LEATHER CORAL CARE

Light

Because these corals do well in a wide range of light levels, we suggest keeping the lighting low to intermediate (100–200 par).

What They Eat

These corals don’t need a special way to eat. They get their nutrients from the sea, like most corals, and do best when they have enough food. We think you should go with high imports and high sales.

Flow

Leathers do best with moderate water flow because they like the way water moves around them. Their polyps don’t care too much about moving water, but it’s important to keep trash out of the way. If there is too much flow, the coral’s polyps may shrink back or even get hurt. It’s very important to get the mix right. Too much flow, especially straight flow, can hurt the coral’s tissue or make it harder for it to catch food.

DIFFICULTY

FIRST STAGE Leather corals are simple to take care of and can grow well in the right settings. They don’t get coral diseases like STN, RTN, and others very easily. Since leathers are a type of soft coral and don’t have a calcium carbonate shell, they don’t need to have their calcium and alkalinity levels kept very high. They do well in captivity when they get the right amount of food, light, flow, and filtration, just like all other corals.

PRICE

Corals like these tend to grow slowly. They are usually brought in as wild specimens, trained to live in a tank, and then sold to customers. Small frags are sometimes available through fragging or aquaculture. People think it’s hard to kill them because they do well in captivity. This keeps their prices from going too high. You can still expect to pay $150 or more for big show pieces with colonies of Toadstools, Umbrella, Devil’s Hand, and Sinularia. You can often find small toadstools and umbrellas for a lot less money.

ZONE OF COLLECTION: Indo-Pacific

Name in Science

Toadstool Leather, Sinularia, Lobophytum (Devil’s Hand), and Lemnalia are just a few of the many kinds of coral that are considered leather corals.

Aggression

It is known that these corals are mean. It is well known that some species can cause problems with allelopathy (Chemical Warfare). As an example, many kinds of Sarcophyton, Lobophytum, Sinularia, and Lemnalia are known to be poisonous. You can keep leather corals with other species or in the same system, but you need to use activated carbon and make sure they get enough time to filter and settle down. It’s best to keep them away from species that are more sensitive.

TEMPERATURE IN THE NATURE

82 °F (28 °C), but most corals can adjust to temperatures as low as 77 °F (77 °C) and as high as 84 °F (84 °C).

PH: The pH level should be kept between 8.0 and 8.4. Over the course of 24 hours, we usually aim for a spread of 8.2 to 8.3.

INR: Aim for a level between 5 and 10 and try to keep it steady.

PHOSPHATE: Try to keep the amount of phosphate stable between 0.05 and 0.1.

ALKALINITY: These are soft corals, so they don’t need a range of 8 to 9 dKh for alkalinity because they don’t build a calcium carbonate skeleton.

CALCIUM: Also, these are soft corals, so they don’t need to absorb calcium or alkalinity because they don’t build a calcium carbonate skeleton. However, we still suggest keeping calcium levels between 400 and 450.

Find Out More About Leather Corals

Leather corals are soft corals that are mostly found in the family Alcyoniidae. They are also called “leathers.” There are four main types of coral that we care about: Sinularia, which includes toadstool leathers, Lobophytum, which includes devil’s hand leathers, and Cladiella, which includes colt corals and other types of finger leathers.

Even though these corals are different, they all need the same care and are known to be hardy. You can find them mostly in shades of yellow, red, green, purple, brown, and orange. Their soft flesh is covered in small bumps.

Think about lights and water flow when you put your Leather coral down. For leathers, low to moderate lights (100-150 PAR) and moderate water flow are best. This will help them find food and stay clean.

A photosynthetic plant called zooxanthellae gives leather corals nutrients, and the corals also filter-feed on nutrients in the water column. Giving them extra food, like microplankton, is a good idea.

Leather corals are mean to other corals and will release poisonous mucus that will hurt those that get too close. Make sure your Leather coral has a lot of room to grow and thrive when you choose a place for it.