Leptoseris Care Guide

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

Leptoseris are SPS corals, but they do not want the same brute-force energy profile as acropora. They do better when reefkeepers understand they prefer stable chemistry with restrained light and gentler, cleaner flow.

At a glance

• Coral Type: SPS
• Scientific Name: Leptoseris spp.
• Care Level: Moderate
• Light: 60 to 140 PAR
• Flow: Low to moderate, indirect flow
• Placement: Lower to mid-level ledges and lower-energy shelves

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.

• Temperature: 77 to 78.5 F
• Salinity: 1.025 to 1.026 specific gravity
• Alkalinity: 7.8 to 8.6 dKH
• Calcium: 420 to 460 ppm
• Magnesium: 1300 to 1400 ppm
• Nitrate: 2 to 10 ppm
• Phosphate: 0.02 to 0.08 ppm

Light, flow, and placement

Light: 60 to 140 PAR. Flow: Low to moderate, indirect flow. Placement: Lower to mid-level ledges and lower-energy shelves.

Use lower-energy shelves or shaded ledges where the colony can encrust without being cooked by top-shelf PAR. If the edge starts to recede or the coral looks washed out, reduce exposure before assuming a water-chemistry failure.

Leptoseris appreciate consistency more than intensity. Keep the surface clean, avoid stagnant film, and make all light changes in small steps.

Feeding and acclimation

Feeding: Mostly photosynthetic; optional fine broadcast feeding.

Acclimation: Start low and shaded compared with acropora, then raise exposure only if color and polyp texture support it.

What to watch

Stability target: Stable SPS chemistry matters more than high-intensity placement.

Watch for: Over-lighting, edge recession, and stagnant film on the surface.

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 SPS Corals. There are currently 12 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