Pictured above is a green Sinularia coral, one of nine colonies my main tank has. These corals are a very hardy soft coral that is similar in shape to colt (Cladiella) and tree (Nepthea) corals. Many beginner reefers often mistake the three, however you can tell the difference by looking at the stalk. The Sinularia coral has a very thick stalk where as tree corals do not. Colt corals are very feathery while Sinularia corals are not as feathery.
The Sinularia coral does best under intense lighting but I have kept these corals and propagated them under 130watts of pc lighting. So it does tolerate a wide range of lighting. They prefer a good amount of water movement but not direct laminar flow.
Sinularia are photosynthetic so you do not have to target feed them. They also seem to thrive in water rich in phosphates and nitrates (but so does hair algae).
I currently propagate my nine Sinularia colonies and sell them to a local fish store for store credit. They are extremely easy to propagate once they get a foot hold in your tank. My method is with a sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade and I either rubberband them to live rock or place the new frag into live rock rubble. When using the rubberband method take care not to wrap the rubberband to tightly around the coral.
Soft leather corals such as this Lobophytum make excellent additions for the beginner and advanced reef keeper. They are fast growing and are generally hardy and can easily become a showpiece for your reef tank.
Lobophytum (Lobed Leather Coral) come from the Indo-Pacific which include islands such as Fiji and Tonga. They prefer medium to high lighting but can be kept successfully under pc’s. They prefer a moderate water flow. Direct feeding is not necessary because they have zooxanthellae but the Lobophytum’s polyps may feed on phytoplankton.
Lobophytum may shrink and retract its polpys, during which it may also form a waxy or slimy film. This may last for a couple of weeks. It is believe it does this to prevent nuisance algae from growing on it. Having adequete water movement will quicken this process.
Since Lobophytum is a soft leather coral it is important to place the coral where it will not come in contact with other corals. The Lobophytum genus is known to release toxins that could damage and possibly kill near by corals. Sps corals are especially sensitive to these toxins. I have never had this happen but I still take precautions to prevent this.
Since these corals are easy to care for and grow very well in our saltwater aquariums, they make excellent candidates for aquaculture. I have witnessed my Lobophytum “Pinch” or “Bud” part of itself, I usually retrieve and mount this frag after it falls off its mother colony.
The new zoa’s I received a few weeks ago are really starting to fill out, I will probably be fragging them in a month or two if they continue to grow at the rate they are growing at now. In fact all the frags I recieved in this post have been attaching and growing very nicely. It just goes to show that with the correct equipment and husbandry in place you can keep a healthy thriving saltwater aquarium.
