Euphyllia

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Introduction

Euphyllia is a genus of corals with several species that are among the most common hard corals that are kept in reef aquariums. Frogspawn (Euphyllia divisa), Hammer coral (Euphyllia ancora), and Torch coral (Euphyllia glabrescens)are very popular in the reef aquarium trade. These corals are so popular because they are fleshy colorful corals that provide a lot of movement. While it is rare in nature, clown fish will often host in different Euphyllia spp. and some people will purchase Euphyllias partly for that reason.

Common Names

There are several different species of Euphyllia spp. each with different common names. Some of the more common names for different Euphllias are Euphyllia ancora & Euphyllia parancora: anchor coral, hammer coral; Euphyllia divisa & Euphyllia paradivisa & Euphyllia yaeyamaensis: frogspawn; Euphyllia glabresecens: torch coral, whisker coral; and Euphyllia cristata: grape coral.

Scientific Names

Euphyllia

Hardiness

Euphyllia spp. are generally easy, however individuals that ship poorly may become damaged and succumb to infection.

Flow

Euphyllia spp. typically do best with a medium flow capable of gently swaying the polyps. Too much flow can tear the tissue that holds the polyp to it's skeleton.

Lighting

Euphyllia typically do best under medium to high florescent light or medium strength metal halide lighting.

Placement

Euphyllia spp. usually grow attached to live rock substrate and grow so that the polyps reach up towards the light.

Feeding

It is not necessary to feed Euphyllia spp.

Propagation

Branching Euphyllia are easy to propogate by simply snapping the branch anywhere below the visible tissue that surrounds the top of the branch. Euphyllia sp. that form a wall are more difficult to fragment although any aquarist attempting this should use a Dremel with a diamond bit blade.

Aggression

Most Euphyllia sp. pack a powerful sting, for other corals, and can send out sweeper tentacles in excess of nine inches. Hammer corals typically make the longest and most abundant use of sweeper tentacles. While the tentacles may reach at least nine inches that does not necessarily mean that you need to allow that much distance between corals.

Availability

There are many species of Euphyllia that are widely available. Sprung (1999) even sites examples of what he believes are undescribed species in the aquarium trade.

Other Issues

Euphyllia usually do well in most properly set up and maintained reef tanks. One malady that affects them more than some other corals are either brown jelly (protozoan) or a white bacterial film. In either case this usually is noticed shortly after shipping and is a sign that the coral was obviously injured somewhere in the chain of custody from collector to store owner. If an infection sets, it is usually a simple matter to break off any broken branches.

   Originally contributed by Barry Katz of Kanuha Corals

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