Cynarina

Cynarina, the doughnut coral, is a beautiful solitary LPS prized by collectors for its extremely fleshy tissue that inflates into a distinctive puffy dome. Place them on the sand bed or a flat surface on lower rockwork under moderate PAR (75–150 PAR) with very gentle flow. Strong current prevents the tissue from inflating fully and can cause long-term stress. These corals need a stable, sheltered position where they won’t be disturbed.

Maintain stable water parameters: alkalinity 7.5–9.0 dKH, calcium 400–450 ppm, magnesium 1300–1400 ppm, and temperature 25–26 °C. Cynarina benefit from weekly target feeding with small meaty foods like mysis or finely chopped prawn. When happy and well-fed, the tissue inflates impressively, sometimes obscuring the skeleton entirely. Under-inflated tissue that stays tight to the skeleton is often a sign of too much flow or inadequate nutrition.

Cynarina are solitary polyps that cannot be fragged — each coral is a unique individual. They are peaceful and won’t sting neighbours, though their inflated tissue can take up more space than expected. Handle them carefully during transport, as the fleshy tissue bruises easily. Australian coral suppliers stock a range of colour morphs, and these corals make excellent sand-bed features alongside other free-living species like Trachyphyllia and Fungia.