Caulastrea

Caulastrea, better known as candy cane or trumpet corals, are one of the best beginner LPS corals in the hobby. Their trumpet-shaped polyps grow in attractive branching clusters, and they tolerate a wide range of conditions. Place them in the mid-section of your tank under moderate PAR (75–150 PAR) with moderate flow. They are forgiving of imperfect placement and will adapt to most positions in a typical reef tank.

Keep water parameters at standard reef levels: alkalinity 7.5–9.0 dKH, calcium 400–450 ppm, magnesium 1300–1400 ppm, and temperature 25–26 °C. Caulastrea grow quickly for an LPS and benefit from target feeding with mysis or reef roids once or twice weekly, though they will do fine relying on photosynthesis alone in a well-lit tank. They come in a range of colours including green, blue, orange, and bicolour morphs that fluoresce beautifully under blue lighting.

Caulastrea are peaceful corals with minimal sweeper tentacle reach, making them safe neighbours in a mixed reef. Fragging is extremely easy — simply snap individual branches from the colony at the base, and both the parent and frag will recover quickly. This makes them excellent corals for trading with fellow Aussie reefers. Candy canes are widely available from every Australian coral supplier and represent outstanding value for new hobbyists setting up their first reef tank.