🌟 Elegance Coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei)

🧬 Overview

The Elegance Coral, also called the Wonder Coral or Elegant Coral, is a visually striking LPS coral with fleshy, wavy tentacles and a large, meaty polyp. Native to the Indo-Pacific, it is prized for its iridescent greens, purples, pinks, and sometimes neon hues, often with contrasting tentacle tips. While beautiful, it has a reputation for being somewhat delicate and needs stable, well-maintained conditions.

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🌈 Appearance

• Shape: Large, meaty, elongated or oval polyp; often shaped like a saucer or tongue

• Tentacles: Long, flowing, often with colorful tips (white, pink, or purple)

• Color Variants: Green, purple, pink, metallic gold, blue highlights

• Size: Can expand up to 6–12 inches across in captivity

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📊 Care Requirements

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📍 Placement and Tank Behavior

• Placement: On sandbed or low rock ledge in low-flow areas

• Foot/Base: Has a large, fleshy polyp with a skeletal base—ensure it has a secure spot

• Aggression: Highly aggressive—long sweeper tentacles can sting nearby corals, so give at least 6–8 inches of space

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🍤 Feeding

• Photosynthetic: Gets much of its energy from light via symbiotic zooxanthellae

• Supplemental Feeding (1–2x/week recommended):

  • Mysis shrimp

  • Brine shrimp

  • Minced seafood (clam, shrimp, fish)

  • LPS pellets or reef-targeted coral food

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⚠️ Special Considerations

• Disease Sensitivity: Elegance corals can be prone to brown jelly disease or tissue recession if water quality dips.

• Water Stability: Requires a mature tank (6+ months) with consistent parameters.

• Touch Sensitivity: Handle gently—damaging tissue can lead to infection or death.

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✅ Quick Care Summary

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🤔 Common Issues