The Green Bubble Coral Plerogyra simplex from Australia is one of the easiest LPS (Large Polyp Stony) corals to keep in the reef aquarium and excellent for the beginner as well. Bubble corals are usually white, or off-white in color. The Green morph found in the Green Bubble Coral are less common, and are available from time to time. Also referred to as the Green Pearl Bubble Coral, Green Grape Coral or Green Octobubble coral. In the wild, they form flat round colony clusters, looking much like clusters of 'grapes' hence the common name. The 'grapes' are water filled vesicles (bubbles) that will actually inflate or deflate, depending on the light available. All Bubble corals have lightweight skeletons consisting of short thick stalks topped with corallites. This skeleton is hidden by the oval water filled bubbles covering the coral. These bubbles only get large during the day. At night when the lights are out, the Bubble corals "Bubbles" retract, making way for their feeding tentacles to come out and gather food.
Difficulty This is an easy LPS with few demands. Be cautious while handling the coral or doing maintenance around it not to accidentally tear the "bubbles" so be careful when handling.
Aggressiveness Plerogyra corals can be aggressive if touching other corals and should be positioned away from all other corals. It needs to be at least 6" away since it sends out sweeper tentacles at night. The sweeper tentacles can punch a powerful sting to other corals as well as humans.
Water-flow
The Pearl Bubble Coral requires low water movement within the aquarium. To high a level of water flow can harm the bubble coral.
Lighting
It prefers low to moderate lighting (PAR 75 to 150). We recommend a 14-20K color spectrum for best coloration.
Tank Recommendations
A well-feed live rock/reef environment is what is needed for your bubble Coral, along with some fish for organic matter production. A mature tank is recommended. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water.
Diet and Feeding
We recommend feeding cyclopeeze, micro-plankton, brine shrimp, frozen mysis and other similar sized meaty foods. Try to NOT feed large pieces since it makes it difficult for the animal to digest such foods and often results in them regurgitating late at night. When this happens, they are not benefiting from the feeding and it can lead to eventual starvation. Feed daily for best results.
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