Flexibilis Anthelia (Anthelia flexibilis) Care Guide
Anthelia flexibilis is a hardy encrusting Xeniidae soft coral with long flexible polyp stalks that sway in flow, photosynthetic and beginner-friendly.
Overview
Anthelia flexibilis is a soft coral of the family Xeniidae, an octocoral with eight-tentacled polyps. This variant has longer, flexible polyp stalks that sway gracefully in the current. Like other Anthelia it grows as an encrusting colony and relies mainly on photosynthesis.
Taxonomy
- Class: Octocorallia
- Family: Xeniidae
- Genus: Anthelia
- Scientific name: Anthelia flexibilis
Habitat
The genus Anthelia is found across the Indo-Pacific on reef hard substrate. In the aquarium the coral encrusts and spreads over rock, so an isolated placement helps contain its growth.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- dKH: 8-11
- Calcium: 380-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Nitrate: below 15 ppm; Phosphate: below 0.1 ppm
- Lighting: 50-150 PAR (medium)
- Flow: low
- Minimum tank age: 3 months
Feeding
Anthelia is zooxanthellate and obtains most of its energy from photosynthesis under adequate light, requiring no target feeding. Supplemental amino acids may aid growth but are not essential in a stable reef.
Compatibility
Passive and reef-safe, with no stinging tentacles and safe with fish and shrimp. Its rapid encrusting growth is the main concern, as it can overgrow slower corals; keep it physically separated.
Propagation
It propagates by encrusting spread and by relocating colonised rock fragments, which reattach and continue to grow.