This guide is structured for reef keepers who want the husbandry targets first, then the inventory. Use it to decide whether the coral fits your system before you buy or move it.
What this coral wants
Candy cane and trumpet corals are forgiving when flow stays indirect, nutrients stay available, and the heads can inflate without constant stress. They are reliable LPS growers when the system stays stable and boring.
At a glance
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Coral Type: LPS
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Scientific Name: Caulastrea furcata / Caulastrea curvata
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Care Level: Beginner to moderate
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Light: 80 to 150 PAR
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Flow: Low to moderate, indirect flow
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Placement: Lower to mid-level with room for head inflation
Target water chemistry
These are Lunar Tide Aquatics holding targets for stability, then cross-checked against peer-reviewed coral physiology literature on flow, calcification, feeding, and nutrient stress.
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Temperature: 77 to 78.5 F
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Salinity: 1.025 to 1.026 specific gravity
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Alkalinity: 8.0 to 9.0 dKH
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Calcium: 420 to 460 ppm
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Magnesium: 1280 to 1380 ppm
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Nitrate: 5 to 15 ppm
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Phosphate: 0.03 to 0.10 ppm
Light, flow, and placement
Light: 80 to 150 PAR. Flow: Low to moderate, indirect flow. Placement: Lower to mid-level with room for head inflation.
Give each head enough room to puff up and enough indirect flow to keep detritus from settling between branches. Excess blast flow tends to show up as pinched tissue and reduced extension well before chemistry becomes the main issue.
These corals respond well to steady nighttime feeding and conservative light acclimation. Once they settle, avoid moving them repeatedly and let growth happen from stable placement.
Feeding and acclimation
Feeding: Target feed fine meaty foods 1 to 2 times weekly.
Acclimation: Start lower, let the heads inflate cleanly, then increase exposure gradually if color stays strong.
What to watch
Stability target: Steady alkalinity and moderate nutrients support steady head growth.
Watch for: Direct pump blast, pinched heads, and aggressive neighbors at night.
How Lunar Tide uses this guide
We use these ranges as decision support, not as random numbers to chase. Stable chemistry, predictable placement, and consistent observation usually outperform aggressive adjustments after a coral lands.
If you are ready to compare this husbandry target against what is currently available, browse the current LPS Corals. There are currently 83 pieces in that group.
Scientific references
- Jokiel PL (1978), Effects of water motion on reef corals
- Anthony KRN and Fabricius KE (2000), Shifting roles of heterotrophy and autotrophy in coral energetics under varying turbidity
- Houlbrèque F and Ferrier-Pagès C (2009), Heterotrophy in tropical scleractinian corals
- Holcomb M, Tambutté E, Allemand D and Tambutté S (2014), Light enhanced calcification in Stylophora pistillata
- Jokiel PL (2013), Coral reef calcification: carbonate, bicarbonate and proton flux under conditions of increasing ocean acidification
- Page TM, D'Angelo C, Wiedenmann J and Foster GL (2025), Changes in host gene expression patterns underpin responses of the coral Stylophora pistillata to nutrient stress
Current availability
Use this guide against live inventory
The care guidance lives here. When you're ready to compare it against the corals currently available from Lunar Tide, jump straight into the matching collection.
