This page is for large polyp stony corals, LPS for short: torches, hammers and frogspawn, Goniopora, acans, chalices, scolys, trachys, cynarinas, acanthophyllias, blastos, elegance, plates, favia and goniastrea. Sizes run from frags and single heads like the Hologram Hammer up to colonies like the Large Raja Rampage Chalice. To shop one group, go to torches, hammers and frogspawn or Goniopora.
Most LPS are a comfortable step up from soft corals. They do well with low to moderate light and flow, and because they build a stony skeleton they need stable alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. Goniopora asks for more than the rest and has its own care notes.
Acans, scolys, blastos, trachys and cynarinas put out feeding tentacles, usually after the lights go down. Small meaty foods like mysis, target fed once or twice a week, are enough for most. Torches and hammers rely mostly on light.
Think about placement first:
- Torches, hammers, frogspawn, elegance and many chalices put out sweeper tentacles at night that can sting their neighbors. Give them more open rock than their daytime size suggests, and check after lights out to see how far the sweepers reach.
- Scolys, trachys, cynarinas, acanthophyllias and plate corals usually do best on the sand bed, out of strong flow.
Our corals are quarantined before they're sold. If you're unsure where a piece should go in your tank, ask us.