Leather Coral

About

Found across the reef systems of the Western North Pacific, Lobophytum verrucosum is a soft coral belonging to the leather coral group, well regarded for its resilience and relatively undemanding nature in captivity. Like other lobophytums, it produces a fleshy, lobed colony covered in small bumps or verrucae. The textural feature that gives this species its name. Coloration tends toward muted tones of tan, brown, or cream, often with a slightly greenish cast depending on the zooxanthellae it hosts. In the aquarium it extends small polyps across its surface when conditions suit it, giving the colony a fuzzy, animated appearance. One behavior worth knowing upfront is that lobophytum corals routinely contract and shed a thin waxy film as a self-cleaning mechanism. This can look alarming to newer keepers, but it's completely normal and usually resolves within a day or two. It appreciates steady moderate water movement and enough light to keep its zooxanthellae productive, but it doesn't demand the intense conditions that many SPS corals require. It also produces chemical compounds that can irritate neighboring corals, so give it reasonable space on the rockwork. Overall this is a forgiving choice for reef keepers just getting started with soft corals.