Frogspawn Coral (Euphyllia divisa): Care, Placement, Lighting

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In today’s post, we are going to learn about Frogspawn coral care.

This beginner’s guide also includes:

Is Frogspawn coral hardy?
What does Frogspawn coral eat?
How fast does Frogspawn coral grow?
Where do you put Frogspawn coral?
Why does my Frogspawn die?

If you want to be successful at keeping Frogspawn corals, then you will love this guide.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Contents

Frogspawn Coral Care

The Frogspawn Coral (Euphyllia divisa), also known as the Octopus Coral, Honey Coral, or Fine Grape, is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral native to the Indo Pacific Ocean.

Firstly described by Veron and Pichon in 1980, these types of LPS corals can be found around Australia in the Great Barrier Reef, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, and the Houtman Islands.

They usually inhabit shallow waters in depths of 130 feet, where they form small colonies.

The Euphyllia divisa is one of the most common corals in the saltwater aquarium hobby. You won’t have a problem finding them in most aquarium shops, often selled as smaller frags.

There are a lot of reasons why saltwater aquarium hobbyists are so fond of these types of corals. For me, it’s the way it sways in the current. For you, it might be its appearance, its colors, or how it resembles some types of anemones, assuming you want to keep them but don’t have the proper knowledge yet, hence starting with the Frogspawn Coral.

Whether the reasons are, you can’t go wrong with keeping these fantastic corals.

You might be wondering where the name Frogspawn comes from? Well, its polyps look like frog eggs, therefore one of the common names Frogspawn.

Aquarium Care

In terms of requirements, the Euphyllia divisa is not that easy to take care of. However, it remains one of the most popular corals in the marine aquarium hobby.

Under the proper conditions, assuming you have the appropriate knowledge, these types of corals will thrive in your reef tank.

I’ve seen aquarists that make beautiful Euphillia gardens with healthy and colorful corals. And you can be one of them too.

In short, Euphyllia divisa needs moderate to strong lighting with low to moderate flow (more on that later in this post).

Like I mentioned before in this article, the Frogspawn is an LPS coral. And every LPS coral needs enough calcium in the water, or it won’t grow. With this particular type of coral, you won’t need additives.

Usually, weekly or bi-weekly water changes will be sufficient to replace the depleted elements.

However, if there are more stony corals in your reef tank, I will advise you to add additional supplements.

A minimum tank size of 50 gallons is recommended. I would recommend getting a bigger tank for beginners because it’s easier to control the water parameters.

Keeping them in a well-established aquarium is the best way to have success on long runs with these beautiful corals.

Frogspawn Coral Placement & Lighting

Finding a good spot to place the Frogspawn coral is crucial to keep them healthy.

In the night hours, the Frogspawn coral extends its sweeper tentacles approximately 6 to 8 inches. One of the reasons is to protect its territory. Another possible reason is searching for food. That’s why it is so important to feed your corals. At least these types of corals.

In other words, they are aggressive corals.

The question is, can you keep other corals in your reef tank beside Frogspawn?

In general, they will sting everything they touch in a range of 6 to 8 inches unless there are corals from the same genus, such as hammers. In that case, they act relatively peacefully. So, yes, you can keep them with other corals. Just make sure you follow the rules.

In terms of lighting, Frogspawn will thrive in moderate to high lighting.

In a new tank, place the coral in similar conditions to where it has been before. That way, you can monitor it and see if it needs more or less light. It’s the best way to acclimate these types of corals.

Providing accurate flow is vital in keeping these corals healthy. The Frogspawn coral needs low to moderate flow. Too little flow, and they will not thrive. Too much, and it will retract its sweeper tentacles, causing issues down the line. You need to find the sweet spot.

Frogspawn Coral Feeding & Growth

Like any other coral from this genus, the Frogspawn coral gets its nutritional requirements from photosynthesis, even though they are animals.

How is that even possible, you might ask?

The symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae algae within their bodies provides them with enough food to feed on it. However, the frogspawn coral will benefit from additional feeding, as well.

It will grow faster and bigger, for sure. One interesting thing about the frogspawn coral feeding is that they can eat big chunks of food. Try to feed them like that once in a while and see what happens.

They will accept various meaty food such as shrimps, mysis, and krill. You will definitely see a difference, I assure you.

In addition, they can absorb dissolved organic matter and planktons from the water column.

Frogspawn Coral Not Opening

Some problems may occur when you introduce the Frogspawn coral to your tank. The most common problem? Coral is not opening.

Don’t worry. We’ll go through every possible cause and try to solve it.
The first thing you need to check is the water flow. A strong flow will retract and possibly damage its sweeper tentacles. Adjust it properly and monitor it carefully in the next few days. If the problem persists, then something else is the reason.

Maybe it’s the lighting. Yes, these corals need strong lighting; however, in the beginning, before they acclimate correctly, place them in indirect light. And then move them around until you find the best place.

Those are the most common reasons. Of course, you need to check if your parameters are on point, too.

Do I make regular water changes? How high are the nitrates? How high are the phosphates?

Those are the first questions you need to ask yourself before even considering looking for other reasons.

Frogspawn Coral Dying

Try to monitor your corals carefully and regularly to see if there are any problems. All of those problems that I’ve mentioned earlier can cause irreversible damage, which will result in coral death. And we don’t want that.

Even though they are hardy corals, they are prone to some diseases, such as brown jelly and protozoa.

To avoid any problems down the road, treat them at the first symptoms.

FAQs

Are Frogspawn corals hard to keep?

Frogspawn corals are hardy LPS corals that are easy to take care of, and they will thrive if you provide them with the right conditions. They need moderate to strong water movement, medium light intensity, and periodic feedings.

Where should I place my Frogspawn coral?

Place your Frogspawn coral at least 6 to 8 inches apart from other corals. The Frogspawn coral is aggressive species capable of extending its sweeper tentacles to sting other corals.

Do I need to feed Frogspawn coral?

Frogspawn corals get their nutrients from the zooxanthellae, a marine alga that lives within their tissue. However, they will benefit from additional feeding, which will positively affect their growth rate.

Check these articles if you are interested to learn more about other types of corals:

Final Thoughts

I think you’ll agree with me when I say the Frogspawn coral can be a nice addition to every reef tank.

Even without fish in your tank, you will have movement. It’s aesthetically pleasing and relaxing to watch it.

Do you keep Euphillia corals in your reef tank?

Let me know in the comment section below.