Aquarium Coral Identification

Often mistaken for sea plants, corals are colonies of millions of animals called polyps. These polyps extend to capture plankton floating in the water and retract when stressed or during a growth period. Make sure each species of coral is well-separated from one another. Not all corals that survive in nature can survive in a tank; therefore, research any coral to verify that it is a hardy species and can cohabitate with all tank mates before purchasing one.

  1. Brain Corals

    • Open brain corals come in greens, pinks, reds and purples.

      Brain corals are divided into two categories: standard and open. Standard brains are hard corals and resemble brains with their ridges and folds. Open brains extend a bright fleshy palate during the day. These corals have a stony base and brightly colored flesh that surrounds the exoskeleton.

    Leather Corals

    • Fiji leather corals come in shades of yellow.

      Leather coral are soft corals that do not have exoskeletons. Leathers come in an array of shapes, sizes and colors, including shades of pink, gray, green and yellow; they can be dull or brightly colored. Some look like trees, and extended polyps make the coral appear prickly. When polyps are retracted in, the coral is smooth and more colorful.

    Mushroom Corals

    • Mushroom corals are also called mushroom anenomes.

      Mushrooms are sold as corals, but are actually anemones. Mushroom corals are named based on their mushroomlike appearance, and they come in almost any conceivable texture and color. Ricordeas are a specialized type if mushroom coral that is native to Florida waters, and can be identified by their raised bumps on the surface.

    Zoanthids

    • Zoanthids look like button-size flowers.

      Zoanthids, commonly referred to as "zoos," are soft corals look like little flowers and have petal-like skirts. When open, zoanthids are colorful and can be a single solid color or multicolored. These corals close at night, exposing their "stemlike polyps, and range from pink to purple to blue.

    Bubble Corals

    • Bubble corals are found in shades of white, pinks and greens.

      Bubble corals have a hard, calcified base, and the live portion of the coral, when fully extended, looks like a cluster of bubbles with short, stubby feeder tentacles. These corals are semiaggressive and must be placed in an area where they cannot touch any other coral.

    Frogspawn, Hammer and Torch Corals

    • Hammer corals have anvil-shaped extenasions.

      Frogspawn is aptly named for their similar appearance to a cluster of frog eggs. They come in shades of pink, brown, white, green and yellow, and the fleshy tips of these corals appear dotted. When irritated, the soft part of the coral retracts, revealing stony, calcified branches. Close cousins to the frogspawn, hammer corals have anvil-like tips and the fleshy part of the torch coral is more elongated and stringy than frogspawn.