What is Euphyllia coral and how do you care for it?

Reviewed by the Fast Aquatics husbandry team · Updated May 2026
Quick answerEuphyllia is a genus of LPS coral including frogspawn, hammer, torch, and gold-tip torch. They thrive in 100-250 PAR, moderate flow, and target-feeding 1-2x weekly. Stable alkalinity (8-9 dKH) and calcium (420-450 ppm) are critical.

Full answer

Euphyllia is one of the most popular LPS (large polyp stony) coral genera in the reef hobby. Common species: Euphyllia ancora (hammer coral), E. paradivisa (frogspawn), E. glabrescens (torch coral), E. paraancora (branching hammer), E. cristata (grape coral). Care difficulty: intermediate. Light: 100-250 PAR (LPS range). Flow: moderate, NOT direct - too much flow tears the fleshy tissue. Placement: 6-12 inches between Euphyllia pieces (sweeper tentacles extend at night and sting nearby coral). Feeding: target-feed Reef Roids, Coral Frenzy, or finely-blended frozen seafood 1-2x weekly. Common issues: brown jelly disease (cut + dip immediately if seen), parameter swings cause polyp retraction, alk swings >0.5 dKH/24h trigger tissue recession. Browse Euphyllia species library for full breakdown by species.

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