Sun Coral Coccinea Care Guide
Sun Coral Coccinea (Tubastraea coccinea) is a NON-PHOTOSYNTHETIC coral. Care covers 0-50 PAR, medium flow, reef parameters and feeding; expert level.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Sun Coral Coccinea (Tubastraea coccinea) is a NON-PHOTOSYNTHETIC coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. Common orange Tubastraea with smaller polyps than faulkneri. Invasive in Atlantic but popular in reef trade.
Taxonomy
- Family: Dendrophylliidae
- Genus: Tubastraea
- Scientific name: Tubastraea coccinea
- Common synonyms: Cup Coral, Orange Cup Coral
Habitat
In the wild, Tubastraea coccinea is reported from Indo-Pacific, Caribbean (invasive), where it grows in shaded, current-swept habitats such as cave walls, overhangs, ledges, and deeper or turbid zones rather than on sunlit reef flats. As an azooxanthellate (non-photosynthetic) species it carries no symbiotic algae and depends on plankton carried by the current. It forms a encrusting colony on hard substrate.
Tank requirements
- Salinity (specific gravity): 1.024-1.026
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-11
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Phosphate (max): 0.1 ppm
- Nitrate (max): 15 ppm
- Minimum system age: 6 months
Placement and lighting
- PAR (placement zone): 0-50 PAR
- Water flow: medium
Because this coral does not rely on light, place it where feeding each polyp is practical — shaded overhangs, the underside of rock, or a low, accessible ledge. Moderate, varied flow keeps detritus from settling on the polyps but should not be so strong that it blows food away before capture. Bright light offers no benefit and can encourage nuisance algae to overgrow the skeleton between polyps.
Feeding
Tubastraea coccinea is a non-photosynthetic coral: it does not host symbiotic zooxanthellae and obtains all of its energy from captured food rather than light. Each polyp must be target-fed individually with items such as mysis, brine, reef-roids. Feeding is required several times per week — for many keepers daily — once the polyps have fully extended their tentacles, usually after lights-out or in response to food in the water. Skipping feedings leads to gradual tissue recession and loss of polyps.
Compatibility
This coral is passive toward neighbours. It extends sweeper tentacles capable of stinging adjacent corals, so leave generous spacing (10-20 cm) between colonies. Reef-safe with most fish and invertebrates.
Care notes
Difficulty level: expert. Reported skeletal growth in well-tuned reef tanks is approximately 0.1-0.3 cm/month. Propagation by fragmentation is straightforward for encrusting colonies — separate branches or polyps with a bone cutter, glue to plug, allow 1-2 weeks for healing. Maintain stable alkalinity (avoid swings above ±0.5 dKH per day) to preserve tissue health.
Propagating Tubastraea coccinea (Orange Cup Coral)
Overview
Tubastraea coccinea, the orange cup coral, is a sun coral with red polyps and yellow-orange tentacles and corallites over 11 mm in diameter. It is azooxanthellate, lacking symbiotic algae, and can grow even in complete darkness as long as it captures enough food, using its tentacles at night to take zooplankton.
Reproductive Mode
The species reproduces both sexually and asexually. It produces planula larvae that can survive as many as 14 days, and it reproduces asexually through budding, a combination that drives the rapid colonisation behind its invasive success.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Aquarium propagation relies on the same asexual budding. As the colony adds polyps it can be divided, and individual daughter polyps or sections are detached and remounted onto rubble or plugs to grow into new colonies.
- Allow the colony to bud and add polyps.
- Detach daughter polyps or a colony section.
- Mount each piece onto rubble or a plug.
- Target-feed every piece until established.
Feeding & Conditions for Propagation
Because it gains no energy from light, the coral must capture food. In the wild it feeds on zooplankton at night, and in captivity sun corals accept foods such as frozen mysis; consistent target feeding is essential for frags to fatten and spread.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction yields planula larvae lasting up to two weeks, which contributes to its spread on hard substrates including artificial surfaces. Hobbyists rely on asexual division rather than rearing larvae.
Common Challenges
Beyond the feeding demand shared by all sun corals, the species' invasive potential is the defining caution: it regularly outgrows native species and forms monocultures, so escaped fragments are an environmental risk. Heavy feeding also raises nutrients that require strong export.