How much light and flow does Candy cane coral need?

Stony coral · LPS, low light at roughly 50–80 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PAR, with medium flow. Light and flow must match: high light with weak flow burns tips, strong flow with weak light thins the tissue.

Will Candy cane coral attack neighbouring corals?

It has sweeper tentacles: at night it extends tentacles several times its own width and burns whatever they reach. Leave at least one adult diameter between it and its neighbours.

Does Candy cane coral need feeding?

Optional. It survives without feeding, but regular small doses improve growth and colour.

What water parameters does Candy cane coral need?

24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.024–1.026, 7–9 dKH, 400–450 mg/L calcium, 1250–1350 mg/L magnesium. That is only 2 dKH wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.

Is Candy cane coral a good beginner coral?

Difficulty: beginner. Growth: fast. Place it in the foreground / midground. Spacing: keep 8-10 cm; the sweepers it extends at night are short but still burn anything pressed against it.

G-03 / 09Marine

Candy cane coral炮仗花珊瑚

Caulastraea furcata · Merulinidae

Candy cane coral: neat rows of cups like a bundle of firecrackers, with tentacles out at night — one of the easiest LPS to keep.

Illustration to come

G-03 / 09 · Candy cane coral Caulastraea furcata

SpecificationsCoral atlas

Name: 炮仗花珊瑚
Scientific name: Caulastraea furcata
Family: Merulinidae
Origin: Reefs and lagoons of the Indo-Pacific, including Indonesia, the Philippines and the Great Barrier Reef
Type: Stony coral · LPS
Light: Low light
PAR: 50–80
Flow: Medium flow
Aggression: Sweeper tentacles
Feeding: Optional feeding
Alkalinity: 7–9 dKH
Calcium: 400–450 mg/L
Magnesium: 1250–1350 mg/L
Salinity: 1.024–1.026 SG
Growth: Fast
Placement: Foreground / Midground
Level: Beginner

Water requirementsMarine

Temp.24–26 °C

pH8.1–8.4

Salinity1.024–1.026 SG

Alkalinity7–9 dKH

Units: temperature in °C, hardness in German degrees (dGH / dKH), marine salinity as specific gravity at 25 °C, volume in litres. These are the values recorded for the species and do not follow the site unit switcher.

Keeping notes

1Spacing: keep 8-10 cm; the sweepers it extends at night are short but still burn anything pressed against it.
2Flow: medium; in strong flow the soft tissue around the cup mouth erodes.
3Feeding: optional, but feeding clearly speeds up splitting — the difference between surviving and spreading.
4Water tolerance: good; steady calcium and magnesium are what keep new cups lined up neatly.
5Growth form: cups keep splitting and a few heads become a colony; single heads snapped off the edge are ready-made frags.

Frequently asked questions

How much light and flow does Candy cane coral need?: Stony coral · LPS, low light at roughly 50–80 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PAR, with medium flow. Light and flow must match: high light with weak flow burns tips, strong flow with weak light thins the tissue.
Will Candy cane coral attack neighbouring corals?: It has sweeper tentacles: at night it extends tentacles several times its own width and burns whatever they reach. Leave at least one adult diameter between it and its neighbours.
Does Candy cane coral need feeding?: Optional. It survives without feeding, but regular small doses improve growth and colour.
What water parameters does Candy cane coral need?: 24–26 °C, specific gravity 1.024–1.026, 7–9 dKH, 400–450 mg/L calcium, 1250–1350 mg/L magnesium. That is only 2 dKH wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.
Is Candy cane coral a good beginner coral?: Difficulty: beginner. Growth: fast. Place it in the foreground / midground. Spacing: keep 8-10 cm; the sweepers it extends at night are short but still burn anything pressed against it.