Candy Cane Coral is a large stony coral known by the scientific name Caulastraea furcata. It’s also called Trumpet Coral, Bullseye Coral, or Cat’s Eye Coral.
The Candy Cane Coral is part of the Merulinidae family. It’s a very interesting coral because it has a structure that looks a lot like candy canes or trumpets.
This is because Candy Cane Coral has tubular stalks with stars on each tip.
How Does the Candy Cane Coral Look Like and Where Is It Found?
Each of Candy Cane Coral’s stalks is actually a large polyp, kind of like a tiny animal, that makes up the coral colony.
The polyps have short tentacles that they use to catch food and direct it into their mouth. This food is then digested inside their body.
The polyps can be colored green, yellow, or brown. Candy Cane Coral is found in the Indo-Pacific from Fiji to Australia and maybe even as far west as Thailand.
What Is Candy Cane Coral Habitat?
Candy Cane Coral loves to live on protected reef slopes where the ground is partly sandy. It can form large groups of the same species that are sometimes more than five meters across.
Candy Cane Coral can live as deep as 30 meters underwater and may also be found in lagoons.
What Is Candy Cane Coral’s Diet?
Candy Cane Coral gets most of its food from the photosynthesis of tiny algae living in its tissue. These algae are called zooxanthellae.
But Candy Cane Coral doesn’t just rely on algae for food. It also eats tiny animals called zooplankton.
How Do Candy Cane Corals Propagate?
Candy Cane Coral is a popular coral for aquariums.
It has been successfully grown in captivity in a variety of colors, including blue with green centers, yellow with green centers, and burgundy red with a green center.
What Are the Common Names of Candy Cane Coral?
Candy Cane Coral gets its name from the stripes under the flesh of the polyp that make it look like a peppermint.
Some common names for this coral are Candy Cane Coral, Cat’s Eye Coral, Bullseye Coral, Torch Coral, and Candy Coral.
What Are the Care Requirements of Candy Cane Coral in An Aquarium?
Candy Cane Coral is a good coral for beginners to keep in their aquariums. It’s easy to take care of and likes medium to low water movement and low to moderate lighting.
This coral also needs to be fed regularly. It’s not a very aggressive coral, but it can be semi-aggressive if it’s too close to other corals.
What Is the Distribution and Conservation Status of Candy Cane Coral?
Candy Cane Coral is found around the Seychelles and Maldives Islands to Fiji and Tonga, and around Australia.
The reefs that they inhabit around Australia are the Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea, and the Scott Reef.
Candy Cane Coral is currently listed as LC (Least Concern) on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
How Does Candy Cane Coral Reproduce?
Not much is known about the reproduction of Candy Cane Coral. But we do know that it can reproduce both sexually and asexually.
In the wild, Candy Cane Corals release eggs and sperm at the same time, resulting in a fertilized egg which then forms into a free-swimming larva.
Eventually, this larva settles onto the substrate, becoming a tiny coral. In captivity, they can also reproduce by fragmenting and budding.
What Are the Potential Problems in Candy Cane Coral’s Care?
Despite being hardy, Candy Cane Coral sometimes faces problems like boring worms, sponges, and algae.
These issues can cause Candy Cane Coral to recede, which means it starts to die off.
Candy Cane Coral Characteristics
| Temperament: | Peaceful |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Merulinidae |
| Genus: | Caulastraea |
| Scientific Name: | Caulastrea furcata |
| Also Known As: | Candy Cane Coral, Trumpet Coral, Bullseye Coral, Cat’s Eye Coral, Torch Coral, Candy Coral |
| Conservation Status: | Unknown |