Lighting
50-150 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Bubble Coral
Plerogyra sinuosa
Use this Bubble Coral profile to compare large bubble-like vesicles with Elegance Coral and Cynarina Coral, plan conservative spacing, and watch for bubble tissue tearing under moderate flow.
Compare large bubble-like vesicles, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 6/10
- Placement
- Low
- PAR range
- 50-150 PAR
- Flow
- Moderate
- Aggression
- High
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Minimum tank age
- 4 months
- Minimum tank size
- 25 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Short editorial review recommended before indexing this page.
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: Diego Delso
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Diego Delso
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Diego Delso
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 8-9.5 dKH
- Calcium
- 400-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1250-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 2-15 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.1 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
moderate indirect flow should move tissue gently without folding it into sharp skeleton or neighbors.
Stability
For Bubble Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Bubble Coral requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- Yes
- Food types
- small meaty foods, mysis, LPS pellets
- Frequency
- weekly when feeding response is visible
ID
Identification
Key features
- large bubble-like vesicles
- sharp hidden skeleton
- night sweeper tentacles
Common colors
- Pearl
- White
- Green
- Tan
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Inflated pearl-like vesicles during the day separate it from folded brain corals. Bubble Coral is best separated from Elegance Coral and Cynarina Coral by weighing large bubble-like vesicles, sharp hidden skeleton, and night sweeper tentacles. Look at corallite walls, polyp shape, tissue inflation, and where recession begins; then compare that structure with where the coral expands, retracts, or shows early recession. Do not rely only on color under blue lighting. Because trade photos can exaggerate color, skeleton shape, polyp layout, and expansion pattern are stronger clues than color alone.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 6 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Bubble Coral bubble tissue tearingOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- large vesicles deflate unevenly or torn tissue exposes septa
- Bubble Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- direct flow, rough handling, or nighttime sweeper contact
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Bubble Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Bubble Coral alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact
- reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton
- increase spacing and observe the coral under white light and after lights out
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- avoid flow that makes Bubble Coral vesicles slap against hard skeleton
- placing Bubble Coral before confirming large bubble-like vesicles and its spacing needs
- using Bubble Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Elegance Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Bubble Coral looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Bubble Coral
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Favia
Dipsastraea spp. / Favia spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Favites
Favites spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Brain Coral
Trachyphyllia spp. / Lobophyllia spp. / Platygyra spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
FAQs
FAQs
Is Bubble Coral beginner friendly?
Bubble Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Bubble Coral be placed?
Start Bubble Coral low in the tank or on the sand/low rockwork when its tissue form allows it. Use 50-150 PAR and moderate flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Bubble Coral?
Bubble Coral may benefit from careful target feeding with small meaty foods, mysis, and LPS pellets. Use the listed frequency as a starting point: weekly when feeding response is visible. Feed only when the coral accepts food and avoid forcing food into stressed tissue.
Can Bubble Coral touch other corals?
Give Bubble Coral about 6 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is High. Use caution near Acan Coral, Blastomussa, and Candy Cane Coral. Avoid close placement with Zoanthids, Mushroom Coral, and Acropora. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Bubble Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Bubble Coral, large vesicles deflate unevenly or torn tissue exposes septa and Bubble Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Bubble Coral bubble tissue tearing. Likely causes to check include direct flow, rough handling, or nighttime sweeper contact and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Bubble Coral. Start with these database checks: check Bubble Coral alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact and reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton.
What stability issue matters most for Bubble Coral?
For Bubble Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue. The database lists 4 months as the minimum tank age and 25 gallons as the minimum tank size. For LPS-style care, protect fleshy tissue from repeated moves, direct flow, and abrupt chemistry corrections.
Coral Identifier
Identify Bubble Coral.
Compare likely matches.
Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare large bubble-like vesicles, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Photo-based coral IDReference photosLikely matches
