Torch corals are some of the most eye-catching LPS corals you can keep. Long, flowing tentacles with bright tips sway in the current and light up a reef tank, especially the gold and “grail” types. They aren’t the hardest coral to keep, but they are the most aggressive of the Euphyllia family and they don’t like big swings in water quality. This guide covers what you need to know.
Quick care sheet
Scientific name | Euphyllia glabrescens |
Type | LPS (large polyp stony) |
Difficulty | Intermediate |
Lighting | Moderate (roughly 100–200 PAR) |
Flow | Moderate, indirect and random |
Placement | Lower to middle of the tank |
Temperament | Aggressive – long sweeper tentacles |
Feeding | Optional, but helps growth and colour |
Torch, hammer or frogspawn?
All three are Euphyllia-type corals with fleshy tentacles, but they differ in shape and behaviour. Torches have long, smooth tentacles with a rounded tip. Hammers have anchor or hammer-shaped tips, and frogspawn have branched, bubbly tips. In 2017 hammers and frogspawn were moved into their own genus, Fimbriaphyllia. Torches stayed as Euphyllia.
The big practical difference: torches are more aggressive. They will often sting other Euphyllia too, including other torches, so give them more room than a hammer.
Water parameters
Stability matters more than chasing exact numbers. These are the ranges our own systems run at.
Parameter | Target |
|---|---|
Temperature | 24–25°C (75–77°F) |
Salinity | Steady at 1.026 SG (about 35 ppt) |
Alkalinity | About 8 dKH, within 0.2 either way |
Calcium | 400–440 ppm |
Magnesium | 1,300–1,400 ppm |
Nitrate | 5–15 ppm |
Phosphate | 0.05–0.08 ppm |
Torches don’t do well in ultra-clean, near-zero nutrient water. A little nitrate and phosphate helps keep their colour. Like all Euphyllia, they’re very sensitive to copper, so never use copper-based medication in a reef tank.
Lighting
Moderate light suits most torches, roughly 100–200 PAR. Gold and grail types usually hold their colour best under blue-leaning light rather than strong white. Too much light, or a sudden jump in light, can bleach them. Too little and they slowly brown out.
Choose its permanent spot before it goes in, in moderate light with room around it, because torches don’t like being moved. Our torches are grown under moderate light, so a spot like that means little or no adjustment.
Flow
Aim for flow that makes the tentacles sway gently, not whip around or fold flat. Random or pulsing flow from a wavemaker works well. A pump blasting straight at a torch is one of the quickest ways to damage the tissue, and damaged tissue is where brown jelly often starts.
Placement and spacing
The lower to middle part of the tank usually works best. Make sure the frag is firmly fixed so it can’t fall or rub against rock.
Sweeper tentacles
Sweeper tentacles are the torch’s long-range weapon. They’re much longer and thinner than the normal tentacles, often pale or see-through, with stinging cells at the tip. They mostly come out in the evening or after lights out, and on a torch they can stretch well beyond the normal tentacles.
Give a torch at least 15–25 cm of space from other corals, including other torches, hammers and frogspawn. Check your tank with a torch (the light kind) after lights out every so often. If a neighbour stays closed or gets a pale patch on the side facing the torch, move one of them.
Clownfish
Clownfish sometimes try to host in torch corals. Torches aren’t built for it, and constant rubbing can damage the tissue. If you see your torch shrinking back or getting torn tips, it may be worth moving it out of the clownfish’s reach.
Feeding
Torches get most of their energy from light, through the algae living in their tissue. Feeding isn’t essential, but small, occasional feeds help growth. Use fine meaty foods like mysis, rotifers or a coral food, gently puffed near the tentacles with a pipette once or twice a week. Little and often is better than one big feed. In our own systems we feed all our corals Benepets coral food twice a week, and target feed meaty foods like mysis about once every two weeks.
When your new torch arrives
- Float the pot or bag to bring it up to temperature.
- Acclimate slowly to your tank water.
- Dip it. We dip every new coral before it goes into our systems, using NYOS Coral Dip. Follow the label: mix it in a separate container of tank water (never in the tank), at the standard dose of 10 ml per litre, for 10 minutes.
- Place it in its permanent spot, with moderate light, gentle flow and room around it.
- Don’t panic if it stays shrunk back for a few days. Torches often sulk after travelling.
See our full acclimation and dipping guide for step-by-step instructions.
Common problems
Not opening fully. Usually flow that’s too strong, a change in light, or a swing in alkalinity or salinity. Check your parameters first, then the flow.
Losing colour or going pale. Often too much light, or nutrients that are too low. Lower the light or move it down, and don’t strip the water of all nitrate and phosphate.
Going brown. Usually not enough light, or high nutrients.
Brown jelly. A brown, slimy mass on the tissue, often with a bad smell, and it spreads fast. Take the coral out of the display straight away. Siphon off the jelly, cut away the affected head below the tissue line, and dip the healthy heads in an iodine dip (we use Seachem Reef Dip). Damage, harsh flow and big parameter swings can all bring it on.
Can you frag a torch?
Yes, branching torches can be fragged by cutting between heads, well below the fleshy tissue, with bone cutters or a small saw. They’re slow-growing, which is part of why good torches cost more. Only frag a healthy, established colony. Afterwards, dip both the new frags and the parent colony in a good iodine dip to help prevent infection. We recommend Seachem Reef Dip.
FAQs
Are torch corals good for beginners? They’re better as a second step, once your tank has been stable for a few months. Hammers are a little more forgiving.
Can a torch sit next to a hammer? Sometimes, but torches are the most likely of the three to sting their neighbours, so give them extra space.
Why do torches cost more than hammers? They grow more slowly, and the most wanted colours (gold, grail, and named types like Dragon Soul) are in short supply.
What does “grail” mean? It’s a trade name for torches with bright gold or yellow tentacles. It isn’t a species, and different shops use it for different-looking corals, so always look at the photo.
Torch corals from ReefGro
Our torches are grown in our own systems in Ipswich and shipped by Royal Mail Special Delivery. Because we grow them ourselves, stock comes and goes as each batch is ready. Have a look at our torch collection, and if the one you want is out of stock, sign up for a back-in-stock alert on its page and we’ll let you know when it’s available again.
Every order is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee – see our delivery page for details.