Two Tone Green Candy Coral

Caulastrea, commonly called trumpet corals or candy cane corals, are great beginner-friendly LPS corals. The reason they make good beginner corals is three fold. Candy Canes are generally hardy. While it’s always a good idea to pursue pristine water conditions, these corals give hobbyists some room for error. Every slight dip in calcium or alkalinity is not going to result in a colony crash.

Second of all, they are not particularly aggressive compared to other LPS. It’s always a good idea to give corals plenty of room to grow, but some LPS require extra space because of their ability to extend sweeper tentacles to kill off their neighbors. Candy Canes do not exhibit this behavior to nearly the extent other LPS do. This give the aquarist some room to work in terms of aquascaping, which comes in handy in smaller aquariums such as nano reefs.

Lastly, they are not drama queens when it comes to lighting them. There are some corals that will go from vibrant and color fun under one set of lights only to look drab and lifeless under another. Candy canes are remarkably consistent in their appearance so they do not require extravagant lighting setups to maintain their aesthetics.