Torch corals (Euphyllia spp.) are large polyp stony corals recognized by the rounded, luminous tips at the end of their long flowing tentacles. They want moderate to high indirect flow, stable alkalinity, four to six inches of clearance from their neighbors, and light they've been walked up to gradually. Given those conditions they're one of the most rewarding showpiece LPS corals in the hobby — and one of the more satisfying to grow out.

This guide covers everything we've learned keeping and propagating torches across our farm system, from the PAR and flow window we actually run to head-splitting rates, sweeper tentacle spacing, and how to stop brown jelly disease before it takes an entire colony.

Torch Coral Care at a Glance

What Is a Torch Coral?

Torch corals belong to the genus Euphyllia and are classified as large polyp stony (LPS) corals. What separates a torch from the hammers and frogspawns it's sold alongside is the tip: each long, tapering tentacle ends in a distinct rounded knob, usually in a contrasting color to the body. That tip is the entire reason the morph market exists — a gold-tipped torch on a green body sells for a different number than a plain green one.

The torches you'll actually encounter in the hobby come from a very short list. Euphyllia glabrescens accounts for the overwhelming majority of what's sold as an Indonesian or Australian torch. Euphyllia cristata is the shorter, more compact "cristata" torch with tighter tentacles and closely packed branches. The other two named species in the genus — E. paraglabrescens, known only from a single site in southern Japan, and E. baliensis, known only from deep water off eastern Bali — are effectively never in the trade, so treat those names on a price list with some skepticism.

One note for anyone reading older references. Fimbriaphyllia was described by Veron and Pichon in 1980 as a subgenus of Euphyllia. A 2017 molecular study (Luzon et al., PeerJ) found the group splits cleanly in two and raised it to full genus, moving the hammers (F. ancora, F. paraancora) and frogspawns (F. divisa, F. paradivisa, F. yaeyamaensis) into it while the torches stayed in Euphyllia. WoRMS, the standard taxonomic register, has adopted this; Corals of the World and most of the hobby still say Euphyllia for all three. The split tracks genetics and reproductive mode — torches brood their larvae, hammers and frogspawns broadcast spawn — rather than tank requirements, so don't read husbandry advice into the name change.

Torches grow on a hard calcium carbonate skeleton, extending new branches — "heads" — as they mature. Once established in a healthy, stable marine environment, they produce new heads at a satisfying pace, which makes them one of the more rewarding LPS corals to grow out. Compare related species using our coral identification glossary.

Torch Coral vs. Anemone: How to Tell the Difference

This trips up more new reefers than anything else on this page, and it matters because the two need completely different care.

A torch coral is attached to a hard skeleton and cannot move. If you were to lift it out of the water, you'd be holding a stony branching structure with tissue over it. It stays exactly where you put it for its entire life.

An anemone has no skeleton and a muscular foot. It will walk around your tank, climb glass, and has a real chance of getting into a powerhead. Anemones also have a visible central mouth on a fleshy oral disc, while a torch's mouth sits at the center of each individual head.

If it's mounted on a plug or rock and hasn't moved in a week, it's a torch.

Torch vs. Hammer vs. Frogspawn

All three are commonly grouped together and sold side by side, but they differ in tentacle shape, flow tolerance, and aggression. Here's how to tell them apart and how to house them.

The practical takeaway: if you're building a Euphyllia garden, give the torches their own zone in the higher-flow part of the range rather than mixing them in tightly with hammers and frogspawns. Torches will win that fight.

For full care details on the other two, see our hammer coral care guide and our frogspawn and octospawn care guide.

Types of Torch Corals

Torch pricing confuses people because two corals that look similar can be an order of magnitude apart in cost. The variables are origin, species, coloration, and — increasingly — brand name.

Indonesian vs. Australian vs. Cristata

Indonesian torches make up the bulk of the market. They typically have longer, more flowing tentacles and adapt readily to a range of tank conditions. Most of the classic colorways — gold tips, neon green, hellfire oranges — come out of Indonesian collection and the aquaculture built on it.

Australian torches are generally thicker-tentacled, more saturated in color, and slower growing. They command a premium and tend to be a little more particular about acclimation. Most of the true "grail" torches trace back to Australian stock.

Cristata torches (E. cristata) are the outlier — short, dense, tightly packed tentacles on a heavily branching skeleton. They look almost like a different coral entirely and are often mistaken for a frogspawn at a glance.

Named Torch Morphs and What Drives the Price

A named morph is a specific, recognizable colorway that has been propagated and traded under a consistent name. Value comes from three things: how distinct the color break is, how slow the morph is to grow (rarity), and how reliably it holds color under different lighting.

• Holy Grail Torch — the benchmark. Purple-to-pink body with contrasting gold or yellow tips. Slow growing, consistently among the highest-value torches in the market.
• 24k / Indo Gold Torch — solid gold to yellow body and tips. One of the most visually striking under blues.
• Dragon Soul Torch — deep orange-red body with pale contrasting tips. An Australian-lineage grail morph.
• Dragon Tamer Torch — a sought-after high-end colorway with strong body-to-tip contrast.
• Tiger Torch — banded or striped tentacle patterning, the "reverse tiger" being the more valuable variant.
• Banana Torch — soft yellow body with gold tips; one of the more attainable premium morphs.
• NY Knicks Torch — blue-and-orange contrast that reads exactly like the name suggests.
• Rapunzel Torch — extra-long flowing tentacles, prized as much for movement as for color.
• Flashlight / Glitter Torch — intense tip fluorescence that "lights up" under actinics.
• Grafted Torch — two distinct color expressions on a single colony. Sometimes genuinely fused genetic lines, often a single genotype expressing two pigment patterns. Either way, uncommon and priced accordingly.

A word of caution on naming: torch morph names are not regulated. The same coral can appear under three different names from three vendors, and a "grail" label applied loosely means very little. Buy on what you can see — ask for a WYSIWYG photo under known lighting, and buy from a source that grows its own. Browse our current torch coral inventory to compare morphs side by side.

Lighting and PAR Requirements

You'll see wildly different PAR numbers published for torches — anywhere from 30 to 250. That range isn't wrong so much as it's incomplete, because a torch will survive across most of it. Plenty of reefers keep beautiful torches at 80–120 PAR.

In our own lighting system we run torches at 125–200 µmol, which is where we consistently see the best combination of color retention, tentacle extension, and head production. After a torch has been properly acclimated toward the higher end, it will show noticeably more vibrant coloration. That takes time and patience but is well worth it.

The important part isn't the number — it's the ramp.

Acclimating a New Torch to Light

Most torch problems in the first month are light-shock problems, not water quality problems. Ramp deliberately:

• Week 1: Place it low in the tank, 75–100 PAR. Expect reduced extension for the first few days — that's normal.
• Week 2–3: Move up to roughly 125 PAR. Watch for tissue paling, which means you're moving too fast.
• Week 4+: Move to final placement at 150–200 PAR if the coral is fully extended and holding color. If it pales at any point, drop it back down and wait.

Two practical notes. Deeper tanks lose PAR fast — a torch sitting at 18 inches under a fixture that reads 300 at the surface may only be seeing 120, so measure at the coral, not at the water line. And Indonesian torches generally tolerate the lower half of the range better than Australians, which want the light to earn their color. If you're serious about placement, a PAR meter pays for itself; our guide to PAR, spectrum, and photoperiod goes deeper on measurement.

Water Flow

Torches take moderate, indirect flow well, and in our farm system they sit comfortably in the upper half of that range — a bit more than we give hammers and frogspawns. Flow won't cure brown jelly, but stagnant, detritus-collecting pockets are reliably where it starts, so a torch should never sit in a dead spot.

It should be noted that the flow should not be so strong that the tentacles retract into the coral's skeleton, and it should never be a direct jet. Start the coral off in an area of low to moderate flow and slowly move it into higher flow over a few weeks.

The tentacle test tells you everything. Watch the coral for a full minute:

• Tentacles flowing and swaying in a gentle, continuous motion — this is your target.
• Tentacles hanging limp and barely moving — not enough flow. Detritus will settle at the base, and that's where trouble starts.
• Tentacles pinned back, folded, or pulling into the skeleton — too much flow, or the flow is too direct.

Aim powerheads so the coral catches deflected flow rather than a direct stream. Turbulent, randomized flow — the kind you get from two opposing pumps or a gyre — is far better than one strong jet pointed at the colony. If you're dialing in a new system, our aquarium powerheads selection is a good starting point.

Water Parameters

Stable water parameters are always key with any coral, and torches punish instability faster than they punish an imperfect number. A tank that holds 8.2 dKH consistently will grow better torches than one that swings between 8 and 10.

Our farm system runs alkalinity at 8–9 dKH, calcium at 420–440 ppm, and magnesium at 1300–1350 ppm, with nitrate around 10–15 ppm. Anywhere in the 5–15 ppm band works well. Phosphate should stay low but measurable — roughly 0.03 to 0.10 ppm. Hold temperature steady between 76 and 80°F and salinity at 1.025.

The nutrient figures surprise people running ultra-low-nutrient systems. Torches are not SPS. Strip the water column to zero nitrate and phosphate and you will see pale tissue, poor extension, and stalled growth. A torch wants something to eat.

Placement and Spacing

Placement is where most torch colonies are won or lost, and it's the part most care guides skip.

Height: Lower to middle third of the tank in most systems. High enough to catch the light it needs, low enough that flow is turbulent rather than direct.

Surface: Always secure a torch to rockwork, never rest it on sand. Sand abrades the tissue at the base and traps detritus against the skeleton — a reliable path to tissue recession. Glue the plug or wedge it firmly so it can't tip into a neighbor.

Spacing — this is the important one. Torches deploy sweeper tentacles, extra-long stinging tentacles that come out primarily at night and reach much farther than the coral appears to during the day. As a working rule:

• 1–3 heads: leave at least 4–6 inches of clearance on all sides
• 4–8 heads: leave 6–8 inches
• Large colonies (9+ heads): leave 8–10 inches, and account for the fact that they will keep growing

Then add room for growth. A torch that has three inches of clearance today will be touching its neighbor in six months, and you will not enjoy moving a well-encrusted colony.

Who can sit next to a torch: torches generally tolerate other torches far better than they tolerate other species, and many reefers group them deliberately for a dramatic effect. Clones from the same colony can touch safely. Different genotypes usually intermingle without damage, but not always — if the tentacles stick when they contact each other rather than sliding past, separate them.

They're far less friendly toward hammers, frogspawns, and other LPS, and they will absolutely burn SPS that drifts into range. When in doubt, watch the tank an hour after lights out with a flashlight — that's when the sweepers come out and the actual footprint becomes visible.

Feeding Torch Corals

Torches can be excellent eaters, but you do not need to go out of your way to target-feed them. Their long tentacles capture food from the water column efficiently, and a well-fed tank generally means well-fed torches.

What to feed: meaty foods work best. PE Mysis, Fauna Marin LPS pellets, and easily digestible powdered coral foods all provide excellent nutrition. Chopped krill and small pieces of raw seafood work as well.

How often: one to two deliberate feedings a week is plenty for a healthy torch in an established system. More than that risks fouling the water without producing meaningfully faster growth.

How to tell it's actually eating: a hungry torch will curl its tentacles inward toward the mouth and hold the food. If the food sits on the tentacles and then blows away, either the coral isn't feeding-responsive yet — common with a new frag — or the flow is too strong during feeding. Turning pumps down for ten minutes solves the second problem.

What not to do: don't force-feed a torch that isn't extending. A retracted coral won't eat, and uneaten food decomposing against the skeleton is exactly the condition brown jelly needs.

Growth Rate, Size, and Fragging

Torches grow by budding — new corallites form alongside existing branches, and established heads also split. There's no encrusting phase to wait through the way there is with many SPS, so growth is visible and satisfying.

How fast: in stable, well-fed conditions, a healthy torch commonly adds new heads over a period of several months rather than weeks. Growth is meaningfully faster in the higher half of the PAR range with consistent nitrate present. Australian torches and grail-grade morphs are typically the slowest, which is a large part of why they stay expensive.

How big: the skeletal corallite of a single head runs roughly 1 to 1.5 inches across; with tentacles fully extended, one head occupies something closer to 3 to 5 inches of real estate. Mature colonies in home aquariums routinely reach 10–20+ heads, and in the wild they form substantially larger structures. Plan your aquascape for the colony, not the frag.

Fragging: once a torch has produced clearly separated branches, it can be fragged by cutting through the skeleton below the head — a bone saw or bandsaw gives the cleanest result. Work quickly, keep the coral submerged as much as possible, and give the cut frag low flow and low light for a week while it recovers. Never cut through living tissue if you can avoid it; cut the bare skeleton below it. Our guide to common coral fragging issues covers recovery in more detail.

Troubleshooting: Common Torch Coral Problems

Torch Coral Not Extending or Staying Retracted

The single most common question about torches. Work through this in order:

1. Is it new? A freshly shipped or freshly moved torch can stay closed for several days to a week. That alone is not a problem.
2. Check flow. Tentacles pinned back or folded means too much direct flow. Move it or redirect the pump.
3. Check alkalinity. A swing of more than about 1 dKH in 24 hours can close a torch. Test, don't guess.
4. Check for a neighbor. Something may be stinging it at night that you don't see during the day. Look with a flashlight after lights out.
5. Check for pests. Inspect the base and the underside of the heads carefully — see the flatworm section below.
6. Check light. A sudden jump in PAR, a new fixture, or a bulb change will cause retraction and paling.

Change one variable at a time and give it a week. Torches recover well, but they recover slowly.

Brown Jelly Disease

Brown jelly is the fastest-moving threat to a Euphyllia colony. It presents as a cloudy brown, gelatinous mass on the tissue, usually starting at a single head and spreading along the colony. It's an opportunistic infection — it takes hold where tissue has already been damaged or where detritus has been sitting in low flow.

It can consume an entire colony in 24 to 48 hours. Treat it the moment you see it.

1. Remove the colony from the display immediately. Do not skip this — leaving it in place risks the rest of your Euphyllia.
2. Baste the jelly off with a turkey baster in a separate container of tank water. Do not do this in the display; you'll spread the infection across your rockwork.
3. Cut away affected heads. If a head is fully consumed, remove it below the tissue line, sterilizing your cutters between cuts. Saving the colony matters more than saving one head.
4. Dip the coral in a standard iodine-based coral dip per the manufacturer's directions.
5. Isolate and repeat. Hold the coral in a separate container or frag system with strong flow — not straight back in the display. Re-baste and re-dip every one to two days until no new jelly appears for three consecutive days, then return it. Discard the basting and dip water every time; never pour it back into the system.
6. Treat the display, not just the coral. Run fresh carbon, do a water change, and inspect every other Euphyllia in the tank daily for a week. By the time you see jelly on one head, the rest of the system has already been exposed.

Prevention is far more effective than treatment: keep flow up, keep detritus off the base, don't let a torch sit in a dead spot, and quarantine new arrivals.

Tissue Recession and Polyp Bailout

Tissue recession — flesh slowly pulling back and exposing bare white skeleton at the base — is usually a chronic condition rather than an acute one. Look at long-term parameter stability, chronic low nutrients, abrasion from sand or a neighbor, or persistent low flow at the base.

Polyp bailout is a stress response where the coral ejects its polyps from the skeleton in an attempt to relocate. It looks alarming and it means conditions have been bad for a while. Detached polyps can occasionally be recovered in a low-flow container, but the more useful response is finding what pushed the colony that far.

Paling or bleaching without tissue loss is most often light — too much, too fast. Before you move the coral, though, check temperature stability, whether you've had a recent alkalinity swing, and whether nitrate or phosphate has bottomed out. All three will pale a torch.

Euphyllia-Eating Flatworms

These are the pest most often missed. They're small, nearly transparent, and they sit at the base of the heads and in the crevices of the skeleton where you won't spot them casually. Symptoms look exactly like a mystery health problem: chronic poor extension, gradual decline, no obvious cause.

To check, remove the coral and inspect it in a container of tank water against a light-colored background — they become visible when they move.

A coral dip will stun the adults, but you have to baste them off with a turkey baster and discard the dip water — the dip alone won't remove them. Dips also don't reliably kill the eggs, which are laid in clusters on the bare skeleton, so one dip is never enough. Dip weekly, scrubbing off any egg clusters you can see, and keep going until you've seen no adults and no eggs for two consecutive rounds. Keep the coral away from your other Euphyllia for the duration.

Dip every new Euphyllia before it enters your display. It's ten minutes of work that prevents a months-long problem.

Torch Coral FAQ

Are torch corals hard to keep?

Not especially, once your tank is stable — but they aren't a true beginner coral either. Torches are forgiving of an imperfect number and unforgiving of a moving one, and they're the LPS group most associated with brown jelly disease. In an established system with steady alkalinity they're straightforward.

How big do torch corals get?

A single head's skeleton is about 1 to 1.5 inches across, and with tentacles extended one head occupies roughly 3 to 5 inches. Mature home-aquarium colonies commonly reach 10 to 20 or more heads, and wild colonies grow considerably larger.

How fast do torch corals grow?

A healthy, well-fed torch in stable conditions typically produces new heads over a span of months. Growth accelerates with consistent nitrate, adequate PAR, and good flow. Australian and grail-grade morphs are notably slower than common Indonesian torches.

Do torch corals sting other corals?

Yes. Torches have long sweeper tentacles that extend primarily at night and can reach several inches beyond their daytime footprint. They will sting most neighboring corals. Give them 4 to 10 inches of clearance depending on colony size.

Can you keep torch corals next to each other?

Generally yes. Torches tolerate other torches far better than they tolerate other coral species, and grouping them is a popular aquascaping choice. Clones from the same colony can touch safely. With different genotypes, watch the contact point — if tentacles stick rather than sliding past each other, separate them.

What do torch corals eat?

Meaty foods such as mysis shrimp, LPS pellets, powdered coral foods, and chopped seafood. They also capture food passively from the water column and derive significant energy from their symbiotic zooxanthellae, so heavy target feeding isn't required.

Do torch corals need to be fed?

Not strictly. They will survive on light and captured particulate matter alone. However, one or two feedings a week produces measurably better color, extension, and head production.

Why is my torch coral not opening?

Most often flow that's too direct, an alkalinity swing, a recent move, a stinging neighbor, or a pest at the base. Work through those in order and change one variable at a time.

Do torch corals close at night?

Some reduction in extension at night is normal. Full retraction every night is not, and usually indicates a nearby coral stinging it after lights out.

What PAR do torch corals need?

Torches do well across a wide range, and many reefers keep them successfully at 80 to 120 PAR. We run ours at 125 to 200 in our farm system, measured at the coral rather than at the water surface. Whatever number you target, acclimate up to it gradually over about four weeks.

Shop Top Shelf Aquatics Torch Corals

Torches are a great addition to the home reef aquarium, and they're one of the corals we're proudest of growing. Our TSA Holy Grail torch is a genuine centerpiece — long flowing tentacles, dramatic color contrast, and the kind of movement that makes a tank feel alive.

Torches grown out in our own farm system are raised under the parameters listed in this guide, which means they arrive already adapted to captive lighting, flow, and water chemistry rather than starting that adjustment in your tank.

Shop available torch corals →