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Looking for a colorful, unique and good looking LPS coral, which can certainly enrich your saltwater aquarium? Easy to take care of, exotic and with attractive appearance?
Then you might check out the Elegance Coral.
Many reefers claim that this is the coral that convinces them to enter this hobby. And by the time you finish reading this article, I am quite sure, at least, you’ll consider getting into this hobby, too.
As you read through this post, you’ll learn about Elegance Coral care, where should you place it, what’s the best lighting and much more.
And on top of that, we’re going to talk about different types, possible problems you may encounter, and where you can buy Elegance Coral.
Let’s kick things off with how to take care of Elegance Coral.
Contents
Elegance Coral Care
The Catalaphyllia jardinei commonly referred to as the Elegance Coral, Ridge Coral or Wonder Coral is Large Stony Polyp Coral, very common in the aquarium trade.
In the ocean, the Elegance coral inhabits both shallow and deep waters. You can usually find it on rocks, however, it inhabits soft substrates as well.
It’s used to be one of the easiest corals to keep, however, things changed since the late 1980s. Some of the specimens collected in the wild had an unknown disease.
This disease, known as Elegance Coral Syndrome (ECS), causes the coral disk to swell, making these types of corals extremely difficult to take care of.
Elegance Coral Placement & Lighting
Finding the right spot can be tricky for these corals. Unlike other corals, they prefer sandy areas, not sitting directly on the rocks. That’s because it can irritate their fleshy underside. So you probably need to avoid placing it on rocky areas. However, some hobbyists have had success even without following those rules.
In terms of lighting, the Elegance corals can adapt to almost every light, without changing their appearance at all. People have had success keeping them in low light and a high light environment as well.
I don’t see why you can’t replicate their success too.
However, the best practice is keeping them under moderate lighting.
If you want to stay on the safe side, attach it to a place where there isn’t too much light. And then move it until you find the perfect position.
Adequate acclimation is mandatory for every new coral after all.
The Elegance Coral is beautiful under any lights, however, place it under actinic lights and you will see its true beauty.
Elegance corals will thrive in moderate flow. However, they can survive in low or higher water flow settings as well. In general, higher flow means bringing more nutrients to the coral. Keep that in mind.
Elegance Coral Feeding & Growth
When it comes to feeding the Elegance Coral, its growth, and the overall health of the coral, you need to consider several things.
Like the other LPS corals, the Elegance Coral, as well, has three main strategies of getting food. If you want to keep healthy specimens then you should be able to provide them at least two different sources of food.
The first source of food is through their symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, a marine algae that is living within its body. As we know, the Elegance coral is a photosynthetic coral that gets part of its diet from lightning. So as long as you have proper lighting it will get most of the important nutrients to live.
However, it will greatly benefit from additional feeding. Usually, just the lights won’t be sufficient. Feed your coral regularly, daily if you can. Mysis, small fish, and brine shrimp, all are great food for Elegance coral. Just make sure that you are feeding it small chunks of food. It may accept larger pieces, however, at night, will regurgitate it back.
In addition to that, they also eat plankton or other particles from the water column.
Be careful when you are giving food to this particular coral. Sometimes, hobbyists get stung and injured.
Conclusion
I doubt if I’ve covered everything is there to be known about Elegance Corals, but I am quite sure I answered some of the basic questions.
I am also confident that this guide will be enough for you to start keeping the Elegance coral.
Before you go, I’d like to know. What is your experience with this amazing coral?
Let me know in the comments below.
Featured Image: Tappinen CC BY-SA 3.0
I purchased my purple tip Elegance coral about 2 months ago. I have it on the fine crushed coral substrate. It seems to like the placement as it is always open with it’s tentacles mainly straight up. I often wonder if I need to increase my UV light but don’t want to bleach it by giving it to many UVs.I don’t target feed it but have been thinking if I should. I feed me fish brine shrimp daily so I figure it get the crumbs that fall to the bottom.
i just wanted to read this i hope to get one in a couple of weeks but you helped me out wit bryne shrimp put it in sand very interesting thank ou