Black Sun Coral Care Guide

Black Sun Coral (Tubastraea micranthus) is a NON-PHOTOSYNTHETIC coral. Care covers 0-50 PAR, medium-high flow, reef parameters and feeding; expert level.

Overview

Black Sun Coral (Tubastraea micranthus) is a NON-PHOTOSYNTHETIC coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. Tree-like black NPS coral with green polyps. Among the most challenging Tubastraea species.

Taxonomy

• Family: Dendrophylliidae
• Genus: Tubastraea
• Scientific name: Tubastraea micranthus
• Common synonyms: Branching Black Sun Coral

Habitat

In the wild, Tubastraea micranthus is reported from Indo-Pacific, 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 tree-like 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: 1 year

Placement and lighting

• PAR (placement zone): 0-50 PAR
• Water flow: medium-high

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 micranthus 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, reef-roids, amino-acids. 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 tree-like 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.