Kenya Tree Coral

Looks how to spot one

Branching soft coral (no hard skeleton)

A small soft 'tree' with a thick trunk and branches tipped with clusters of polyps. Colonies in strong current grow flatter with shorter branches.1

Personality what they are like

Hardy and undemanding. It is rated semi-aggressive mainly because it grows fast and can crowd neighbours.2

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Sessile; grows quickly and spreads by dropping small branches that root nearby.12

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Easy care with good water quality. Routine reef supplements (calcium, magnesium, strontium, iodine, trace elements) are suggested. Pieces can be cut and attached to make new colonies.2

Home where they are happiest

A reef aquarium with moderate to high light and medium to strong flow; works at any height in the tank. Stable reef-aquarium water: about 22-26 C (72-78 F), pH 8.1-8.4, alkalinity 8-12 dKH, specific gravity 1.023-1.025.2

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Gets most of its food from symbiotic algae; a weekly feed of micro-plankton or filter-feeder food is a helpful extra.12

Company who they like around

A colonial coral; give it room so its offshoots do not settle on other corals.12

The story where it all began

J. E. Gray described the genus Capnella in 1869. In the wild it grows on clear-water reef slopes and rubble across the Indo-Pacific, and its toughness has made it one of the classic starter corals in reef keeping.12

Recognised by the official bits

Taxonomy (via Wikipedia)

Genus Capnella J. E. Gray, 1869 (family Nephtheidae), 21 species listed.1