How much light and flow does Duncan coral need?

Stony coral · LPS, medium light at roughly 100–150 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 Duncan 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 Duncan coral need feeding?

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

What water parameters does Duncan 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 Duncan coral a good beginner coral?

Difficulty: beginner. Growth: fast. Place it in the midground. Spacing: 8-10 cm to neighbours; it buds fast and can go from three heads to more than twenty in a year.

G-03 / 12Marine

Duncan coral邓肯珊瑚

Duncanopsammia axifuga · Dendrophylliidae

Duncan coral: tubular cups each topped with a ring of tentacles — fast growing, colony forming, and one of the most popular beginner LPS.

Illustration to come

G-03 / 12 · Duncan coral Duncanopsammia axifuga

SpecificationsCoral atlas

Name: 邓肯珊瑚
Scientific name: Duncanopsammia axifuga
Family: Dendrophylliidae
Origin: Muddy reef areas of northern Australia and Indonesia, including the Arafura Sea
Type: Stony coral · LPS
Light: Medium light
PAR: 100–150
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: 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: 8-10 cm to neighbours; it buds fast and can go from three heads to more than twenty in a year.
2Flow: medium — the test is that tentacles sway with the current without being folded back.
3Feeding: optional, but it is the classic case of more food, more growth; every head can catch pellets.
4Water tolerance: good; with dKH 7-9 and calcium above 400 mg/L it lays down skeleton steadily.
5Growth form: new tubular cups bud from the base into a cluster, and snapped-off single heads survive when glued down.

Frequently asked questions

How much light and flow does Duncan coral need?: Stony coral · LPS, medium light at roughly 100–150 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 Duncan 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 Duncan coral need feeding?: Optional. It survives without feeding, but regular small doses improve growth and colour.
What water parameters does Duncan 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 Duncan coral a good beginner coral?: Difficulty: beginner. Growth: fast. Place it in the midground. Spacing: 8-10 cm to neighbours; it buds fast and can go from three heads to more than twenty in a year.