Torch coral (Euphyllia glabrescens) care guide

Group
Corals
Other names
Pom-pom coral, Gold torch, Indo gold torch, Holy grail torch, Dragon soul torch, Pot of gold torch, Cotton candy torch, Blowtorch
Family
Euphylliidae
Origin
Indo-West Pacific; trade pieces come from Indonesia, Australia, the Solomon Islands and Tonga
Water
saltwater
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–12
Care level
intermediate
Reef safe
with_caution
Lighting
Moderate; about PAR 100–250. Raise light gradually, by about 10–15% a week
Flow
Moderate, indirect; tentacles should sway, not whip

Care

The torch coral is a large-polyp stony (LPS) coral whose long, flowing tentacles, each with a single rounded tip, stay out day and night and hide the branching skeleton. Wild colonies are usually brown or green with yellow, green or cream tips that glow under blue light. Named morphs such as Indo Gold, Holy Grail, Dragon Soul, Pot of Gold and Cotton Candy fetch high prices. Placement: lower to middle rockwork on a stable mount, with plenty of space around it for the tentacles to expand. Light and flow: moderate light and moderate, indirect flow. Too much flow tears the tissue; too little lets detritus settle. Water and supplements: stable alkalinity, calcium and magnesium, with strontium and trace elements. Avoid sudden swings in alkalinity and salinity. Watch for brown jelly and tissue recession, which usually follow stress. Naming: LiveAquaria lists it in Caryophylliidae, its older family; it is now placed in Euphylliidae. Unlike the hammer and frogspawn corals, the torch stayed in the genus Euphyllia after the 2017 revision. Growth: moderate. Colonies add new heads as branches split. Selling: this is a CITES Appendix II coral. Frags grown in the UK can be sold freely; wild-collected or imported pieces must have been legally imported with CITES paperwork. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/torch-coral); Top Shelf Aquatics (topshelfaquatics.com/pages/corals/gold-torch-coral). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Photosynthetic: zooxanthellae supply most of its food. It also takes small meaty foods such as mysis or enriched brine shrimp, or fine coral foods, once or twice a week.

Breeding

Branching colonies are fragged by cutting a single head away at the skeleton, well below the tissue, with bone cutters or a saw, then gluing it to a plug. Keep cuts away from the soft tissue. Colonies also split heads naturally under stable conditions. A detached polyp can be rescued by keeping it in low flow on rubble until it attaches.

Compatibility and tank mates

Aggressive. Night-time sweeper tentacles reach several centimetres and sting nearby corals; allow about 15–25 cm (6–10 in) of space. Many keepers keep torches apart from other Euphyllia. Clownfish sometimes host in torches, which can irritate the coral.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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