LPS Coral Care Guide: Blastos, Brains, Candy Canes and More
The short answer: The LPS corals in this guide range from beginner corals like candy canes and Duncans to the Elegance coral, which has a reputation as one of the harder LPS to keep long term. Most want low to moderate light (roughly PAR 50–200, depending on the coral) and low to moderate flow (moderate for the encrusters, Galaxea, candy canes, Duncans and Pectinia) on lower to mid rockwork or the sandbed; Hydnophora is the exception, wanting PAR 150–300 and moderate to strong flow. Fleshy corals such as brains, blastos, Duncans, candy canes and plate corals benefit from target feeding with small meaty foods, while Cyphastrea, Leptastrea, Leptoseris and Hydnophora are mostly photosynthetic. Spacing is the biggest rule, because Galaxea, Hydnophora, Elegance, Pectinia and bubble corals can sting neighbors badly.
Quick facts
Each group below has a short description and a quick-facts table.
Cyphastrea
Cyphastrea is a small-polyp stony coral that encrusts over rock. It is one of the more forgiving stony corals for shaded rock; give the encrusting edge room so it does not grow into neighbors.
| Care level | Beginner to Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 80–200 |
| Flow | Moderate |
| Placement | Lower to mid rockwork; encrusts over rock |
| Behavior | Encrusts steadily across rock and nearby hard surfaces. |
| Compatibility | Give the encrusting edge room and keep it from direct contact with neighboring corals. |
| Feeding | Mostly photosynthetic; accepts fine foods |
Blastomussa
Blastos (Blastomussa) have fleshy polyps, from clusters of small heads in merletti types to larger, puffier heads in wellsi types. Strong light or flow usually keeps the polyps small.
| Care level | Beginner to Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 50–120 |
| Flow | Low |
| Placement | Lower rockwork or shaded spots |
| Behavior | Fleshy polyps expand in calmer areas and readily accept targeted food. |
| Compatibility | Keep away from aggressive sweepers and provide room for full polyp expansion. |
| Feeding | Target feed small meaty foods |
Leptastrea and Leptoseris
Leptastrea is a small-polyp encrusting coral, and Leptoseris grows as thin plates or crusts; both are covered by the table below. Leptoseris plates break easily, so handle them gently.
| Care level | Beginner to Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–180 |
| Flow | Moderate |
| Placement | Lower to mid rockwork; encrusts |
| Behavior | Encrusts across nearby rock and hard surfaces as it grows. |
| Compatibility | Give the encrusting edge room and avoid direct contact with neighboring colonies. |
| Feeding | Mostly photosynthetic |
Trachyphyllia and brain corals
This group covers the open brain (Trachyphyllia), lobo (Lobophyllia) and Acanthophyllia. Their soft tissue tears easily on sharp rock, so rest them on clean sand.
| Care level | Beginner to Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–120 |
| Flow | Low, indirect |
| Placement | Sandbed, no sharp rubble contact |
| Behavior | Inflates fleshy tissue and extends feeding tentacles, especially after lights dim. |
| Compatibility | Keep on the sandbed away from sharp rubble and allow space from neighboring corals. |
| Feeding | Target feed meaty foods after lights dim, 1–2x weekly |
Galaxea
Galaxy coral (Galaxea) is not hard to keep but is very aggressive. Check how far its sweepers reach after dark before placing anything nearby.
| Care level | Beginner to Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–150 |
| Flow | Moderate |
| Placement | Lower rockwork with generous spacing; long sweepers |
| Behavior | Can produce very long sweeper tentacles, especially after lights out. |
| Compatibility | Maintain very generous clearance because sweeper tentacles can reach far beyond the colony. |
| Feeding | Target feed small meaty foods |
Candy cane
Candy cane or trumpet coral (Caulastrea) is a classic beginner LPS. Colonies grow by adding new heads, so leave room for them.
| Care level | Beginner |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–150 |
| Flow | Moderate |
| Placement | Lower to mid rockwork |
| Behavior | Polyps inflate and extend feeding tentacles, especially after lights dim. |
| Compatibility | Allow space for polyp inflation and nighttime feeding tentacles. |
| Feeding | Target feed meaty foods 1–2x weekly |
Duncan
The Duncan coral (Duncanopsammia axifuga) is a beginner LPS with tube-shaped heads and long tentacles. Duncans usually take food eagerly.
| Care level | Beginner |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–150 |
| Flow | Moderate |
| Placement | Lower to mid rockwork |
| Behavior | Individual heads expand during the day and form new heads as the colony grows. |
| Compatibility | Leave space for new heads and keep away from aggressive stinging corals. |
| Feeding | Target feed meaty foods 1–2x weekly |
Pectinia
Pectinia forms thin, upright ridges. The ridges are delicate, so handle the coral by its base.
| Care level | Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–150 |
| Flow | Moderate |
| Placement | Lower to mid rockwork with spacing |
| Behavior | Develops thin ridges and may extend sweeper tentacles after lights out. |
| Compatibility | Provide generous spacing to prevent nighttime sweeper contact. |
| Feeding | Target feed meaty foods |
Bubble and fox coral
Bubble coral (Plerogyra) and fox coral (Nemenzophyllia turbida) are fleshy LPS. Keep the soft tissue away from sharp rock and pump intakes.
| Care level | Beginner to Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 50–120 |
| Flow | Low |
| Placement | Lower rockwork or sandbed, shaded |
| Behavior | Inflates fleshy vesicles by day and may extend sweepers after lights out. |
| Compatibility | Allow generous spacing for tissue inflation and nighttime sweeper extension. |
| Feeding | Target feed small meaty foods |
Plate corals
Plate corals, including those sold as Diaseris (now usually placed in Cycloseris), live loose on the sand. Do not glue them down, and set one back upright if it flips. Diaseris in particular is known to split itself into wedge-shaped pieces that can grow into new corals.
| Care level | Beginner to Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–150 |
| Flow | Low to Moderate |
| Placement | Sandbed; free-living, will move |
| Behavior | A free-living coral that can inflate and shift position on the sandbed. |
| Compatibility | Use an open sandbed away from rockwork and other corals so it can move without contact. |
| Feeding | Target feed meaty foods 1–2x weekly |
Hydnophora
Horn coral (Hydnophora) has small polyps and is often grouped with SPS. It needs more light and flow than anything else in this guide, and it should be treated as one of the most aggressive corals in the tank.
| Care level | Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Moderate to High |
| PAR guidance | PAR 150–300 |
| Flow | Moderate to Strong |
| Placement | Mid rockwork with wide spacing; very aggressive |
| Behavior | Highly defensive and capable of damaging nearby corals on contact. |
| Compatibility | Isolate with wide clearance from other corals because contact can cause severe damage. |
| Feeding | Mostly photosynthetic |
Wilsoni
"Wilsoni" is the trade name for Australophyllia wilsoni (formerly Symphyllia wilsoni), a large, fleshy LPS. Turn the flow down when feeding so the food stays on the disc.
| Care level | Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 50–100 |
| Flow | Low to Moderate |
| Placement | Sandbed or lower rockwork, away from constant strong flow |
| Behavior | A single fleshy disc that inflates well beyond its skeleton when fed. |
| Compatibility | Give it a clear circle of sandbed — the disc expands well past its footprint and must not rest against rubble or neighbors. |
| Feeding | Target feed small meaty foods — mysis or krill — with the flow turned down; it swells noticeably once fed |
Elegance coral
The Elegance coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei) has long, fleshy tentacles that need open space.
Be realistic about this one. Its Intermediate rating describes its light, flow and placement needs. The hard part is keeping it long term: Elegance corals are notoriously difficult, and many decline in aquariums for reasons that are still not well understood. Hobbyists call one pattern "Elegance coral syndrome," in which the mouth area swells, the tentacles stop expanding normally, and the coral slowly fails. Most Elegance corals in the trade are wild-collected, and they are not commonly fragged. They are best kept in a stable, mature tank, preferably after a quarantine period.
| Care level | Intermediate |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to Moderate |
| PAR guidance | PAR 60–150 |
| Flow | Low to Moderate |
| Placement | Sandbed with space around it |
| Behavior | Long fleshy tentacles expand into open space and can sting neighboring corals. |
| Compatibility | Give it an open sandbed area with generous clearance from neighboring corals. |
| Feeding | Target feed meaty foods |
Light and placement
Place a new coral at the low end of its PAR range in the quick facts, then move it up gradually over a couple of weeks only if it stays fully expanded. Sandbed corals (brains, plates and Elegance) should sit on clean sand with nothing sharp underneath; Wilsoni can sit on the sand or lower rockwork.
Flow
Flow needs vary. Blastos, bubble and fox corals and open brains want low flow; plate corals, Wilsoni and Elegance want low to moderate; Cyphastrea, Leptastrea and Leptoseris, Galaxea, candy canes, Duncans and Pectinia want moderate; Hydnophora wants moderate to strong. Fleshy LPS should sway gently, not be pushed flat. If tissue stays deflated or tears, reduce or redirect the flow.
Feeding
Most corals here call for target feeding with small meaty foods such as mysis; only Cyphastrea, Leptastrea, Leptoseris and Hydnophora are mostly photosynthetic. Feed when feeding tentacles are out, often after lights dim, with pumps turned down for a few minutes, and keep fish and shrimp from stealing the food.
Water parameters
Use general reef ranges. Stability matters more than a perfect number.
- Temperature: about 76–80°F
- Salinity: about 1.025–1.026 SG
- Alkalinity: about 7–11 dKH, kept steady
- Calcium: about 400–450 ppm
- Magnesium: about 1250–1400 ppm
- Nitrate and phosphate: low but not zero
Neighbors and spacing
Many LPS fight with sweeper tentacles that come out after lights out and can reach well past the visible colony. Galaxea, Hydnophora, Elegance, Pectinia and bubble corals need the most space. Before you settle on a spot, check the tank after dark to see how far each coral reaches, and leave a gap beyond that. Encrusting corals like Cyphastrea and Leptastrea need room to spread without touching a neighbor.
Common problems
- Coral stays shrunken or will not inflate. Usual causes are flow that is too strong, a recent change in light, or fish or shrimp picking at it. Reefers soften the flow, stop moving the coral, and watch tankmates.
- Tissue torn or receding on brains and plate corals. Usual causes are contact with sharp rubble or a sting from a neighbor. Reefers move the coral to clean, open sand.
- Dead tissue on one side. Usual cause is a neighbor's sweepers at night. Reefers increase spacing.
- Brown, jelly-like tissue spreading on a fleshy coral. Often called brown jelly. Reefers isolate the coral, gently remove the jelly with a baster, and use an iodine dip. Results vary.
- Paling after placement. Usual cause is too much light too fast. Reefers move the coral lower.
How our listings work
TIA listings for these corals come in two kinds:
- WYSIWYG: The photo is taken individually, and you will receive the exact coral shown.
- Stock: The photo is a stock reference image; yours will be very similar.
See the Help Center for shipping and arrival details.
FAQ
Which LPS are best for beginners?
Candy canes and Duncans are rated beginner. Cyphastrea, blastos, Leptastrea and Leptoseris, brains, Galaxea, bubble and fox corals, and plate corals are rated beginner to intermediate.
Is the Elegance coral hard to keep?
It is rated Intermediate for light, flow and placement, but it is notoriously difficult to keep long term, and many decline for reasons that are not well understood. It is not a good first LPS.
How often should I feed LPS corals?
Several of these corals do best with meaty foods 1–2x weekly. Feed after lights dim, with pumps turned down.
Should I glue a plate coral or open brain down?
No. Plate corals are free-living and move on the sandbed. Open brains and other sandbed corals do best resting on clean sand.