Cauliflower Coral
Pocillopora elegans
A compact branching coral with an extraordinary range across two oceans.
About
Cauliflower coral (Pocillopora elegans) is one of the more geographically remarkable corals you'll encounter in the hobby, distributed across a vast stretch from Indonesia all the way to the Pacific coast of Colombia and the Gulf of California. A range that spans two oceans and crosses the usually-impassable Eastern Pacific Barrier. In the wild it occupies shallow reef zones down to around 18 meters, where it forms tight, rounded clumps of thick, upright branches that terminate in flattened tips. The surface texture is distinctive: evenly spaced, smooth, rounded bumps called verrucae give the colony a tidy, almost sculpted appearance. Coloration runs from cream to brownish-green to pink, depending on the light environment and zooxanthellae density. In the aquarium, this coral is considered an intermediate-level keep. It demands consistently high light and robust, turbulent flow to mirror the energetic shallow-reef conditions it calls home in the wild. Given those conditions, it can be a rewarding branching coral to work with, and its compact growth form makes it manageable in a display reef. Less experienced reefers should get comfortable with flow and lighting management before adding this one to the tank.
Similar species
Other coral you might consider
Good tank mates
Species that tend to coexist peacefully with Cauliflower Coral
From the same region
Share the same natural habitat. Great for a biotope-themed tank
Frequently asked questions
- What water parameters does the Cauliflower Coral need?
- The Cauliflower Coral does best with a temperature of 72–82°F, a pH of 8–8.4.
- Is the Cauliflower Coral reef safe?
- The Cauliflower Coral is generally considered reef safe.