ORA Kenya Tree Coral

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Cauliflower coral; Nepthea coral; Colt coral; Cabbage coral

Synonyms

Nephthea sp. (often confused in trade)

Environment

Saltwater

Native to

Indo-Pacific, Red Sea

Habitat

Found on reef slopes and lagoons in clear water with strong currents, often forming large spreading colonies over rock and coral rubble.

Sourcing

Aquacultured

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Coral type

Soft

Temperament

Semi-Aggressive

Growth form

Branching

Adult size

2 – 12 in (5.1 – 30 cm)

Spread

24 in (61 cm)

Growth rate

Fast

Placement

Low, Middle

Water

Temperature

73 – 82 °F (23 – 28 °C)

pH

8.1 – 8.4

dKH

8 – 12 dKH

Salinity

1.023 – 1.025 SG

PAR

50 – 150 PAR

Flow

Moderate-High

Light

Medium

Reef care

Nutrient preference

Medium

Alk/Ca uptake

Low

Target feeding

Beneficial

Give it room

6 in (15 cm)

Colors

Brown, Cream, Green

Feeding & breeding

Diet

Photosynthetic

Foods

Coral food, Zooplankton, Phytoplankton

Propagation

Fragging, Splitting

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Care guide

Overview

Expands quickly once settled, sending up a central stalk that branches into feathery, polyp-tipped arms swaying in moderate to high flow. ORA-propagated stock adapts readily to established reef tanks and tolerates a broad light range. Space it well from neighbors, as dropped branch tips root and spread on their own.

Care

Kenya tree coral is one of the toughest soft corals available in the hobby, tolerating a wide range of light and flow conditions and adapting to nearly any established reef tank. It grows a central stalk that branches into feathery, polyp-tipped arms and expands quickly once settled in. The main challenge is not keeping it alive but keeping it contained, since it drops small branch tips that drift off and root elsewhere in the tank. Give it its own space away from slower-growing or sensitive corals and prune periodically to control spread.

Placement & acclimation

Acclimate by matching temperature and salinity; light acclimation is not critical since this species tolerates a broad PAR range. Mount fragments or the base colony securely to live rock in a low to mid position with moderate to high flow, leaving ample clearance from other corals to accommodate its rapid spread.

Feeding

Although it carries zooxanthellae and gets a portion of its energy from light, this coral relies more heavily on captured particulate food than many other soft corals. Occasional target feeding with small zooplankton or coral foods supports growth and coloration, though it survives fine on ambient nutrient uptake in most reef systems. It does not require particularly pristine water and tolerates modest nutrient levels better than sensitive stony corals.

Neighbors

Despite lacking sweeper tentacles, this species releases chemical compounds that can irritate neighboring corals, particularly sensitive SPS, so it is best treated as semi-aggressive rather than purely passive. Give it generous clearance from other corals since its rapid growth and self-propagating branch tips let it encroach on nearby colonies over time. Running carbon and maintaining regular water changes helps dilute any allelopathic output.

Fragging

This coral frags itself by dropping small branch tips that drift and root wherever they settle, making unintentional propagation common. Deliberate fragging is simple: cut a branch from the main colony and attach it to a rock or plug with rubber bands or coral glue until it adheres.

Pests & problems

Periodic deflation, where the colony shrinks down and looks limp for a day or two before reinflating, is a normal shedding cycle and not a sign of illness. A colony that stays collapsed for over a week or develops a rotting, disintegrating stalk usually indicates poor water quality or physical damage. It has few dedicated pests and acclimates readily, generally only needing matched temperature and salinity along with a brief soft-coral dip.

Sources

1. Kenya Tree Coral (Capnella sp.) — Care Guide — Eastwood Aquarium
2. Kenya Tree Coral Care & Growing | Capnella sp. - Fantasea Aquariums
3. Green Kenya Tree Coral (Capnella sp.) | Soft Corals at LiveAquaria
4. Kenya Tree Coral Care Guide: Capnella spp.

Varieties in the catalog

ECC Kenya Tree Leather

More Soft corals

ECC Koji Pink NephtheaORA Nepthea Coral