By Roy Torres | Infinity and Beyond Aquatics
LPS corals bring big color, fleshy polyps, and beautiful movement to a reef. Here’s a quick guide to their food, lighting, placement, and everyday care—because looking fluffy doesn’t mean they’re all easygoing neighbors.
What are LPS corals?
LPS means large polyp stony. These corals have a hard calcium carbonate skeleton beneath living tissue. Familiar examples include hammers, torches, frogspawn, Duncans, Micromussa (often sold as Acan Lords), Blastomussa, and many brain and chalice corals. LPS is a hobby grouping, not a promise that every member needs identical care.
LPS care at a glance
- Light: Often low to moderate; match the individual coral and its previous conditions.
- Flow: Enough indirect movement to keep tissue clean, without pinning flesh against the skeleton.
- Food: Appropriately sized meaty foods or suitable coral foods, offered sparingly.
- Placement: Choose by measured light, flow, and growing room—not just “bottom” or “middle.”
- Water: Keep salinity, temperature, alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium stable. Monitor nitrate and phosphate.
- Neighbors: Leave room for fully extended tissue, sweepers, and future growth.
PAR: a practical starting reference
PAR readings help you assess light reaching the coral. These are conservative planning examples, not universal minimums, maximums, or guarantees. Ask about the specimen’s previous lighting and follow its individual care guidance.
| Coral | Example PAR starting range | Placement and flow tip |
|---|---|---|
| Micromussa / Acan Lords | 25–50 | Lower light rockwork or a stable low platform; gentle flow that prevents debris settling. |
| Blastomussa | 30–50 | Lower light area with gentle indirect movement. |
| Duncan | 50–150 | Low to middle rockwork where its heads can open; low to moderate indirect flow. |
| Hammer / frogspawn | 50–150 | Stable rockwork with room for expansion and an indirect, varied current. |
| Torch | About 100–150 | Give it a generous separate area and a varied current that lets tentacles sway without being flattened. |
| Chalice | Around 100 | A secure ledge with room for growth and enough movement to clear debris. |
Good tip: The sand bed can still be bright under a powerful fixture. Measure at the coral’s location when possible. Start cautiously and acclimate over weeks rather than jumping straight to a target. Some established specimens tolerate different levels.
For help understanding intensity and even coverage, read How to Choose a Reef Tank Light: Start With the Corals.
What do LPS corals eat?
The common photosynthetic LPS above receive much of their energy from symbiotic algae in their tissue. Many also capture food. Small mysis shrimp, finely chopped marine foods, zooplankton, or correctly sized coral pellets can suit different species. Nonphotosynthetic corals need a separate feeding plan.
- As a cautious starting routine, offer a small supplemental meal once or twice weekly, then adjust to the species, feeding response, and nutrient levels.
- Feed when the coral is receptive; some extend feeding tentacles after lights dim.
- Gently deliver food near the mouth or tentacles. Never force food into a mouth or blast tissue with a baster.
- Temporarily reduce flow if needed, keep oxygenation going, and restore normal flow promptly after feeding.
- Use tiny portions, follow packaged food instructions, and remove uneaten food. More food isn’t automatically better.
Good tip: Duncans and Acans often show an obvious feeding response. Hammers and torches can be less enthusiastic. Don’t keep adding food just because a coral ignores it.
Placement: protect the flesh and plan the neighborhood
Handle corals by the plug or exposed skeleton rather than squeezing their soft tissue. Secure them against falls, keep fleshy tissue away from sharp rock edges, and avoid locations where sand repeatedly buries them.
Some LPS choose violence. Torches and other aggressive corals can sting beyond their daytime footprint. Check spacing after dark, leave room beyond full extension, and increase separation if sweepers can reach a neighbor. Similar names don’t guarantee safe contact. Give chalices room too.
Keep care consistent
Test regularly and dose only for measured needs. Keep nutrients controlled without stripping them to zero. Change one major variable at a time, and give a newly placed coral time to settle instead of moving it daily.
Watch for: persistent retraction, paling, receding flesh, exposed skeleton, or tissue being pulled hard by flow. Check water quality, recent lighting changes, nearby stings, and current strength before assuming one cause. Rapid tissue loss or brown jelly-like material needs prompt attention and experienced help.
My rule: Suitable light, comfortable flow, sensible feeding, stable water, and enough personal space. Happy polyps, fewer neighborhood disputes.
Explore our LPS Coral collection or contact Infinity and Beyond Aquatics for help choosing a coral for your reef.