Toadstool Coral

About

A sessile soft coral native to the tropical waters of New Caledonia, Sarcophyton regulare belongs to a genus that reef hobbyists often call toadstool or leather corals, and this species shares many of the traits that make that group so approachable. Like its relatives, it grows in a characteristic mushroom or disc-like form, with a distinct stalk supporting a broader capitulum that hosts retractile polyps along its upper surface. In the wild it occupies tropical reef environments in the Western Central Pacific, and its distribution appears centered around New Caledonia, where it was formally documented in regional marine species surveys. In the aquarium it is considered a good choice for newer reef keepers, tolerating a reasonable range of conditions as long as water quality is kept in check. It does well under moderate lighting and moderate water movement, both of which are fairly easy to achieve in a typical reef setup. One thing worth knowing about Sarcophyton corals generally is that they periodically shed a waxy film from their surface and may temporarily close up during this process, which can alarm newcomers but is completely normal behavior. Give it room to expand and keep it away from neighboring corals, as leather corals can release compounds that irritate other sessile invertebrates nearby.