Trocheliophorum Toadstool Care Guide
Sarcophyton trocheliophorum is a hardy toadstool leather coral with ruffled cap edges, photosynthetic and beginner-friendly.
Overview
Sarcophyton trocheliophorum is a toadstool leather coral with a frilly, ruffled cap edge, often deep brown or green. Like other Sarcophyton it forms a stalked, mushroom-shaped colony with a broad capitulum bearing short polyps and is a hardy, beginner-friendly soft coral.
Taxonomy
- Family: Alcyoniidae
- Genus: Sarcophyton (Lesson, 1834)
- Scientific name: Sarcophyton trocheliophorum
- Authority: von Marenzeller, 1886
Habitat
The genus is native to the Indo-Pacific. These corals are photosynthetic, drawing most of their energy from symbiotic zooxanthellae, and are commonly kept in reef aquaria.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- dKH (alkalinity): 8-11
- Calcium: 380-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Lighting: medium to high, around 75-200 PAR
- Flow: medium to high, ideally strong and randomized
Diet
Leather corals are photosynthetic and meet most energy needs via their zooxanthellae. Direct feeding is generally unnecessary and may foul the tissue and cause secondary infection.
Chemical defense and shedding
Sarcophyton produces the toxic terpene sarcophytoxide that deters predators and provides an allelopathic advantage over neighboring corals. The coral periodically retracts its polyps and forms a waxy mucus coat that it later sheds; remove any shed material to keep water clean.
Compatibility
It is reef-safe and compatible with reef fish and shrimp, but because of its chemical output it should be given space away from other corals it could irritate.