Leptastrea (Encrusting LPS Coral)
Looking for a rapid grower to carpet your bare rockwork in neon colours? Leptastrea is a phenomenal, highly sought-after encrusting LPS coral that brings a massive pop of colour and intricate texture to the lower sections of your reef.
Unlike branching or plating corals, Leptastrea forms a tight, creeping mat of small, star-like polyps that perfectly mold to the shape of your aquascape. Available in some of the most outrageous colour combinations in the hobby—like the famous "John Deere" (bright green and yellow) or fiery metallic oranges—this coral glows absolute fire under blue actinic lighting.
At UKReef Hampshire, we highly recommend Leptastrea for both beginners and advanced reefers because it is practically bulletproof and offers incredible filling power for those empty, shaded gaps between your larger coral colonies!
Quick Care Guide:
Care Level: Very Easy. Incredibly hardy and forgiving of minor parameter swings, making it a perfect first LPS coral. It will use up Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium as it builds its encrusting skeleton.
Temperament: Peaceful. It has very short sweeper tentacles and rarely stings its neighbours. ⚠️ Important: Because it encrusts quickly, make sure you place it somewhere it won't slowly creep over your slower-growing corals!
Placement: Bottom to Middle. Perfect for lower light areas, the sandbed (if glued to a piece of rubble), or even isolated on the back glass or weir to create a living wall.
Lighting: Low to Moderate. Leptastrea are easily burned by high-intensity lighting. If the colours start to wash out or turn pale, simply move it into a shadier spot or an overhang.
Water Flow: Low to Moderate. It needs just enough gentle current to keep detritus from settling on its tightly packed polyps.
Feeding: Highly Recommended. While fully photosynthetic, Leptastrea are absolute gluttons! Turn the flow off twice a week and target feed a fine micro-plankton powder (like Reef Roids). You will watch hundreds of tiny mouths instantly grab the food, which fuels explosive encrusting growth.