Euphyllia paraancora (Fimbriaphyllia paraancora)

Euphyllia paraancora is a branching Hammer coral. Its large polyps move strikingly in the current, and the tips of the tentacles are hammer or anchor-shaped. As it grows, the coral forms new heads at the ends of its branching calcareous skeleton.

The species is still commonly known in the hobby as Euphyllia paraancora, although its current accepted scientific name is Fimbriaphyllia paraancora.

Features

• Branching LPS coral
• Large polyps with hammer or anchor-shaped tentacle tips
• Forms new, distinct coral heads as it grows
• Moderately easy to care for in a stable reef aquarium
• Can grow long sweeper tentacles and damage nearby corals

Care

Light: Low–moderate, around 50–150 PAR. Acclimatize new coral to stronger lighting gradually.

Flow: Moderate and varied. Avoid continuous strong direct flow, which can push tissue against the skeleton and damage the coral.

Placement: Leave ample space around the coral. Hammer corals can grow sweeper tentacles whose stinging cells can damage nearby corals.

Feeding: Gets a large part of its energy from photosynthetic symbiotic algae. Target feeding is not essential, but small mysis, pellets, or other protein-rich food suitable for LPS corals can support growth.

Recommended water parameters

Temperature: 24–26 °C
Salinity: 34–35 ppt
KH: 7–9 dKH
Calcium: 400–450 mg/l
Magnesium: 1250–1400 mg/l
Nitrate: 2–15 mg/l
Phosphate: 0.03–0.15 mg/l
pH: 8.0–8.4

Hammer corals build a calcareous skeleton, so the consistency of KH and calcium, in particular, is important. Stability of water parameters is more important than hitting a single target value precisely.

Additional information

Scientific name: Fimbriaphyllia paraancora
Former name: Euphyllia paraancora
Coral type: LPS
Growth habit: Branching
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Difficulty level: Easy–medium
Light: Low–moderate, around 50–150 PAR
Flow: Moderate, varied
Aggressiveness: Moderate–strong