The Dark Green Leather Coral makes a great pick for beginners thanks to its ease of care in the home aquarium, if kept in systems large enough to accommodate its relatively large size. Referred to as Sarcophyton Coral, Mushroom, Leather, or Trough Corals, they are found in various shades of green and tan, with white or gold polyps. Sarcophyton Corals are relatively peaceful, but adequate space should be provided between them and other corals in the reef aquarium. Some can produce toxins which are harmful to other reef inhabitants. The Dark Green Leather Coral requires medium lighting combined with medium to strong water movement. For continued good health, they will also require the addition of iodine, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. Culturing by the experienced hobbyist is often accomplished by cutting off a portion of the Coral's crown and attaching that piece to live rock or placing it in the sandy bottom of the reef aquarium. The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within its body provides the majority of its nutritional needs from the light driven process of photosynthesis. It will also benefit from additional food such as microplankton, baby brine shrimp, or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates. The Dark Green Leather Coral is mounted on an aragonite block that can be placed easily and securely in or between the rockwork in the reef aquarium.
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