Soft Corals General Information Soft corals belong to the order "Alcyonaceae" and are all members of the subclass Octocorallia. The name "Octocorallia" refers to the fact that each polyp has eight tentacles. They are found primarily in tropical seas around the world, in a wide variety of environments. Unlike their stony coral relatives, soft corals do not have a calcareous skeleton. They live on coral reefs alongside stony corals and have undulating, jelly-like bodies. As mentioned above, soft corals are distinguished by the eight tentacles on each polyp, giving them a feather-like appearance, while stony corals have polyps with small tentacles. There are also stony corals whose polyps have eight tentacles, but even though they have a calcareous skeleton, they are classified as soft corals. Many soft corals contain zooxanthellae and therefore require strong light. On the other hand, many of them, such as rose corals, grow under coral ledges and in shaded areas and do not require light. To be kept in an aquarium, they must be hand-fed. Soft corals have the ability to move very slowly, stretching the tissue at their base. When they encounter and pass over a hard coral, they kill its plyas, leaving a white streak in their path. In an aquarium, it is important to have plenty of space between hard and soft corals to prevent them from colliding with each other during growth. Most soft corals grow very quickly in an aquarium and are quite simple to keep, even for the inexperienced aquarist. Water parameters: Temperature: 24/28 degrees, Density: 1022-1025, pH 8.2-8.4
