Dead Man's Fingers
Alcyonium cydonium
A lumpy, lobed soft coral from cold northern seas, rarely seen in home systems.
About
Found along the rocky coastlines of Scandinavia and the broader northeastern Atlantic, Alcyonium cydonium is a cold-water soft coral that forms fleshy, irregular lobes anchored to hard substrate. It belongs to a genus sometimes called dead man's fingers in related species, and shares that group's characteristic thick, rubbery texture and pale coloration, typically ranging from whitish to pale orange or yellowish tones depending on the population. The colony surface is dotted with tiny polyps that extend to feed when conditions are right and retract flush with the body when disturbed. Because it hails from cold, nutrient-rich northern waters, it is genuinely uncommon in the aquarium trade, and most home reef keepers will never encounter it. That said, its care requirements are rated accessible for beginners, needing only moderate light and moderate flow to get by. The bigger practical challenge is providing appropriately cool water temperatures, which rules it out for the vast majority of standard reef setups. Reefers with cold-water or species-specific systems, particularly those already keeping North Atlantic or Scandinavian fauna, are the most likely candidates to work with this coral successfully. It is reef safe and not known to cause problems for neighboring invertebrates.
Similar species
Other coral you might consider
Good tank mates
Species that tend to coexist peacefully with Dead Man's Fingers
From the same region
Share the same natural habitat. Great for a biotope-themed tank
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Dead Man's Fingers eat?
- The Dead Man's Fingers is a filter feeder. It eats tiny particles suspended in the water and usually needs target feeding in a home tank.
- Is the Dead Man's Fingers reef safe?
- The Dead Man's Fingers is generally considered reef safe.