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Catalaphyllia is also called elegance coral and belongs to the large polyp stony corals. The genus is monotypic, having only one species, Catalaphyllia jardinei. We suppose the name comes from its ability to extremely large tissue expansion in comparison to the much smaller skeleton, which is really surprising. It belongs to the relatives of Euphyllia and similar corals.Catalaphyllia
The coral Catalaphyllia jardinei has a bad reputation and is sometimes considered difficult to keep, which probably comes from old import experiences from Indonesia, where the quality of care during holding before export often left much to be desired and the animals were not fit. Currently the species may only be imported from Australia, where the quality is much higher and the animals are kept in good conditions like other Australian LPS.
Catalaphyllia jardinei has a powerful sring, so that even for humans caution is advised on thin-skinned areas and wounds. Since they expand their tissue widely, they should be placed further from other corals. They like low light and medium strong current, and tolerate higher nutrient levels. They can also be fed selectively, especially if they currently sting strong and feel "sticky". They are sensitive to low KH.
Most Catalaphyllia are basically green. More rarely, neon yellow-green specimens occur, and more rarely purple or reddish colorations. The tentacle tips are most variable - these come in gray, pink, blue and very rarely yellow, the latter mainly from Western Australia. White tips can appear slightly pink due to the contrast to the green tissue, so you have to look closely to see if they are actually pink - and to make matters worse, these gray tips are also sometimes referred to as "pink" by suppliers.
