Organ Pipe Coral (Tubipora musica) Care Guide
Tubipora musica, the organ pipe coral, is an octocoral with a red calcareous tube skeleton and green polyps, near threatened in the wild.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Tubipora musica, the organ pipe coral, is an octocoral whose skeleton consists of many organ-pipe-like calcium carbonate tubes that are bright red. Living colonies appear green, blue or purple because of the expanded polyps, each of which bears eight feather-like tentacles. It was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
Taxonomy
- Family: Tubiporidae
- Order: Malacalcyonacea
- Class: Octocorallia
- Scientific name: Tubipora musica
- Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)
Habitat
It inhabits the Indian Ocean and the central and western Pacific, from Japan westward to the East African coast and throughout the Red Sea. It occupies sheltered areas at 2 to 20 m depth, requiring good, bright light and medium to strong water currents.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 C (75-79 F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (KH): 8-11 dKH
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Lighting: ~75-175 PAR (medium)
- Flow: medium
- Minimum tank maturity: 6 months
Feeding
The coral contains symbiotic zooxanthellae that supply energy through photosynthesis, though dissolved organic matter satisfies only about 13% of its metabolic needs. Bright light and supplemental amino acids or phytoplankton support its colour and growth.
Compatibility
It is passive and reef-safe, compatible with fish and shrimp. Provide strong light and medium flow, and a mature tank, as it is more demanding than typical beginner soft corals.
Conservation status
Tubipora musica is listed as Near Threatened, with over 50% of its population lost in the past decade due to illegal collection, the aquarium trade and tourist harvesting.
Tubipora musica (Organ Pipe Coral) Propagation Guide
Overview
Tubipora musica, the organ pipe coral, is an octocoral and the only genus in the monotypic family Tubiporidae, described by Linnaeus in 1758. It builds a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate containing many organ-pipe-like tubes; the skeleton is bright red but is usually obscured by the living polyps, which appear green, blue or purple. Each polyp is less than 3 mm wide with eight feather-like tentacles, and colonies are dome-shaped.
Reproductive Mode
Unlike the wholly soft-bodied octocorals in this group, Tubipora carries a calcareous tube skeleton, so asexual propagation is done by dividing that skeletal mass into pieces that each retain living polyps.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
A frag is made by breaking or cutting the red calcareous tube skeleton into sections that still carry polyps, then mounting each piece on a clean plug or rock so the colony can continue building new tubes from the surviving polyps.
Conditions for Propagation
The polyps contain zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae that supply much of the colony's energy. In the wild the coral prefers good, bright light and medium to strong currents at depths of 2 to 20 m, so frags settle under bright light and moderate flow matching the parameters recorded for this species in the knowledge base.
Common Challenges
Because the tubes are skeletal, fragging risks crushing polyps, and dissolved organic matter meets only about 13% of the coral's metabolic needs, so reliable light and water quality are essential. Tubipora is listed as near threatened with over half its population lost in the past ten years, making aquarium propagation valuable for reducing wild collection.