SeafanEmergencies

LPS (often grouped with SPS)

Scroll coral

Turbinaria spp.

Also sold as Cup coral, Pagoda coral

Scroll coral (Turbinaria spp.)
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Type
LPS (often grouped with SPS)
Care level
Beginner to intermediate (thin, convoluted forms harder)
Light
100 to 250 PAR (medium)
Flow
Medium
With neighbours
Peaceful

Safety: handling scroll coral

Low hazard

How do you care for scroll coral?

Placement

Mid, room to spread

Flow

Moderate

Feeding

Optional; polyps feed at night typical, check

Growth

Fast for a stony coral typical, check

Water quality

Hardy; one guide suggests nitrate about 1 to 5 ppm and phosphate near 0.01 but not zero typical, check

How much light does it need?

Sources put it at about 100 to 250 PAR, measured where the coral sits. No figure was published for this coral itself, so this is the usual range for its group. Start a new coral at the low end and raise it over weeks.

Sits between LPS and SPS norms. typical, check

Which neighbours are safe?

Non-aggressive typical, check

Room to grow

Fish

Fish known to nip this group of corals, or small enough to be caught by it.

Take care (9)

Other corals

Corals that can harm this one if placed too close.

Take care (10)

  • Hammer coralHammer coral stings neighbours up to about 15 cm away at night; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Frogspawn coralFrogspawn coral stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Torch coralTorch coral stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • GalaxeaGalaxea stings neighbours up to about 15 cm away at night; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Horn coralHorn coral stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Fire coral (not Acropora millepora)Fire coral (not Acropora millepora) stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Bubble tip anemoneBubble tip anemone stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Mini maxiMini maxi stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Carpet anemones (Haddon's, giant)Carpet anemones (Haddon's, giant) stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.
  • Ritteri anemoneRitteri anemone stings neighbours; keep the scroll coral out of reach.

Invertebrates

Invertebrates that may nip corals when hungry.

Take care (3)

These checks follow the reasons fish and invertebrates clash: same species or genus, similar shape, mouth size, temperament, food, burrows, tank size and the order they are added. Individual animals differ; every source agrees on that.

Pests, dips and quarantine

Few

General dip

No dip reliably kills pest eggs, so a dip lowers the risk rather than removing it. Inspect new frags with a torch after lights out, including the underside and the plug.

Sources

  1. AlgaeBarn Turbinaria guideRead 21 October 2026, search summary only.

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