Red Soft Coral

About

Red Soft Coral (Gersemia rubiformis) is a soft coral native to the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Western Atlantic, including sheltered bays like Cobscook Bay along the northeastern coast of North America. In the wild it grows in dense, lobed colonies that can take on a deep red to orange-pink coloration, which is where the common names Sea Strawberry and Strawberry Carnation Coral come from. The clustered, rounded form really does call a berry to mind when the polyps are retracted. Those polyps, when extended, give the colony a feathery texture as the coral feeds on particulate matter suspended in the water column. This is a non-photosynthetic or low-light-adapted species, which sets it apart from the tropical soft corals most reef keepers are familiar with. It doesn't rely on zooxanthellae the way a typical tropical coral does, so it has different demands when it comes to feeding. That makes it an interesting choice for keepers who want to explore cold-water or species-specific biotope setups. Given its beginner care rating, it is considered reasonably forgiving once its environment is dialed in, though its cold-water origins mean it is best suited to tanks maintained at lower temperatures than a standard tropical reef.