Elegance coral. Catalaphyllia jardinie
 Elegance corals can be considered one of the most suitable corals for our captive aquariums. They are loud and gaudy with big discs of bright green flesh and tentacles swaying in the breeze putting on an impressive display. They will not just display well but thrive in typical home aquarium conditions.

Elegance corals are found in quite defined locations in the wild and are rare in other locations. Often intertidal they are more commonly found in bays, lees of headlands and deeper channels sheltered from the full impact of storms. The boulderous shape and loose attachment to the substrate (If any) tends to make them vulnerable to tropical storms. Locations suiting them more often than not have some degree of turbidity to the water. Colonies found in calm bays of high turbidity grow at rates twice as those found in more open less turbid areas and exhibit larger corallites and polyp extensions. 

Aquarium care.
Elegance coral needs are lesser than most corals in a captive reef... Though that is not to say they require poor water quality. They will not tolerate poor water quality resultant from stagnant water flow or inadequate filtration in such conditions they can demise quite quickly. Poor water quality will weaken specimen over time likely resulting in a bacterial disease called brown jelly infection.  

They will thrive with low levels of dissolved organics, modest nitrate <20ppm and low water flow. 

To maintain Elegance coral specimens indefinitely they must be provided with the basic building blocks they require to grow.

• Ample lighting
• Kh 7-9 dkh
• Calcium 380-400ppm
• Modest water flow

Failing to supply these basic needs is likely longer term 18 months to 2 years latter to result in the recession or bail out of the of the coral polyps or a brown jelly infection. 

Feeding.
Elegance will benefit from a meaty meal their long tentacles carry a sting capable of capturing their own prey in the wild. Sprinkle small food particles so they fall over the Elegance coral the coral passes the offerings to the mouth at the center of each polyp and ingests them. Direct feeds of small shrimp, fish and even some algae's are all acceptable.  

Growth rates of fed Elegance corals are much higher than those that do not receive food.

 Propagation.
Asexual splitting of the polyps is achieved quite simply by splitting the corallites longitudinally across the polyp not through the valley.

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Last modified: 04/14/10.