Leather Corals

Leathers and other corals are not necessarily related, but similar-appearing soft corals are corals without an exoskeleton.

They are extremely varied in shape and form, as well as color. Most commonly, they are shades of browns and grays, but there are many brightly colored types too. The colors are usually a result of the symbiotic zooanthellae (algae) that live within the animal, just like hard corals.

In general, leathers are another of the easy "starter" corals for folks who are not expert long time reefkeepers. Most of the hardcore reefkeepers, however, have some prized leather corals in their tanks and collections. They are the perfect visual contrast to the hard corals.

Like mushrooms and polyp rocks, most types do very well under less than halide lighting, a big plus in my view. Any of the various reef-type fluorescent lighting will usually be sufficient for keeping and growing them. They often are abundant in lagoons, which are areas of higher turbidity and poorer water quality than the outer reef. While their polyps are retracted they appear smooth, but when they are distended, they often appear nearly fuzzy. Some have polyps that are colored in contrast with the main body of the nimal. There are ones with short stalks and long polyps, short polyps with long stalks, and others with no stalks.

Source: www.livestockusa.org/LEATHERS.html - 01.09.2011