Nephthea erecta Propagation Guide

Propagating the carnation tree coral Nephthea erecta by fragmentation, with notes on its tree-like Nephtheidae biology and supplemental feeding.

Overview

Nephthea erecta is a tree coral in the family Nephtheidae, the soft corals known as carnation corals, tree corals or colt soft corals. The family is arborescent with little knobs at the ends of rubbery branches and shows a wide range of rich and pastel colours. The polyps generally retract during the day and emerge at night to extend their tentacles and feed.

Reproductive Mode

Aquarium propagation of this coral is asexual, achieved by fragmenting the branching colony so that each cutting can regrow into an independent tree.

Fragging / Asexual Propagation

A branch is cut from the parent colony and fixed to a clean frag plug or rock until it attaches. The rubbery branch tissue and the small terminal knobs of Nephtheidae corals make individual limbs straightforward to separate and mount.

Conditions for Propagation

Nephthea sits in the same family as Dendronephthya, which is notoriously difficult to keep and requires a near-constant supply of small foods such as phytoplankton. Although Nephthea is treated as a hardier relative, frags still benefit from particulate feeding combined with the stable water parameters recorded for this species in the knowledge base.

Common Challenges

The daytime retraction of the polyps can hide a healthy frag, and inadequate small-particle feeding is the main cause of decline in this lineage of tree corals. Settling and attachment of a fresh cutting is the critical early stage.