Duncanopsammia axifuga: living card for duncan coral

Duncanopsammia axifuga (duncan coral) communicates through its polyps. When comfortable, it extends long tentacles and accepts food without closing for days.

Quick read

• Type: large-polyp branching LPS coral.
• Aquarium: stable reef with moderate nutrients.
• Light: moderate.
• Flow: moderate and indirect.
• Indicative temperature: 24-26 C.
• Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG.
• Alkalinity: 8-11 dKH.
• Calcium: 400-450 mg/L.
• Difficulty: low-medium; good first LPS if the reef is stable.

What to check before placing it

Look for open polyps, continuous tissue around each head, and skeleton without recent algae. A closed head may recover; lost tissue may not.

Before gluing a colony, think about its future size, the direction of flow, and whether you could remove it without dismantling half the rockwork if something goes wrong.

Placement and coral reading

Place it where polyps can open without rubbing. Too much flow keeps it compact and makes feeding harder.

Read the first week outside the blue-light photo. Watch extension, tissue, response to flow, and irritation signs when the aquarium is in its normal rhythm.

Working parameters

It benefits from stability and may appreciate fine food once or twice weekly. Do not turn feeding into nutrient excess.

In a reef, stability means repetition: salinity, alkalinity, temperature, and nutrients inside a window the aquarium can sustain, not perfect numbers from one test.

Compatibility and warning

Keep separation from aggressive corals. It is more vulnerable to neighbour stings than dangerous to others.

Polyps closed for days, sunken tissue, or visible skeleton require checks on flow, alkalinity, salinity, and fish nipping.

Reference sources

WoRMS for taxonomic reference; LiveAquaria, Tidal Gardens, and specialist reef guides for practical light, flow, and stability ranges. Values are indicative and must be adapted to the real history of the system.