Branching Cauliflower Coral Care Guide
Cladiella sphaerophorum is a hardy branching soft coral with cream-white finger-like lobes. It is photosynthetic and beginner friendly.
Overview
Cladiella sphaerophorum is a branching soft coral, one of the leather corals sometimes traded as colt or cauliflower coral. It forms colonies of cream-white finger-like lobes and is regarded as very hardy, making it a common choice for newcomers to reef keeping as well as experienced aquarists.
Taxonomy
- Class: Octocorallia
- Family: Alcyoniidae (KB record)
- Genus: Cladiella
- Scientific name: Cladiella sphaerophorum
- WoRMS revision: accepted as Cladiella sphaerophora (Ehrenberg, 1834), family Cladiellidae, order Malacalcyonacea
Habitat
The species occurs on tropical Indo-Pacific reefs. Like other soft leather corals it hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae that provide much of its nutrition through photosynthesis, allowing it to thrive on light alone in suitable conditions.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24–26 °C (75–79 °F)
- pH: 8.1–8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024–1.026
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8–11
- Calcium: 380–450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280–1350 ppm
- Nitrate: below ~15 ppm; phosphate below ~0.1 ppm
- Lighting: medium, about 75–200 PAR
- Flow: medium
- Minimum tank age: about 3 months
Mount the colony on rock under moderate, indirect flow and moderate light. As a leather coral it periodically closes and sheds a surface film over a few days, which is normal and helps clear settling algae.
Diet
Cladiella sphaerophorum is photosynthetic and meets most of its needs through its zooxanthellae, while also taking up nutrients from the water; it may benefit from occasional microplankton or amino acids but does not require heavy feeding.
Compatibility
It is reef, fish and shrimp safe and peaceful, but like other leathers it can emit chemicals that ward off neighbouring corals, so it should be given room to spread.