148 species across 32 families. WoRMS-validated taxonomy with care parameters from multiple sources.
LPS vs SPS vs Soft Coral — Full Breakdown Table148 species
Long Tentacle Anemone
Long flowing tentacles, buries column in sand. Good intermediate anemone.
Sebae Anemone
Long leathery tentacles, buries foot in sand. Avoid white/bleached specimens.
Magnificent Anemone
Large show anemone reaching 50cm+. Only for mature tanks with intense lighting.
Meteor Shower
Green polyps on red/orange base. One of the easiest and most colourful SPS.
Milka Stylophora
Named morph with distinctive milky purple-pink colouration.
Parilis Acropora
Open branching structure. Develops attractive pastel hues under quality lighting.
Acropora
King of SPS. Demands pristine water, high light, strong flow. Prone to STN/RTN.
Plate Coral
Small free-living plate. Reproduces by splitting — one of few self-fragging corals.
Folded Brain
Folded/lobed brain. Now synonymized with Trachyphyllia by some taxonomists.
Dent Brain
Meandering valleys create brain-like pattern. Red/gold collector morphs.
Cabbage Leather
Folded cabbage-like growth. Hardy and tolerant of varied conditions.
Hairy Mushroom
Fuzzy textured mushroom that can engulf food and small organisms.
Warty Mushroom
Textured Caribbean mushroom. Reproduces by pedal laceration — spreads readily.
Button Polyp
Large fleshy polyps that accept meaty foods. Aggressive grower, embeds into rock.
Indophyllia
Pectinia
Chalice-like plating LPS with spiny edges. Low light lover, vivid colour morphs.
Horn Coral
Distinctive raised "horns" (hydnophores). Extremely aggressive — give wide berth.
Scroll Coral
Cup/scroll/plate forms. Hardy LPS that tolerates a range of conditions.
Plate Coral
Long Tentacle Anemone
Haddon's Carpet
Carpet anemone — powerfully sticky. Can catch and eat fish. Expert only.
Sebae Anemone
Magnificent Anemone
Bubble Tip Anemone
Most popular clownfish host. Splits when happy. Can wander and sting corals.
Rock Flower Anemone
Potato Chip Coral
Thin wavy blades like potato chips. Fast plating — can shade neighbours.
Branching Psammocora
Fine branching SPS with sandpaper texture. Hardy and underrated.
Leptoseris
Plating SPS adapted to low light. "John Deere" neon green morph is a fave.
Meteor Shower
Low-light SPS that encrusts then branches. Great for shaded spots.
Branching Cyphastrea
Low-light SPS that encrusts then branches. Great for shaded mid-tank spots.
Lobe Coral
Massive/encrusting porites. Major reef builder in the wild. Very hardy.
Jeweled Coral
Branching porites with tiny polyps. Wild colonies can be centuries old.
Stylocoeniella
Encrusting SPS with tiny star-shaped corallites. Uncommon but easy once settled.
Anacropora
Delicate branching SPS. Similar care to Montipora but slower. Nice accent coral.
Cauliflower Coral
Fine-branched pocillopora. Releases planulae in captivity — may find babies.
Cauliflower
Bumpy cauliflower growth. Hardiest SPS — can even host clownfish.
Green Bird's Nest
Green birdsnest with thicker branches than hystrix.
Bird's Nest Coral
Classic birdsnest — needle-thin branches. Pink, green, yellow morphs.
Bird's Nest
Thin delicate branches form dense tangles. Brittle but frags root fast.
Cat's Paw Coral
Classic cat's paw. Pink, purple, green morphs. Very well-studied reef coral.
Cat's Paw
Smooth stubby branches. One of the "big 3" beginner SPS with monti and birdsnest.
Encrusting Monti
Encrusting form with porous texture. Spreads across rock — easy starter SPS.
Plating Monti
Thin leaf-like plates. Delicate edges but fast growth compensates.
Setosa Monti
Hairy/fuzzy polyps give soft appearance. Encrusting to plating growth.
Branching Monti
Finger-like branches. Very fast growing — great for filling upper rockwork.
Plating Monti
Swirling plating growth. Can shade corals below — plan placement carefully.
Montipora
Beginner SPS. Encrusting, plating, or branching. Much more forgiving than Acropora.
Oregon Tort
Deep blue/purple. "Oregon Tort" morph is one of the most famous named corals.
Green Bali Slimer
Neon green fast grower with heavy slime coat. Best beginner acro.
Tricolor Acro
Three-tone: blue base, green body, purple tips. Iconic collector acro.
Staghorn Coral
Fast-growing staghorn. Endangered in the wild. One of the fastest acros in captivity.
Parilis Acropora
King of SPS. Demands pristine water, high light, strong flow. Prone to STN/RTN.
Selago Acropora
Bushy branching acro. More forgiving than tenuis/millepora. Good intermediate.
Millepora
Short fuzzy polyps, berry-tipped corallites. One of the most colourful acros.
Tenuis Acropora
Thin-branched table acro. Intense colour under high PAR. Very sensitive to alk swings.
Acropora
Wrinkle Coral
Deep-water plating coral. Very low light tolerant — great for shaded areas.
Long Tentacle Plate
Plate coral with anemone-like tentacles. Can host clownfish.
Orange Plate
Small round plate, often vivid orange. Hardy sand-dweller.
Plate Coral
Small distorted plate coral. Self-fragmenting — naturally breaks into viable pieces.
Plate Coral
Disk Coral
Round plate coral. Hardy and mobile — finds its preferred spot on sand.
Plate Coral
Free-living disc coral. Can move across sand bed. Feed large meaty pieces.
Scoly
Solitary disc coral. Australian master scolys with multi-colour are ultra-premium.
Button Coral
Generic button coral. Beautiful translucent tissue, inflates dramatically.
Button Coral
Translucent fleshy single polyp. Place on sand — razor sharp skeleton edges.
Daisy Coral
Large-polyp alveopora. More forgiving than Goniopora — good stepping stone.
Daisy Coral
Daisy-like polyps on porous skeleton. Lighter skeleton, easier to frag.
Alveopora
Like Goniopora but 12 tentacles per polyp (vs 24). Generally hardier.
Flowerpot Coral
Large-polyp flowerpot. Needs established tank and stable alkalinity.
Flowerpot Coral
Free-living flowerpot on sand. Notoriously difficult, often slowly declines.
Flowerpot
Long daisy-like polyps. Modern success with stable alk and regular feeding.
Galaxy Coral
Star-shaped polyps with devastating sweepers reaching 25cm+. Isolate completely.
Pearl Bubble
Smaller pearl-like bubbles. Same care as Plerogyra — low flow, space for sweepers.
Bubble Coral
Grape-like vesicles by day, long sweepers at night. Keep flow low.
Elegance Coral
Stunning flowing tentacles. Place on sand. Prone to Elegance Coral Syndrome.
Blasto Merleti
Smaller polyps than wellsi, denser clusters. Fluorescent under blue light.
Blasto Wellsi
Large individual polyps on stubby branches. Red/blue bicolour morphs popular.
Blastomussa
Fleshy polyps on branching skeleton. One of the most peaceful LPS.
Trumpet Coral
Trumpet-shaped variant of candy cane. Slightly spiny skeleton, same easy care.
Candy Cane
Branching LPS with round polyp heads. Excellent beginner LPS — easy to frag.
Chalice Coral
Delicate plating chalice. Green/orange "frogspawn chalice" morphs are collector faves.
Chalice
Thin plating chalice with delicate edges. Handle frags carefully — brittle.
Peacock-Eye
Plating chalice with raised corallite "eyes". Grows in overlapping plates.
Hollywood Stunner
Fast-growing chalice relative. "Hollywood Stunner" has neon green eyes on orange.
Chalice Coral
Rough-textured chalice. Rainbow/watermelon morphs highly valued.
Chalice
Plating/encrusting chalice. Develops vivid "eye" patterns. Potent sweepers at night.
Maze Brain
Complex maze pattern. One of the hardiest brain corals — wide tolerance.
Worm Brain
Meandering worm-like valleys. Feeds readily at night when tentacles extend.
Maze Brain
Shared-wall brain coral with maze-like pattern. Very hardy reef builder.
Favia
Generic favia brain. Most reclassified to Dipsastraea — name persists in hobby.
Favia Brain
Formerly Favia pallida. Encrusting brain with separate round corallites.
War Coral
Pentagon-shaped corallites. Named for extremely potent sweepers at night.
Meat Coral
Deep-water meat coral. Prefers very low light — can bleach under moderate intensity.
Meat Coral
Large fleshy single-polyp coral. Inflates massively and engulfs food whole.
Open Brain
Generic open brain. Must sit on sand bed — skeleton edges tear flesh on rock.
Open Brain
Fleshy free-living brain. Place on sand — never on rock. Feed meaty foods 2x/week.
Dent Brain
Generic lobo brain. Fleshy LPS with vivid colours and aggressive sweepers.
Lobo Brain
Generic lobo brain. Fleshy LPS with vivid colours and aggressive sweepers.
Lobo Brain
Lobed brain with pronounced ridges. Responds well to weekly target feeding.
Lobo Brain
Multi-lobed brain coral. Inflates dramatically at night — give extra clearance.
Homophyllia
Covers scolys and bowerbankis. Low light/flow, sandy substrate preferred.
Scoly
Single-polyp showpiece. Master-grade morphs among the most expensive corals.
Bowerbanki
Multi-mouth solitary coral. Stunning colour patterns similar to scoly.
Acan Echinata
Spiny acan with potent sweepers. Can digest neighbouring corals. Give space.
Acan Lord
Generic acan — fleshy LPS that responds well to target feeding.
Acan
Smaller polyps than lordhowensis. Encrusting growth, vivid rainbow morphs.
Acan Lord
Fleshy multi-coloured polyps. Target feed mysis 2x/week for best colour.
Duncan Coral
Daisy-like polyps. Excellent beginner LPS — peaceful, hardy, feeds eagerly.
Branching Hammer
Branching form hammer. Easier to frag than wall — snap at branch points.
Euphyllia
Generic Euphyllia. All have potent sweeper tentacles at night.
Frogspawn
Branching frogspawn variant with grape-cluster polyp appearance.
Torch Coral
Long flowing tentacles with bulb tips. Most aggressive Euphyllia — give 20cm clearance.
Frogspawn
Branching frogspawn — multi-tipped tentacles. Easier to frag than wall form.
Wall Frogspawn
Wall-form frogspawn with branching tentacle tips. Elegant flowing movement.
Hammer Coral
Branching hammer with T-shaped tips. Can be kept near other Euphyllia.
Wall Hammer
Wall-form hammer with anchor-shaped tips. Sweepers reach 15cm+ at night.
Yellow Sea Whip
Yellow-green sea whip. Needs high flow to prevent algae buildup.
Angular Sea Whip
Flat-bladed Caribbean gorgonian. Benefits from phyto/roti feeding.
Purple Sea Fan
Iconic fan-shaped gorgonian. Needs strong flow perpendicular to fan and regular feeding.
Blue Xenia
Delicate pulsing soft coral in blue/purple. More finicky than xenia.
Blue Sympodium
Encrusting soft coral with tiny blue/purple polyps. Slower than GSP.
Corky Sea Finger
Encrusting/branching gorgonian relative. Spreads aggressively like GSP.
GSP
Green Star Polyps — purple mat, green polyps. Will cover everything. Isolate.
Clove Polyps
Star-shaped polyps on creeping mat. Easier to control than GSP.
Waving Hand
Mat-forming soft coral with waving polyps. Spreads via stolons.
Pulsing Xenia
Pulsing xenia variant. Paradoxically prefers slightly elevated nutrients.
Pulsing Xenia
Mesmerizing pulsing polyps. Grows explosively — isolate on its own rock.
Kenya Tree
Drops branches to self-propagate — can become a weed. Nearly unkillable.
Colt Coral
Branching soft coral with fine polyps. Needs moderate flow to stay upright.
Cabbage Leather
Flexible Leather
Soft flexible branches that sway in current. Strong chemical warfare species.
Devil's Hand
Finger-like lobes. Chemical warfare expert — keep carbon running in mixed reefs.
Toadstool Leather
Large toadstool, 30cm+ cap. Releases terpenes — run carbon near mixed reefs.
Toadstool Leather
Classic toadstool with retractable polyps. Sheds mucus coating periodically — normal.
Yuma Ricordea
Indo-Pacific ricordea, more delicate than florida. Stunning multi-colour morphs.
Florida Ricordea
Bubble-tipped Caribbean mushroom. Bright greens, oranges, blues.
Bullseye Mushroom
Distinctive concentric ring pattern. Colourful morphs called "bounce" mushrooms.
Hairy Mushroom
Hairy/fuzzy mushroom genus. Includes bounce mushrooms.
Warty Mushroom
Hairy/fuzzy mushroom genus. Includes bounce mushrooms.
Smooth Mushroom
Flat smooth disc mushroom. Thrives in low light/flow, will bleach under intense light.
Button Polyp
Contains palytoxin — handle with gloves. Very hardy colonial polyps.
Paly
Common Indo-Pacific paly. Very hardy, can overgrow neighbours.
Paly
Contains palytoxin — handle with gloves, never boil live rock with palys.
Zoa
Generic zoanthid — hundreds of named color morphs in the hobby.
Zoa
Small-polyp zoa forming dense colonies. Vivid greens and oranges.
Sea Mat
Fast-spreading mat-forming zoa. Very forgiving, great beginner coral.
Zoa
Hardy colonial polyps with endless color morphs. Rare morphs fetch collector prices.
