GALAXEA CORAL CARE OVERVIEW

• LIGHT: MODERATE (100-200 par) is what we find best. Galaxea coral are highly adaptable to reef tanks but it is important to keep in mind that it is far easier to damage coral with too much lighting so in our opinion when it comes to lighting, less is often more for LPS corals. You can learn more about Lighting and it's overall impact on your reef tank in our article Lighting and your Reef Tank

• FOOD: We don't feel that Galaxea corals require any special feeding regimen although they are sure to benefit from occasional spot feeding. They will catch and consume most food particles in the water column. Like most corals they capture nutrients from the water and will do best when supplied a healthy amount of food. Our method is high import, high export. You can learn more about Feeding and Filtration in our article Feeding, Filtration and your Reef Tank.

• FLOW: MODERATE. Galaxea Corals benefit from moderate water movement which will allow it's polyps to inflate and sway gently in the aquarium. Too much flow, especially direct flow, can cause damage to the corals tissue or an inability to capture food. You can read more about Flow and its overall impact on your reef tank in our article Flow and your Reef Tank

• DIFFICULTY: BEGINNER. Galaxea corals have done well long term in captivity and their are multiple color varieties available via aquaculture. This does not mean all wild colonies will be able to adapt to captivity. Like with all corals, specimens have been seen to do well in captivity when the right combination of Food/Light/Flow and Filtration are achieved. 

• PRICE: LOW. Galaxea coral's come in a wide variety of colors and are readily available via aquaculture. This means these corals have found long term success in captivity and as such the price tends to be lower. They arn't the most sought after corals in the hobby and are often slept on by the general hobbyist. The most common colors are green, blue, and purple, but Galaxea is also available in multicolored varieties. As usual it is the specific color and size of the specimen that dictates the final price.

• COLLECTION ZONE: Indo-Pacific

• SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Galaxea fascicularis is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Euphylliidae, commonly known as octopus coral, fluorescence grass coral, galaxy coral among various vernacular names. It is a common species on reef slopes in the Indo-Pacific region.
  

• AGGRESSION: AGGRESSIVE. Galaxea corals can be aggressive to nearby neighbors. We recommend at least 3" away from other species, potentially more. You should monitor it.

• NATURAL TEMPERATURE: 82 °F / 28 °C  although most corals can adapt and survive in temps as low as 77 degrees and as high as 84 degrees. You can read more about temperature and how it affects your reef tank in our article Temperature and your Reef Tank.

• PH: Recommend 8.0-8.4, we tend to run around 8.2-8.3 over 24 hours. You can read more about pH in our article pH and your Reef Tank

• NITRATE: 5-10, try to keep stable. You can read more about nitrate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank

• PHOSPHATE: 0.05-0.1, try to keep stable. You can read more about Phosphate and our approach to maintaining it in our article Nutrients and your Reef Tank

• ALKALINITY: Recommend 8-9 dKh. You can read more about how we maintain our alkalinity in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank

• CALCIUM: Recommend 400-450. You can read more about how we maintain our calcium in our article Alkalinity, Calcium and your Reef Tank
  
  

More About Galaxea Corals

Galaxea are large polyp stony (LPS) corals in the Oculinidae family. Galaxea corals can be found in a variety of colors including tan, brown, green, pink, gray and purple. They are sometimes referred to as, “Crystals corals,” “Galaxy corals,” “Tooth corals,” “Starburst corals.”

Galaxea corals require moderate lighting.  We recommend around 100-150 PAR. Bear in mind that most corals can be gradually adapted to lighting conditions outside of their normal preferences. Galaxea corals also prefer moderate water flow.

Through their symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic algae, known as zooxanthellae, they receive many of their nutrients. To maintain good health, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements should be monitored and added as needed. Galaxea corals may benefit from targeted feeding with meaty foods such as brine or Mysis shrimp.

When placing your Galaxea, please remember that these corals are aggressive and have sweeper tentacles that can damage neighboring corals. Be sure to provide enough personal space for your Galaxea corals to grow and thrive.