Orange Tongue Coral

General information

In general, corals coming from genus Herpolitha has an elongated skeletal structure with a single axis located at the center and a round-shaped edge. They are classfied as a monotypic type of mushroom coral where it only has one member – Herpolitha limax. Similar to Fungia corals, Herpolitha are solitary animals, which means that they only have a single coral polyp, instead of your typical coral colony.

As for the Orange Tongue Coral, they are predominantly a mixture of the colors pink, violet and blue green. This are the water parameters for cultivating Orange Tongue Coral: 

• Calcium: 400 – 450 ppm
• Alkalinity: 2.86 – 4.29 MEQ/L (8 – 12 dKH)
• Phosphates: 0
• Magnesium: 1200 – 1350
• Strontium: 8 – 10
• Temperature: 72° – 78° F (22° – 26° C)
• Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.023 – 1.025
• pH: 8.1 – 8.4

In the wild, Orange Tongue Coral has developed a symbiotic feeding relationship with marine algae called zooxanthellae that is living within their tissues. But in captivity, you have to feed them with nanoplankton and you may add dissolved organics in the water.

A mature tank is highly recommended in propagating Orange Tongue Coral. They must be set at the botoom of the tank to simulate their natural wild environment.

The Orange Tongue Coral requires moderate lighting and moderate waterflow.

The Orange Tongue Coral can be found in the waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean.

The Orange Tongue Coral has a semi-aggressive behaviour. Proper spacing must be observed in relation to other coral species in the tank.

The Orange Tongue Coral is a marine species. Therefore, salinity must be maintained thoroughly at 1.023 to 1.025 specific gravity.