Plexaura flexuosa

This is a photosynthetic gorgonian.

PLEXAURA

Plexaura corals, often referred to as gorgonians, are tall thin branching corals. They have 85 recognized species within their genus and are photosynthetic. They have small polyps and are typically pink/purple.

They feed through small polyps on their branches and are known to be easy to care for corals.

WATER CHEMISTRY

Plexaura are fairly forgiving when it comes to water chemistry. It makes it a good coral for beginners so long as they give them proper flow and light. We have found they even tend to prefer dirtier waters. While we have our preferred parameters for Alkalinity, Phosphate, and Nitrate, Plexaura will do far better in your system if you just focus on keeping the water chemistry stable. If your Alkalinity, Phosphate, or Nitrate is out of line, our recommendation is to get it back to your target levels as slowly as possible.

The parameters we aim for are:

We maintain these levels by use of dosing pumps, with Brightwell Aquatics Reef Code A and Reef Code B.

It's important to understand that these are the levels that we aim for in our systems. However, that doesn't mean they are the right levels for your system. All aquariums are different and your system may naturally fall on a different balance. You're better off working with the balance your system tends towards than trying to force the same levels that we run.

FLOW

In terms of flow Plexaura corals will need to be kept in a moderate flow area. You will know you have the right flow when the colonies branches are stirring slightly, but not enough that they are blown over or knocked into their neighbors. Polyp extension is also important to look out for as there is too much flow when there is no polyp extension and detritus build up with too little.

LIGHTING

Plexaura gorgonians are photosynthetic which means they require moderate - high light. They tend to be happiest with moderate lighting. As with many corals, too much light can cause discoloration and receding flesh. As we’ve mentioned before, these coral can be trained for higher PAR, but if this is your wish we recommend doing it slowly as the potential for bleaching is high.