Cup Coral - Colored

A fairly new animal to the captive aquarium scene, the Cup coral makes a very interesting addition. It is usually orange, with translucent tentacles which emerge in dim lighting.

The Cup coral is completely non-photosynthetic and receives all of its energy by capturing zooplankton. It will accept items such as mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, oyster eggs, pellets, etc. Feedings should be as regular as possible, preferably at least every 24 hours. It will open its polyps with reduced lighting or when it detects food in the water. In the wild it lives attached to rocks. It does not require any light, and may be placed in a cave or under an overhang. It may also be placed near the surface (away from intense light) to make target feeding easier.

Weak specimens may conserve energy by refusing to open; in this situation food may have to settle on the polyps for some time before it will eat. The care of Cup coral is similar to that of the superficially similar Sun and Dendrophyllia corals, as it too requires an intensive feeding regimen.

Pests on Cup coral are rare, but may include wentletrap snails or nudibranch. If regular feedings are provided it will reward the dedicated aquarist with growth and good polyp extention. It does not become colonial, and only reproduces sexually. It is semi-aggressive and should be protected from contacting other corals.

Because of its requirement for frequent feeding it makes an excellent tank-mate with sun coral, carnation, flowerpot, filter-feeding gorgonians, chili sponge, as well as invertebrates such as sponges, tunicates, porcelain crabs, feather duster worms including those living within Porites coral, clams and oysters, cucumbers and sea apples, etc.

• Difficulty: Advanced
• Growth Speed: Slow
• Lighting: Low - High
• Average Placement: Middle
• Water Flow: High
• Temperament: Semi-Aggressive