How to Care for Golden Leptastrea Coral:

(written by Dave Burr)

Gold is an uncommon color for corals, thus the Golden Leptastrea will stand out in any reef aquarium. It is easy to keep and will encrust over the rocks as it grows.

Placement: Mount the Golden Leptastrea using IC gel glue, or putty, on an exposed rock in the lower two- thirds of the aquarium where they will receive moderate currents and low to moderate lighting. Leave space for this coral to grow and encrust the rocks around it.

Feeding: Although symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae hosted within them supply most of their nutritional requirements through photosynthesis they do benefit from supplemental feedings of Oyster-Feast, mysis shrimp, or finely chopped meaty foods.

Lighting & Flow Requirements: The Golden Leptastrea requires moderate water flow and low to moderate lighting (PAR 120-250). T5's, Metal Halides, or LED's can all grow Leptastrea Corals when the proper PAR levels are provided. We recommend a 14-20K color spectrum for best coloration.

Care Level: Easy
Lighting Requirements: Low - Moderate
Water Flow: Moderate
Aggressiveness: Peaceful
Range: Australia, Grown in California
Family: Faviidae
Water Conditions: 74-80 F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12

Water Chemistry: It is important that proper calcium (420-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9.5 dkh - run it 7-8 if you are carbon dosing) , and magnesium levels (1260-1350 ppm) are maintained. Raising magnesium levels gradually up to 1400-1600 ppm can help to combat algae outbreaks, just keep CA and Alk in line as you raise the Mg. Nitrates should be below 10 ppm and phosphates should be below .10 ppm. We recommend doing a water change when Nitrate levels rise to 10 ppm. It is important to replace your phosphate media when phosphates rise to .10 ppm. Media Reactors make the most efficient use of your phosphate media by fluidizing it.

Dosing: Vivid Aquariums uses and recommends dosing pumps to automate the dosing of additives and keep your levels more constant. A dosing pump can alleviate the chore of manually dosing your aquarium with Ca, Alk, & Mg 2,3, or 4 times per week and will benefit your aquarium by keeping your levels constant through frequent small additions of Ca, Alk, & Mg. Our tanks all progressed when we switched from 3 manual dosings per week to 70 automatic dosings per week and we got a lot more work done.