Long tentacle plate coral

Care at a glance

The long tentacle plate coral is a free-living coral that lies on the bottom as a loose disc and carries tentacles so long and bulbous that it looks like an anemone. Unlike an anemone, though, there is a hard skeleton beneath all that tissue.

It needs sand or a flat bottom, gentle flow and moderate light; on sharp rock the tissue gets damaged. Its tentacles are potent enough to burn neighbours, and buying one carries a risk: damaged specimens often decline anyway, so choose an animal with fully inflated tentacles.

Good to know

• Potent sting — keep distance in the tank

Related species

• Acan echinataAcanthastrea echinata
• Merulina coralMerulina sp.
• Fox coralNemenzophyllia turbida
• Pectinia coralPectinia sp.
• Photosynthetic gorgonianPinnigorgia flava
• Rhodactis mushroomRhodactis sp.