Sandstorm Leptoseris

This Leptoseris has a brilliant golden pink, yellow orange. Of the 5 varieties we currently carry, this one is likely the most rare! Frags of this awesome coral will be roughly 3/4"-1" in diameter.

Leptoseris Coral Care

Leptoseris are commonly known as a wrinkle coral but almost no one in the hobby refers to this coral by its common name. Leptoseris were made popular a few years ago when bright orange color morphs came onto the scene and blew everyone away with their intense fluorescence. They are one of the most dazzling corals under actinic lighting because in addition to their bright coloration, they almost take on a metallic appearance. Please see below for additional care tips for Leptoseris as well as checking out our Top 5 Tips for setting up a reef.

Lighting

Leptoseris do very well in shady areas of the reef. They are commonly found under overhangs and lower reef slopes, so we recommend low lighting. Having said that, Leptoseris are highly adaptable to different lighting systems but do change colors to compensate. They do fluoresce nicely under actinic, in particular LED so as a matter of personal preference we keep them under blue lighting.

Low Light

Low light translates to about 30-50 PAR

Medium Light

Medium Light is between 50-150 PAR

High Light

High Light is anything over 150 PAR

Lighting is a loaded topic, so for a more in-depth discussion of lighting, please see our Deep Dive article.

Water Flow

We recommend keeping the coral in a low to medium flow area of the reef aquarium. Excessive flow could cause this particular species to become stressed and not extend fully. Lower flow also provides more opportunities for feeding.

Feeding

Leptoseris have small mouths and cannot feed on large particles. In our experience, Leptoseris is a challenging coral to feed and most attempts up to this point have been unsuccessful.

Propagation

This Genus is a great candidate for aquaculture. Leptoseris heal very quickly from cutting and their growth pattern is conducive to high productivity.

Acclimation

Proper acclimation is extremely important considering the stress imposed on the animals by the shipping process. Please take a moment to review our Acclimation Guide.

Photography

The images were taken with a Canon 5D mk II and 100mm macro lens under T5 Fluorescent lighting. Quite a lot goes into how we go about shooting the corals and anemones you see on Tidal Gardens. For an in-depth look at our methods, check out our comprehensive Reef Aquarium Photography FAQ.

Sandstorm Leptoseris

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