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
Toadstool corals add movement and scale with a wider comfort zone than most stony corals, but they still do better when flow, nutrients, and spacing are intentional. Their care is forgiving, not random.
At a glance
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Coral Type: Soft Coral
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Scientific Name: Sarcophyton spp.
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Care Level: Beginner to moderate
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Light: 80 to 150 PAR
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Flow: Moderate, swaying flow
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Placement: Lower to mid-level with room for cap expansion
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: 76.5 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: 400 to 450 ppm
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Magnesium: 1280 to 1380 ppm
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Nitrate: 5 to 20 ppm
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Phosphate: 0.03 to 0.12 ppm
Light, flow, and placement
Light: 80 to 150 PAR. Flow: Moderate, swaying flow. Placement: Lower to mid-level with room for cap expansion.
Give the cap enough swaying flow to stay clean without folding over on itself. If a toadstool closes up, check whether it is shedding before you start chasing chemistry or moving the coral around.
In mixed reefs, remember that mature leather corals can become both physically large and chemically assertive. Leave room, run carbon when needed, and use placement to protect nearby stonies.
Feeding and acclimation
Feeding: Mostly photosynthetic; optional fine broadcast feeding.
Acclimation: Allow the coral to settle through a full extension cycle before moving it or increasing light.
What to watch
Stability target: Stable salinity and moderate nutrient availability keep extension consistent.
Watch for: Normal shed cycles, film buildup, and chemical warfare in mixed reefs.
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 Soft Coral. There are currently 4 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.
