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Trachyphyllia Corals

Trachyphyllia corals, often shortened to “Trachys,” are native to the Indo-Pacific region and an excellent choice for coral enthusiasts. The lobed appearance of the living tissue of this coral makes it easy to understand why they are often called “brain coral,” as they resemble the sulci (grooves) and gyri (ridges) of the mammalian brain. However, the resemblance ends there, as these LPS corals host photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae in their tissue, which provide some but not all of the nutritional requirements of the coral. These symbiotic algae provide the coral with electric greens, purples, reds, pinks and other combination of colors, making for a very colorful complement to any reef tank, provided some basic care requirements are met.

Trachyphyllia Coral Care Guide

Experience Level

Beginner to intermediate. Before introducing a Trachy LPS coral to your system, make sure it is fully cycled, with stable water quality parameters.

Optimal Water Quality Parameters for Trachyphylia

Temperature: 73-78F, 23-26C
pH: 8.1-8.3
dKH: 7-11 (125-200ppm CaCO3 equivalent)
Calcium: 375-450ppm
Magnesium: 1275-1350ppm
Salinity: 35ppt
Ammonia (NH3): less than 0.1ppm
Nitrite (NO2): less than 0.2ppm
Nitrate (NO3): less than 0.2ppm
Phosphates (PO4): less than 0.03ppm

Trachyphyllia Lighting Preferences:

Moderate to slightly lower diffuse lighting, may tolerate direct lighting when placed deeper in the water column.

Trachyphyllia Water Flow Preferences:

Trachy corals tend to prefer medium, shifting water flows. Direct current that is too strong will stress the coral, causing the living tissue to retract and drastically reducing the zooxanthellae’s ability to feed the coral. You want just enough flow to keep the living tissue free from debris but not enough to irritate it.

Trachyphyllia Placement Considerations:

Trachyphyllia can be aggressive and will sting other corals that grow or are placed too close. They do this by deploying their mesentery filaments or stinging tentacles, which digest the living tissue from neighbors. The sweeper tentacles of other corals can also sting them, so pay close attention to spacing. Best bet is to initially place your Trachy on the substrate, out of strong light and current. If the tissue of the coral does not fully deploy and become turgid over the next few days, make small adjustments to its location, making sure to give it enough time to adjust before moving it again.

Trachyphyllia Feeding Considerations

The symbiotic zooxanthellae provides most but not enough nutrition for the host coral, so supplemental feeding is required, which can be a lot of fun to do provided you take a little care. If you prime the feeding response by softly squirting some thawed mysis, brine or other type of juice a few minutes prior to the feed, you will see your Trachy open up and deploy its feeding tentacles. Then carefully place or gently squirt small, easily digestible food across the tentacles with a pipette, syringe or turkey baster, taking care not to put the food directly into the body cavity of your coral. Many Trachy owners then place some type of cover, like the top half of a plastic soda or juice bottle over the coral to prevent marauding fish, shrimp, crabs and other poachers from stealing the food before the coral can ingest it. Make sure not to overfeed your brain coral or the food will decompose in the body cavity, which can lead to a very stressed or even dead Trachy!

Healthy, Affordable Online Trachyphyllia Corals from CoralFrags.com

We have built our business one satisfied client at a time and we have achieved that by proving healthy corals at affordable prices and excellent customer service. If you’ve been thinking about adding one or more of these stunning LPS corals to your display, browse our selection and choose with confidence. We closely examine each Trachy we sell to ensure that our corals are as free as possible of unwanted pests. Thanks for trusting us to be your online Trachyphyllia coral provider!

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