Leather Coral

About

Found within the waters of the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone, Sarcophyton cinereum is a leather coral in the family Alcyoniidae, closely related to the more commonly kept toadstool leathers seen across the hobby. Like its relatives, it takes the form of a broad, cap-shaped or mushroom-like colony covered in polyps that extend when conditions are favorable, giving the coral a fuzzy, animated look when happy and settled. Leather corals as a group are well known for their resilience, and this species fits that reputation. It tolerates the kind of minor fluctuations in water quality and lighting that might stress more delicate stony corals, making it a reasonable choice for someone building their first reef system. It should be placed with moderate water movement around it to keep detritus from settling on the surface and to promote good gas exchange across the tissue. Like other Sarcophyton species, it will periodically close up and shed a waxy outer layer before reopening, which is completely normal behavior and not a cause for alarm. It is reef safe and poses no real threat to neighboring corals when given adequate space, though like all leathers it can release compounds that irritate some stony corals if kept in very close proximity.