Coral Spotlight | Torch Coral

[mikejrice]

Common names: Torch coral, trumpet coral, pom-pom coral

Difficulty Level: Torch coral*is generally tolerant, but must have stable alkalinity to survive.

Feeding: Poor feeding response, so must usually be fed with pumps off. Most common foods are small suspension matter including phyto and roti.

Lighting (Level 5 to 7): Most prefer moderate lighting, but will adapt to varying conditions.

Water flow: Medium to low flow is a must in preventing damage to fleshy tentacles against rock or skeleton.

Placement:*Torch coral can be very aggressive, so be sure to leave space for it to fully extend its tentacles without touching other corals including other species of*euphyllia.

General:*Many times clownfish will host in torch coral like an anemone. Be cautious as not every torch will continue to open fully is harassed by clownfish

 

[mikejrice]

I remember a day when torch used to seem as common and easy to care for as its euphyllia relatives frogspawn and hammer, but that has all changed in my mind. These species are more sensitive than other euphyllias which allows for less captive propogation and therefore less stable strains in captivity. It's pretty common place to find a captive grown colony of hammer or frogspawn, but it's very rare for one of torch to hit the market. Are all of these really coming from the ocean or does someone out there actually grow these captively?

Because of this, it's been awhile since I've seen a few different color strains all together until this week. Heres a few photos from the strains I got to check out this week at work.

If you've got the secret to growing torch and have some huge colonies going in secret, let's see them!

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[heritage]

Here's my Aussie torch, purple with white tips. This picture is a couple years old but I will post an updated picture. Honestly, I never had a problem with keeping a torch, I've had this one for 7 or 8 years now and I easily fragged more than a hundred heads from it. Right now its around a hundred heads easily 12 inches or more across and most are in the process of splitting even splitting 3 ways.

 

[heritage]

Forgot that picture was taken when it was in my 125, almost touched the front and back glass. 18 inches

Now its in a 180
No direct feeding

 

[mikejrice]

Here's my Aussie torch, purple with white tips. This picture is a couple years old but I will post an updated picture. Honestly, I never had a problem with keeping a torch, I've had this one for 7 or 8 years now and I easily fragged more than a hundred heads from it. Right now its around a hundred heads easily 12 inches or more across and most are in the process of splitting even splitting 3 ways.

Very nice colony!

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[heritage]

just a quick picture of the torch today. And I miss spoke this torch is more like 60 heads, I was thinking of my Duncan that has more heads then I can count.

 

[afish70]

so how do i get mine to grow? I bought it as 3 heads like 8 months ago and it still is 3 heads? What is the secret to getting them to grow?

 

[heritage]

so how do i get mine to grow? I bought it as 3 heads like 8 months ago and it still is 3 heads? What is the secret to getting them to grow?

There's no secret. I do not do anything special, fish are fed twice a day and when I think of it I will broadcast feed Reef roids once a month.

One thing I did notice is that mine did not grow under led lighting. My tank is lit with 2- 6x36 ati sunpower. I actually watched a frag that I traded in and the owner put it in his display tank that was lit with led and it never grew and eventually died.

Tank parameters
Calcium 420
Alkalinity 8dkh
Temp 78

 

[steallife904]

food!

I have noticed in the past as well that the more heads they have the faster they grow. Years ago I bought a 2 head frag that seemed to stay that way awhile. Slowly they started to divide and once it got to 8 or so heads it just took off. Before I knew it there where 50+ LOL. Ended up getting to big so I fragged it to keep a piece not long ago and traded the colony to my LFS. the frag was 2 heads, 1 died for some reason but the other has now split into 2.

 

[rogersb]

so how do i get mine to grow? I bought it as 3 heads like 8 months ago and it still is 3 heads? What is the secret to getting them to grow?

What type? Those thick large diameter Aussie torches grow slooooooooow. Thinner smaller diameter torches grow fairly quickly if alk/ca are kept in check. With my new tank I am pretty much only feeding frozen and I am having crazy growth on everything.

 

[afish70]

This is what mine looks like. Photo from a few months ago.

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[heritage]

This is what mine looks like. Photo from a few months ago.

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That's a nice looking torch !
If possible I would move it higher in the tank mid way would be idea.
Torch are slow growing, I would say mine splits about every 6 months or so.

led lighting?

 

[rogersb]

^^^ I agree, move it up some.

 

[mikejrice]

Nice bright tips

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[ConnorSpiezio1]

wow amazing stuff dude these photos are amazing.

 

[SFALReefer]

I'd love to see color comparisons between actinics and daylight on corals in your videos. Seems like that is rarely done.

 

[mikejrice]