The Cabbage Leather Coral is also referred to as Flat Leather Coral, Flower Leather Coral, or Carpet Coral. It is found in a variety of colors, usually tan to brown with lighter striations. Its flat, lobed appearance resembles a cabbage leaf.
It is semi-aggressive and needs space between itself and other corals in the reef aquarium. Some species are toxic to stony corals. It is very easy to maintain in the reef aquarium and makes an excellent coral for the beginning to expert reef aquarist. It requires medium to high lighting combined with moderate to strong water movement. Fluorescent lighting should be combined with actinic lighting. For continued good health, it requires the addition of strontium, iodine, and other trace elements to the water.
It is an encrusting coral that will reproduce easily on its own in the reef aquarium by budding (splitting off a portion of its base).
Cabbage Leather Corals contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae and receive the majority of their nutritional needs from the light driven process of photosynthesis. It will also be beneficial to supplement the diet with additional food such as micro-plankton, baby brine shrimp, or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates.
It is normally shipped attached to a small piece of live rock or rubble.
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