Knobby Candelabra

About

Knobby Candelabra (Eunicea clavigera) is a gorgonian soft coral native to the Western Central Atlantic, with documented populations across the Bahamas, Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean. True to its common name, it grows in a branching, candelabra-like form covered in the characteristic raised knobs that set it apart from smoother gorgonian relatives. These bumps are actually the calyces, the raised structures housing individual polyps, and they give the colony a rugged, textured look even when the polyps are retracted. In the wild it tends to inhabit reef environments, and like most gorgonians it relies on consistent, strong water movement to carry food particles to its polyps and keep detritus from settling on the colony. In the aquarium, Knobby Candelabra sits comfortably in the intermediate care bracket. It isn't the most forgiving gorgonian for complete beginners, but a keeper with some reef experience should do well with it. Positioning matters more than anything else. Place it where it receives generous flow and moderate light, and give it enough vertical space to develop its natural branching silhouette. Target feeding with zooplankton or fine particulate foods is generally appreciated and helps keep colonies looking full and healthy.