Tubipora

Tubipora, the pipe organ coral, is one of the most unique corals in the reef hobby — despite being classified as a soft coral (order Alcyonacea), it builds a distinctive bright red calcium carbonate skeleton made of parallel tubes fused together by horizontal platforms. Green or white polyps emerge from the red tubes, creating a striking colour contrast that is unlike any other coral. Place them in the mid-section of your tank under moderate PAR (100–200 PAR) with moderate flow. Standard reef parameters are important: alkalinity 7.5–9 dKH, calcium 400–440 ppm, and temperature 25–27°C. Because they build a calcium skeleton, stable calcium and alkalinity levels matter more for Tubipora than for most soft corals.

Tubipora sit in the intermediate difficulty range — they are not as bulletproof as typical soft corals and can be sensitive to parameter swings and poor water quality. Good flow through the colony is essential to prevent detritus accumulating in the tube structure, which can lead to tissue recession. They are photosynthetic and benefit from occasional broadcast feeding with fine phytoplankton or reef roids. When healthy, the polyps extend fully from the tubes, creating a feathery green canopy over the red skeleton. Retracted polyps that stay closed for extended periods indicate stress — check water quality and flow.

Fragging Tubipora requires cutting through the hard calcium skeleton with bone cutters or a bandsaw — the red skeleton is brittle and can shatter, so work carefully. Frags recover well when placed in moderate flow. Tubipora are found on the Great Barrier Reef and throughout the Indo-Pacific, and Australian-sourced specimens are periodically available from specialist coral retailers. The combination of a bright red skeleton with contrasting green polyps makes pipe organ coral one of the most visually distinctive corals in any reef tank.