Sinularia Corals from Biota Palau: A Beginner-Friendly, Hardy, and Beautiful Addition to Your Aquarium

When setting up a home reef aquarium, finding corals that are easy to care for, visually stunning, and adaptable can be challenging. Biota Palau cultures some of the most popular choices among aquarists, both novice and experienced - the Sinularia genus, a group of soft corals known for their beauty, dynamic movement, resilience, fast growth, and manageability. Sinularia's affordability and durability makes it one of the best first corals for beginners or new reef tanks.

Why Sinularia is Ideal for Your Aquarium

1. Hardy and Beginner-Friendly

One of the standout features of Sinularia is its resilience. These soft corals are highly adaptable to a wide range of water conditions, making them an ideal choice for those new to reef keeping. Even if you're still learning the ropes of maintaining water chemistry, lighting, and flow, Sinularia can thrive in your tank. While many corals require precise environmental parameters, Sinularia can tolerate small fluctuations in water chemistry.

2. Fast-Growing but Easy to Manage

If you're looking for a coral that grows quickly without overwhelming your tank, Sinularia is a perfect fit. Unlike other fast-growing soft corals like Xenia or green star polyp which can take over your aquarium, Sinularia grow from a stalk instead of spreading on surfaces in your tank. It responds well to pruning and propagation, meaning you can trim back your coral if it starts to spread, and even grow new colonies from those trimmings to trade with your friends.

Sinularia can grow very large and make impressive centerpieces in a reef

3. Stunning Movement and Appearance

In addition to their hardiness, Sinularia corals are renowned for their aesthetic appeal. With long, flowing finger-like lobes, these corals create beautiful, swaying motions in the water current, mimicking the natural rhythms of ocean tides. Their soft, leathery texture contrasts with the rigid structure of hard corals, offering visual variety to your tank.

The colors of Sinularia can range from cream, tan, and pink to mint green and neon green, depending on the species/variety and environmental factors. The way they reflect light and sway in the water makes them a captivating centerpiece for any aquarium.

4. Self-Sustaining Symbiosis

Like many other corals, Sinularia have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, microscopic algae living within their tissues. These algae perform photosynthesis, providing nutrients to the coral. This means you won’t have to feed Sinularia as frequently as you would some other coral species. With the right lighting, the coral’s symbiotic algae will take care of most of its nutritional needs.

Care in the Home Reef Aquarium

Sinularia corals are hardy and adaptable to a wide range of water conditions. However, for optimal health, aim for the following water parameters:

Temperature: 74°F - 78°F 
Salinity: 1.023 - 1.025
pH: 8.1 - 8.4
Alkalinity: 8-12 dKH

Regular water changes and monitoring are key to keeping your coral vibrant and healthy. Though Sinularia can handle some fluctuation in water quality, stable conditions promote better growth and color.

Lighting Requirements

Sinularia corals primarily rely on their symbiotic zooxanthellae for nutrition, which means they need adequate lighting for photosynthesis. Moderate to high lighting is ideal, but Sinularia can adapt to lower light conditions as well. LED lights, metal halide, or T5 lights for reef tanks work well for Sinularia, but be sure to properly acclimate your coral to new lighting to prevent bleaching.

Water Flow

Moderate water flow is essential for Sinularia corals. Proper flow helps keep the coral clean by preventing detritus from settling on its surface and ensures adequate nutrient exchange. Avoid direct, high-intensity jet currents that will prevent the coral from opening. Wavemakers and Gyres are great tools for creating proper water currents in the reef aquarium.

Feeding

While Sinularia corals get most of their nutrients through photosynthesis, they can also benefit from occasional supplemental feedings. Offer planktonic foods like Easy Reefs Easy Booster and Easy SPS Evo. This is especially useful in low-light setups where the coral might not be getting enough energy from photosynthesis alone.

Shedding

Don't be alarmed if you see your Sinularia close and shrink suddenly for an extended period of time, up to 2 weeks. Sinularia corals sometimes shed a waxy outer layer of skin as a natural process to remove built-up debris, algae, or other irritants. This shedding helps the coral stay clean and healthy, allowing it to maintain optimal photosynthesis and nutrient absorption. During this process, the coral may temporarily appear dull or less vibrant, and may even have some algae growing on it, but once the shedding is complete, it regains its full color and vibrancy. Make sure adequate water flow surrounds the coral to help the shedding process, which is a normal behavior and isn't an indication that the coral is unhealthy. 

a Biota Radial filefish makes a home in @shakerbreakersreef Biota Sinularia

Species and Varieties

There are 38 different species of Sinularia in Palau alone! Biota Palau cultures some of the most beautiful and sought after varieties.

Biota Palau Alien Hands Sinularia aka "Neon Green Nephthea"

This variety is arguably one of the most important, iconic, and brightly colored aquarium corals in the world. Not only does it possess all the best qualities of the hardy Sinularia, making it great for beginners, but its bright neon coloration is second to none, which endears it to seasoned coral collectors, as well.  Its extreme coloration is present even in daylight, but under actinic lighting, this coral fluoresces like no other coral. If you keep this variety in your home aquarium, it's often the first thing visitors will notice due to its intense coloration.

In the early 2000s, this species was called "Neon Green Nephthea," but it is actually a species of Sinularia. Eric Borneman explained in "Mythical Rare Green Tree" that a devastating bleaching event at the main collection site in Palau in the early 2000s led to the rumor that the coral was extinct in the wild, which made it difficult to source and even more popular. The "Neon Green Nephthea" was believed to only exist in the "ark" of captivity. This inspired aquarists to make it one of the most widely propagated and distributed corals among home reefs. Thankfully, this variety has made a good recovery in Palau, and Biota Palau has been offering fully cultured specimens for many years. We choose only the brightest, most fluorescent specimens for this variety.

Biota Palau Fuzzy Fat Finger Sinularia

The Biota Fuzzy Fat Finger Sinularia has a more subtle coloration - some are cream, almost white, and some are a softer green, giving a nice contrast to the saturated colors of other corals in our tanks. Instead of the thin, spaghetti like lobes of the Alien Hands Sinularia, The Fuzzy Fat Finger Sinularia has thicker, stubbier lobes with many compact, fuzzy polyps, giving it a softer appearance. Biota customers call this coral "completely bulletproof," so it makes an excellent choice for beginning aquarists.

Cabbage Leather Coral 

The Cabbage Leather Coral (Sinularia brassica) is an incredibly hardy and attractive coral. Instead of growing fingers like other Sinularia, the Cabbage Coral grows thick, ruffled, cabbage-like "leaves" which adds unique texture and visual appeal to aquariums. 

Compatibility

Sinularia corals contain a toxin that slows the growth of more sensitive SPS corals like Acropora. To prevent this, provide plenty of space between Sinularia and Acropora, and employ chemical media in the filtration, such as a media reactor, to help alleviate allelopathy.

Taxonomy and Identification:

With DNA technology, marine taxonomists have made strides in better understanding the genetic relationships between coral species. One significant update involves the reclassification of several species traditionally categorized under Sinularia into the genus Sclerophytum in 2022 (1.). This shift was driven by deeper genetic analysis, which revealed distinct differences between certain species of soft corals that had previously been lumped together.

In the early 2000s, many reef aquarists referred to Sinularia finger leather corals as Nephthea, a soft coral genus that shares certain visual similarities with Sinularia. However, this naming was incorrect, and today, hobbyists and marine professionals have a better understanding of the distinction between these two genera. 

a true Nephthea

Though both Sinularia and Nephthea are soft corals from the family Alcyoniidae, they have distinct differences in morphology and behavior. Here’s how you can tell which coral is which:

1. Colony Structure and Shape

The most noticeable difference between Sinularia and Nephthea lies in the structure of their colonies. Sinularia species typically have thicker, more robust branches, often resembling a leathery tree or bush. These branches tend to be broader and sturdier, giving the coral a more substantial appearance.

In contrast, Nephthea corals have much finer, more delicate branches. Their structure is often described as feathery or fuzzy due to the thinness of the branches and the density of polyps. The polyps are closer together, giving Nephthea a more intricate and textured look, while Sinularia’s polyps are more spaced out, contributing to its smoother appearance.

2. Polyp Size and Behavior

The polyps of Sinularia are typically smaller and more retractable, giving the coral a cleaner, smoother look when the polyps are withdrawn. You might notice that Sinularia polyps often remain retracted during changes in lighting or flow, making the coral appear as though it has a leather-like surface.

Nephthea, on the other hand, tends to have larger, more prominent polyps that give it a more "fluffy" or textured appearance. Even when retracted, Nephthea polyps don’t fully disappear into the coral’s surface, making it look more tactile and busy compared to the smoother look of Sinularia.

3. Flexibility and Movement

While both corals sway gracefully in the current, Nephthea corals are more flexible due to their thinner branches. This allows them to move more fluidly in the water. Sinularia corals, with their thicker branches, are still responsive to water flow but tend to exhibit a sturdier, more controlled movement.

4. Texture and Sclerites

Another key difference is in the internal structure of the corals. Both Sinularia and Nephthea possess sclerites—small, calcareous spicules that give their tissues structure. However, Sinularia has more prominent, firmer sclerites, which give its branches a slightly stiffer texture compared to the softer, more pliable feel of Nephthea. Nephthea has an overall slimy, softer feel than the leathery texture of Sinularia. The base of Sinularia is packed with these hard sclerites, which feel hard, rough, and sometimes sharp when the base is handled. 

For home aquarists, knowing the difference between Sinularia and Nephthea is more than just a matter of correct identification. Sinularia’s hardier, more robust nature makes it better suited for beginners, while the more delicate Nephthea require more precise water conditions, stronger water flow, and stronger lighting. 

For aquarists looking to enhance their home reef tanks with hardy, fast-growing, and visually appealing soft corals, Sinularia from The Biota Group are an excellent choice. With their graceful movements, easy-care requirements, and controlled growth, Sinularia corals provide all the benefits of a dynamic coral without the risks of overgrowth like other fast-growing species.

ref: 1. McFadden, C.S.; van Ofwegen, L.P.; Quattrini, A.M. (2022). Revisionary systematics of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) guided by phylogenomics. Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists. 1(3), 8735, pp. 1-79., available online at https://ssbbulletin.org/index.php/bssb/article/view/8735
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