outward across its base over months.

Common trouble

A bare patch or dark stripe spreading across the dome is usually mechanical damage from a neighbor rather than disease. Check sweeper range before treating for anything. Skeleton showing between corallites with no obvious cause generally means light that is too strong for where the coral sits.

Compatibility

Excellent for a beginner on husbandry, difficult for a beginner on placement. They will win almost any exchange, so the risk is to the neighbors rather than to the brain itself.