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What Are the Most Beautiful Corals to Place in a Reef Aquarium?

As the old adage goes "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and choosing the most beautiful coral for a reef aquarium is no exception. Some reef aquarium owners enjoy pale colors with texture and shape as the focus; others prefer hot neon colors. Remember, lighting makes a big difference in how coral looks in a tank. There are over 20 types of corals available at aquarium centers and online.

Leather Coral
- Leather coral comes in all shapes, including elephant, finger, hand, mushroom, toadstool and cabbage. Available colors include purples, blues, yellows, reds, pinks, oranges and greens. These soft corals change form as they expand, deflate their bodies, and extend and retract their tentacles. Beginners find these corals readily available and easy to care for. Experienced aquarium owners like the nice visual balance they offer in the tank.
Mushroom Coral
- Mushroom corals, actually false corals, are members of the Corallimorph order. These petunia-like corals thrive in simple marine aquariums. Many avid fans start collections of these reef animals because they come in metallic blue, brilliant red, shiny blue, bright green, orange and various shades of purple. They can be bumpy or smooth and are available in spotted, striped or solid colors.
Sun Polyps
- Mark McDowell, PhD, considers sun polyps to be "one of the most beautiful corals in the home aquarium today." New bright orange, yellow and red polyps can be coaxed open by feeding them marine cubes and frozen brine shrimp. Once they open, sprinkle crushed frozen krill over them. Make sure each polyp receives a piece. These polyps grow and multiply quickly.
Stony Coral
- Many aquarium enthusiasts recommend the true corals or stony corals. Each polyp of a stony coral makes its own cup-shaped skeleton. One popular example is the beautiful, rare and hardy Duncan coral. This large-polyped stony coral, sometimes called a Whisker coral or Daisy coral, exhibits a combination of blue, green and purple colors with tentacles that remain extended until disturbed. Another favorite blue/green/purple stony coral is the Caulastrea, also known as the bullseye coral, trumpet coral or candy coral. This aggressive coral has stinging tentacles and features impressive prey-catching abilities. It prefers squid, krill, brine shrimp and chopped fish. Yet another stony coral that would make a beautiful addition to your reef aquarium is the hammer, torch or fox coral called Euphillia. Whether yellow, blue/green or pink, these beauties can be quite aggressive and cannot be placed near other corals.

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