Lighting
100-180 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Torch Coral
Euphyllia glabrescens
Torch Coral LPS guide for identifying long single tentacles, choosing middle placement with moderate flow, and managing sweeper contact or base recession when kept near Hammer Coral and Frogspawn Coral.
Compare long single tentacles, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 6/10
- Placement
- Middle
- PAR range
- 100-180 PAR
- Flow
- Moderate
- Aggression
- High
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Minimum tank age
- 6 months
- Minimum tank size
- 30 gallons
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: Emőke Dénes
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Emőke Dénes
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Emőke Dénes
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
- 420-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1280-1400 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 Torch Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Torch 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
- mysis, small meaty foods, LPS pellets
- Frequency
- 1-2 times weekly if the coral accepts food
ID
Identification
Key features
- long single tentacles
- rounded or contrasting tips
- branching or wall skeleton
Common colors
- Green
- Gold
- Purple
- Orange
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Torch coral usually has longer, less-branched tentacles than hammer or frogspawn coral. Torch Coral is best separated from Hammer Coral and Frogspawn Coral by weighing long single tentacles, rounded or contrasting tips, and branching or wall skeleton. 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.
Torch Coral sweeper contact or base recessionOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- long tentacles touching nearby corals after lights out
- Torch 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 laminar flow, tight spacing, or an alkalinity swing irritating the base
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Torch Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Torch 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
- place Torch Coral where extended tentacles cannot reach lower-aggression LPS
- placing Torch Coral before confirming long single tentacles and its spacing needs
- using Torch Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Hammer Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Torch Coral looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Torch 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
Duncan Coral
Duncanopsammia axifuga
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Candy Cane Coral
Caulastrea furcata
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Blastomussa
Blastomussa wellsi / Blastomussa merleti
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Torch Coral beginner friendly?
Torch Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Torch Coral be placed?
Start Torch Coral in the middle third with room to adjust up or down. Use 100-180 PAR and moderate flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Torch Coral?
Torch Coral may benefit from careful target feeding with mysis, small meaty foods, and LPS pellets. Use the listed frequency as a starting point: 1-2 times weekly if the coral accepts food. Feed only when the coral accepts food and avoid forcing food into stressed tissue.
Can Torch Coral touch other corals?
Give Torch Coral about 6 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is High. Use caution near Hammer Coral, Frogspawn Coral, and Goniopora. Avoid close placement with Acropora, Montipora Capricornis, and Zoanthids. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Torch Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Torch Coral, long tentacles touching nearby corals after lights out and Torch Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Torch Coral sweeper contact or base recession. Likely causes to check include direct laminar flow, tight spacing, or an alkalinity swing irritating the base and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Torch Coral. Start with these database checks: check Torch 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 Torch Coral?
For Torch Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue. The database lists 6 months as the minimum tank age and 30 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 Torch 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 long single tentacles, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Photo-based coral IDReference photosLikely matches
